Downtown South Bend Plan

CITY ANNOUNCES DESIGN WEEK FOR DOWNTOWN SOUTH BEND PLAN

The City of South Bend invites you to take part in Design Week, the next stage in the development of the Downtown South Bend 2045 Plan from June 3 through June 6. Residents and other stakeholders are invited to review preliminary design concepts and share their ideas.

“With more than a billion dollars of investment on the way, the heart of South Bend is on the cusp of transformational growth,” said Mayor James Mueller. “We need our community’s ideas and voices to shape this future and keep our downtown safe, welcoming and vibrant."

Design Week will include a series of open houses and presentations for the public to attend. Upcoming events include:

Design Week Public Kickoff: Monday, June 3, 5:30-7:30pm, Howard Park Event Center, 219 S. St. Louis Boulevard

Overview of the week’s activities, review of input received during the February/March visioning workshops and through the online survey, opportunity to comment on key themes that will help form the downtown plan.

Open House: Tuesday, June 4, 12:00-1:00pm, Howard Park Event Center, 219 S. St. Louis Boulevard

A brief presentation of initial design ideas, opportunity to comment on initial plan direction.

Final Presentation: Thursday, June 6, 6:00pm, Leighton Auditorium, St. Joseph County Public Library’s Community Learning Center, 305 S. Michigan Street

Full presentation of draft downtown plan concepts and priorities.

"The UDA team is excited to be back in South Bend spending the week designing with the community and stakeholders,” said Megan O’Hara, Principal at Urban Design Associates. “We look forward to building on the ideas we’ve heard through surveys, public meetings, and workshops to facilitate a collaborative vision for the future of Downtown South Bend."

The Downtown 2045 Plan is a shared vision for the future of downtown South Bend and provides strategies and goals to help accomplish that vision.

Hey Downtown... Are You Surviving or Thriving?

If you missed the Downtown Plan's kick-off speaker event, the full presentation along with Q&A session is provided below.

CITY ANNOUNCES DOWNTOWN PLAN

Tuesday November 13, 2023

Today, the City, along with community and business partners, announced its commitment to create a formal Downtown Plan, which will set a vision for the future of our downtown and outline concrete steps to get there.

“From the new Beacon Tower in the north to the rebirth of former Studebaker buildings in the south, the heart of South Bend will see roughly $1 billion of investment over the coming years for new homes, retail, and jobs of the future,” said Mayor James Mueller. “This downtown plan will create a vision and framework for how to expand opportunities for all and maximize the impacts of these transformational investments beyond the sum of each individual project.”

In addition to new jobs and record private investment, more than 500 new housing units are already in development in the downtown area, and the City also plans major investments at the Morris, Four Winds Field, Century Center, and the Housing Authority.

“We’re excited to work with so many great partners who have been part of the resurgence and revitalization of South Bend’s downtown as we chart the future course,” said Caleb Bauer, Executive Director of Community Investment. “Downtown is the economic engine of our community, and we want to make sure it continues to be a vibrant and welcoming place for all.”

The City team will work with stakeholders and community members during the first two quarters of 2024 to envision the future of South Bend’s downtown. Similar to recent neighborhood plans, the downtown planning process will be facilitated by international urban design experts and the City's Planning Team in the Department of Community Investment.

The City aims to finalize a contract by the end of the year with outside experts and project lead Urban Design Associates, an international urban planning and community development firm based in Pittsburgh.