DEMOCRAT
SOUTH BEND
South Bend- A Great Place to Live
Steve Luecke chose South Bend as his home, raising his family in a community that has much to offer: affordable housing in diverse neighborhoods, educational and recreational opportunities, and arts and culture, all within easy reach.
Neighborhoods
Mayor Luecke invests in strong neighborhoods, believing that ethnic, racial and economic diversity represents a treasure of South Bend’s unique character. The active community involvement of nearly three dozen neighborhood organizations and 18 historic districts contributes to the city’s ability to address challenges. And the city continues to diversify building on some of the most affordable housing in the Midwest by adding additional market-rate housing in major new developments, such as in the Northeast Neighborhood, or through in-fill housing rehabilitation on the city’s northwest and west sides.
Initiatives and partnerships undertaken by the Luecke administration to support and improve neighborhoods include:
- Revitalizing the Northeast Neighborhood – Bringing together multiple partners, including neighborhood residents, for a $135 million capital investment, creating more than 400 new homes and 200,000 square feet of office and retail space. Immediate steps this fall will include the $50 million Eddy Street Commons retail development, an equal sum to build 195 townhouses and 80 condominiums, and a $12.5 million rebuilding of the area northwest of South Bend Avenue with 60 at-market and affordable homes.
- A comprehensive abandoned and vacant housing strategy – Reducing abandoned houses by 72 percent with a $6.825 million public-private partnership. Over three years, the city will demolish 400 derelict homes, making the property available for new development, while selling 45 homes for $1 apiece to owner occupants or developers who would invest $75,000 in renovation.
- The Good Neighbors/Good Neighborhoods Building Blocks Grant program – Awarding individual and group beautification grants for curbs and sidewalks, facades, lampposts or landscaping.
- Neighborhood Task Force – Bringing together representatives of the Police, Fire, Legal and Code Enforcement departments to triage specific neighborhood concerns.
- Adopt-a-Block Neighborhood Cleanup — Organizing hundreds of residents in this national award-winning program to adopt sections of their neighborhood for regular, ongoing cleanup.
- Commercial Corridors – Investing nearly $8 million since 1999 to dramatically improve South Bend’s most visible entryways, spurring additional investment by the private sector.
- Rebuilding Together – Rehabilitating nearly 40 homes annually in partnership with businesses, organizations , volunteers and low-income homeowners.
- Channeling federal dollars – Using Community Development Block Grants to support local organizations like South Bend Heritage Foundation and Near Northwest Neighborhood for housing rehab and construction.
- Neighborhood Resources Corp. – Building and supporting neighborhood organizations with neighborhood partnership centers and other efforts.
- Weed and Seed – Marking South Bend’s fourth year in a federal program involving select U.S. cities working to weed out the negative and seed in the positive influences to combat drugs, graffiti and gangs.
- Community Homebuyers’ Corporation and 1st Time Homebuyers’ Assistance – providing affordable mortgage opportunities to low- and moderate-income residents.