The city of South Bend wants to spend up to $1 million to improve the downtown railroad viaducts that have long attracted homeless encampments.
The Mayor James Mueller administration will make the request at Thursday’s redevelopment commission meeting. In a memo to the commission, city deputy community investment director Joe Molnar says such improvements were called for in the Downtown South Bend 2045 plan approved by the common council in March. That followed meetings with surrounding property owners and interested parties in December.
The plan focuses on the Lafayette Boulevard, Main and Michigan street viaducts. The work would include improved lighting, signage, landscaping, painting, public art, surface repairs and security improvements.
Molnar says the improvements will “reinforce downtown as a place that prioritizes people, supports adjacent development, and treats infrastructure as an opportunity to create memorable civic spaces.”
It was unclear how the investment would affect whether the city allows camping under the viaducts. An Indiana law took effect July 1 making it a criminal misdemeanor to camp on public property.
