Organization awards $40 million in state grants to improve region's quality of place

ELKHART ― The South Bend-Elkhart Regional Development Authority has awarded $40 million in state money aimed at jump starting a wide variety of projects in St. Joseph, Elkhart and Marshall counties.

The RDA, which is charged with overseeing the state money, made its decision Monday after studying applications for a wide variety of projects aimed at improving the region’s quality of place over the past few months.

Earlier this year, the region was one of 17 in Indiana that shared $500 million through the state’s Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative --or READI -- program for the purposes of improving the quality of life throughout the state.

Since the projects require local and private matching dollars, the state money will ultimately result in $465 million in total investments throughout the region, according to the organization.

“We received an impressive array of applications for well-thought and creative projects,” John DeSalle, RDA chair and executive engineer-in-residence at iNDustry Labs at the University of Notre Dame, said in a release from the organization.

“These projects will impact arts and culture, economic development, housing, and recreation and wellness in Elkhart, Marshall, and St. Joseph counties in a transformative way.”

In St. Joseph County, the partnership awarded: $11.78 million to help with the construction of a mixed-used development proposed by Beacon Health South just south of Memorial Hospital; $5 million for a 350,000-square-foot indoor athletic complex near Juday Creek Golf Course in Mishawaka; and $800,000 for land acquisition near the South Bend International Airport.

Beyond those projects, the RDA awarded $1.5 million to support the planned $30 million renovation and expansion of the Morris Performing Arts Center in downtown South Bend, $1.07 million to help build a new black bear exhibit and concession lodge at the Potawatomi Zoo, $200,000 to help with planned upgrades at Wilson Park in Mishawaka, $550,000 to help with the renovation of the former Ward Baking Co. Building at 906-910 Portage Ave. in South Bend into a business, arts and culture incubator and $550,000 for the Momentum SBE Entrepreneurship Hub in St. Joseph County.

In its initial application, Beacon Health System said its project would be developed with Great Lakes Capital and Bradley Co., and would include 145 apartments, a health club, a 125-room hotel, 35,000 square feet of office and retail space and parking for 1,200 vehicles.

The complex would take up the 300 and 400 blocks of North Main Street, which is mostly surface parking now. The target completion date would be Dec. 31, 2025.

The apartments would be for hospital employees but could also potentially house Memorial patients and their families, according to its initial application.

The $1.5 million going to the Morris would support the planned project includes about $36.4 million in private investment and lending sources, and calls for about $11.9 million in incentives from the city, likely in the form of TIF financing, and potentially the same amount through the READI program.

Beyond the two projects aimed at downtown South Bend, a little more than $1 million would go to the Potawatomi Zoo so that it can build a new concession lodge and black bear exhibit.

Josh Sisk, executive director of the zoo, said that project should get underway this year and could be completed toward the end of next season. This year, the zoo opened a new giraffe exhibit and early next year it plans to unveil a new habitat for lions.

“Our growing attendance is a testament to the work that’s been put in the past several years,” said Sisk, adding that the zoo could hit attendance of 320,000 or more this year.

“We improve the quality of place for residents, but we’re also turning into a regional attraction,” he said.

That’s what Mishawaka also is hoping to accomplish with the massive athletic complex its proposing as well as improvements at Wilson Park. Both would serve residents throughout the region, but also would enable tourism officials to go after a wide variety of amateur athletic tournaments.

Other projects that were approved include:

$4.2 million for the conversion of Ariel Cycleworks in Goshen into 150 market rate apartments;

$82, 965 for improvements at Bremen Sunnyside Park;

$153,035 for upgrades at Corson Riverwoods County Park in Elkhart County;

$1.3 million for the Culver South Main Housing Project in Marshall County;

$6.5 million to the downtown Elkhart River District;

$144,000 for the Harrison Street Trail in Marshall County;

$1.75 million for the Marshall County Career Innovation Center;

$100,000 for the completion of the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail;

$2.6 million for the Tolson Center for Community Excellence in Elkhart County;

$520,000 for Water Street Townhomes in Marshall County; and

$1.2 million for improvements at the Wellfield Visitor Center in Elkhart County.

The state money for READI was approved in 2021. The purpose of the program is to stimulate investment in projects aimed at improving the region’s quality of place, ultimately to attract and retain talent in Indiana.

“We received more than 50 applications for Quality of Place projects, and despite our region winning the maximum grant amount, the total request was over three times the amount of funds available to allocate,” said Bethany Hartley, president and CEO of the South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: $40 million in state grants expected to boost region's quality of life