UPDATE on the RENAISSANCE DISTRICT

UPDATE on the RENAISSANCE DISTRICT
October 13, 2017, League of Women Voters, Chocolate Cafe
Presenter: Willow Wetherall
This District is 80 city blocks and is bordered by Chapin/Western/Sample/Michigan
Studebaker used to be 128 acres of land
The buildings have 1.2M Square Feet
Houses 25 Telecommunication Companies
Investment to date is $68.6M
City/State/Federal provided $14,600,000
Kevin Smith has provided $54,015,100
He has been able to finance this project with his IQI Balanced Intelligence Companies which include:
Deluxe Sheet Metal, Union Station Technology Center, Lone Wolf Construction, Infinity Fiber, South Bend Warehousing & Distribution, Woodsmith, International Thought Institute
Note: Kevin Smith has an amazing amount of energy and vision 
Half of the 250,000 Square Feet space is already occupied
It is the largest man-made structure in Northern Indiana and is made from poured in place concrete with columns every 25'
It would have cost more to tear it down than to rehab it
Both lead and asbestos contamination has been removed
Unlike many developers, Kevin Smith has reused and recycled while incorporating the latest state-of-the-art sustainability practices on a massive scale
The new windows are custom 3 pane glass windows with a brick imprint to update the look while preserving aspects of the past
Rather than discard the hardwood factory floors, they were repurposed into new items while providing training and jobs for students in the surrounding neighborhoods
For years, monthly update meetings have been held that both keep the public aware of the progress and solicit input
The Renaissance District has some sharp contrasts - High tech innovation and homeless centers
In an effort to accomodate both extremes, the Working Group was created
The Working Group educated 200 people, which included 47 non-profits and government entities
They discovered it costs taxpayers $15K/year to house and care for someone vs. $33K if they are living on the streets
FUSE is working to provide more permanent housing
NOTE: It's exciting to see so much positive progress!
For more articles and meetings: #MichianaObserver