A South Bend city leader says it’s a slow process but plans remain on track to replace public housing downtown near Four Winds Field.
Granger Community Church recently announced it’s moving its 20-year-old Monroe Circle Community Center from downtown South Bend to Mishawaka because its clients left. That happened when the city’s housing authority vacated the nearby Monroe Circle and Rabbi Shulman buildings.
The authority plans to replace the housing and reserve about 70% of the units for low-income tenants but the church says their timeframe is too vague to keep their center so underutilized.
On Thursday Caleb Bauer, the city’s community investment director, says the housing authority is making progress on the project, which calls for building 208 rental units west of the ballpark. He says the authority is close to hiring a developer.
“A big redevelopment project like this does take time," Bauer said, "but I think we’re getting a lot closer and hope to have more to share publicly once that agreement with the developer is brought to the housing authority board for approval.”
Bauer says the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has denied the housing authority’s $5 million grant request for the project. But since then, it’s won about $8 million in state grants, in addition to $10 million from the Lilly Endowment.
“So we’re feeling really good about where we’re at for the development, and that’s why the developer is kind of nearing the point where they’re fully committed to doing this.”
Bauer says the project is on track for completion in three to four years. The city has committed to demolish the Rabbi Shulman high-rise and expects that to happen later this year.
