Now that all of the former Drewrys Brewery buildings have been demolished, the city of South Bend will host information sessions next week to update the public on what’s happened and what’s coming next at the site.
The sessions will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Near Northwest Neighborhood Community Center from 6 to 8 p.m.
The city acquired the site in 2022 in a tax sale, 50 years after it closed, and last year it also acquired an adjacent shopping plaza and gas station, recently completing the demolition of both of those sites as well.
Joe Molnar, the city’s deputy community investment director, says the city will build the infrastructure –- the streets, curbs, sidewalks and utilities –- and bid out the housing and retail development to a private firm. The city also plans to improve the neighboring Muessel Grove Park.
Molnar says the city wants development that won’t price out people already in the neighborhood.
“We want to make improvements to a neighborhood without actually displacing anybody," Molnar says. "Putting in income requirements is certainly step one, median incomes of maybe 80%, 100% (Area Median Income) like we’ve done on other projects, but also we want to make sure that any improvements to the park are beneficial to the whole community.”
