DEMOCRAT
SOUTH BEND
We're Building South Bend!
Mayor Steve Luecke has guided the renaissance of South Bend, bringing $1.3 BILLION in new investments along with 1,370 new homes. South Bend has surpassed Chicago, Evansville and Kalamazoo in a national ranking of the Forbes magazine annual list of “Best Places for Businesses and Careers,” showing positive growth in economic development.
From burgeoning retail on the South Side to new housing and commercial development in the Northeast neighborhood; from new condos and restaurants downtown to expanding businesses at Blackthorn; from the clearance of dinosaur industrial building opening up land for new jobs, to high-tech infrastructure, we have a strong record of growth and development.
TECHNOLOGY - THE METRONET ADVANTAGE
South Bend is the first city to offer fiber optic access to its underground traffic system conduit for use as a high speed data network, giving us a major economic edge in strengthening existing businesses and attracting new ones. THE METRONET–a 40 mile loop of open access high speed fiber optics connects to the vast array of transcontinental fiber along the railroad and toll road, positioning South Bend for future growth. From our early history as a transportation hub on the St. Joseph River, through the Studebaker era of ground transportation, South Bend will become a transportation center for data, attracting businesses that need access to transcontinental fiber. Businesses coming online are saving money, getting better and bigger gigabyte service at a fraction of their previous costs, creating substantial opportunity for economic growth.
"He said he believes the old Studebaker Administration building project will be very successful because of the quality of life South Bend has to offer. ‘Businesses that need to be near a high-speed data transfer hub and want to find a nice community for their employees to live in will find it here in South Bend, ’ Chamberlain said" -South Bend Tribune, 5/19/07