Design standards close to official - South Bend Tribune
SOUTH BEND -- Groups in the northeast neighborhood have been working for years to develop architectural standards that will guide new development in the booming area south of the University of Notre Dame.
And, after last week's South Bend Common Council meeting, they have just one step remaining.
Council members approved what is called an overlay district that sets design guidelines for how new construction should look in the northeast. The Area Plan Commission could give the district final approval at its meeting next month.
The overlay will not change the underlying zoning of the district, which stretches about a half-mile in each direction from the Five Points intersection at Eddy Street and Indiana 23. It will, however, include stipulations for how new buildings should look. For example, building designs would have to include clearly defined front entrances and follow an identifiable architectural style, rather than mixing elements from various styles.
The overlay requirements will apply only to new construction, not to existing buildings.
Supporters of the overlay district say the design standards will preserve the neighborhood's urban, pedestrian-friendly character as new development spreads south of the university and Eddy Street Commons.
The Northeast Neighborhood Council, Northeast Neighborhood Revitalization Organization and other groups have been working on the overlay district since 2003.
"It was in anticipation of what we see happening today in the neighborhood. It's about ensuring quality, attractive development," said Marco Mariani, executive director of South Bend Heritage Foundation, which provided support for the NNRO in crafting the overlay standards.
"There's been a lot of input (from the community) into this," Mariani said. "I think we really did it the right way."
Some neighborhood residents have cited specific houses built in the past few years that they feel are out of scale with the rest of the neighborhood's structures.
"When people come in, especially out-of-towners, they take a cursory look at the building code and build whatever they want," NENC president Bill Stenz said. "There should be some sort of continuity."
Wayne Curry, a Republican running for mayor in this year's election, lives in the overlay district. He told council members last week that the design requirements could have a gentrifying effect on the neighborhood.
"When you ... force people to build more-expensive homes," Curry said, "what you are doing is pushing the poor and average folks out of the neighborhood and making room for the wealthier folks."
Mariani said that is not the intention behind the overlay, and he doesn't expect the design standards to have the impact Curry expects.
"The kind of requirements that are in the overlay aren't going to be that onerous," he said. "It's more about an approach to building as opposed to, 'You have to use gold instead of silver.'"
Stenz, a licensed architect, also noted that Habitat for Humanity is building homes in the neighborhood in line with the overlay standards. If Habitat can do it, he said, anyone can.
Common Councilwoman Ann Puzzello, D-4th, is the only council member who lives in the overlay area. She said northeast residents always have been diverse economically, and she expects that will continue to be the case after the overlay standards take effect.
Councilmen Oliver Davis, D-6th, and David Varner, R-5th, voted against the overlay.
"Any time you add a layer of regulation or requirements -- no matter how good the intentions -- you add a cost," Varner said.
Staff writer Kevin Allen: kallen@sbtinfo.com 574-235-6244 28 Aug, 2011--
Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHIuv0TpRWRnL_FFLkIU4xuPrYBuw&url=http://www.southbendtribune.com/news/sbt-20110828sbtmicha-03-04-20110828,0,1750765.story
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