South Bend approves low-income housing development with Devereux Peters’ company
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - She used to bring down the house at the Purcell Pavilion as a member of the Notre Dame women’s basketball team.
Now, Devereaux Peters is back as a housing developer, ready to put up new apartments in South Bend.
The South Bend Redevelopment Commission today approved a development agreement that gives Peters’ company $2.3 million and 24 months to complete the work.
The project calls for a four-story apartment building with at least 60 units. 46 of those units must be reserved for low-income tenants.
The new building will also be sprinkled with pieces of the past. The construction site is at the southwest corner of Monroe and Michigan, where the Fat Daddy’s building long stood.
Before its demolition in 2019, terracotta pieces were removed from the building and placed into storage.
“The developer has agreed to incorporate probably as much as possible of the pieces so, the new building on the same old site,” said South Bend Redevelopment Commission Board Member Dave Relos.
Peters today attended the city redevelopment commission meeting virtually and described some outdoor features of the complex. “It’ll have like a walking path, grills, kind of a patio seating area, a tenant’s garden area, just overall community space.”
Peters also said the building would have first-floor retail space but not the kind that sits vacant. “These units are not simply retail spaces; they are residential as well, so they will be filled because they are also apartments.”
“It’s the idea of having an apartment unit that’s connected to a retail store front, so that if you have a business owner, they’re able to run their storefront and have their residence connected. This is something that we historically have seen in cities throughout the United States,” said South Bend Community Investment Director Caleb Bauer. “It’s something that went away with stricter zoning laws, but it’s something that we now allow for in our new zoning ordinance.”
The development agreement further requires at least $13.7 million in private investment. The city’s $2.3 million contribution comes in the form of a forgivable loan. “This would be a loan made available to the developer; if the developer does not meet their commitment is not able to get the building completed within the time frame, then they would have to pay it back with interest. But if they do meet the commitments, then the loan would be forgiven,“ Bauer said.
Peters played basketball for Notre Dame from 2007 to 2012. In 2012, she led the squad that finished second in the NCAA Tournament
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