South Bend to demolish 21 homes, continuing years of blight removal

Jordan Smith, South Bend Tribune
·2 min read

SOUTH BEND — The city plans to demolish 21 vacant and abandoned homes next year, continuing its efforts to remove neighborhood blight after the 1,000 Houses in 1,000 Days initiative.

South Bend's Board of Public Works voted last week to pay Ritschard Bros, Inc., about $368,000 to demolish 21 properties. All of the homes are eligible to go down under Indiana's Unsafe Building Law, according to Liz Maradik, chief neighborhoods officer.

"We really are focused on those properties that are in severely poor conditions and are a public safety hazard,” Maradik said.

The homes targeted for demolition are scattered across South Bend's west and southeast sides. Many have been reduced by flames to a charred skeleton, including homes at 226 E. Donald St. and 732 E. Indiana Ave. Such homes are not only eyesores but reduce property values and attract criminal activity, city officials say.

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The city's code enforcement department sharpened its focus a decade ago when a mayoral commission, the Vacant and Abandoned Properties Task Force, released a report on how to eliminate neighborhood nuisances. That report, which recommended that the city pay for demolition of all "severely dilapidated abandoned homes," led to the 1,000 Houses in 1,000 Days initiative.

The $10.5 million initiative, which drew from a mix of federal and state funding, led to 569 demolitions while 110 more homes were slated for future demolition.

From 2016 to 2022, the city demolished 109 homes, according to city data. That number will rise to 130 after this upcoming spring, when demolitions funded in 2023 will commence.

The city has taken steps in the last two years to incentivize small developers to build on the vacant lots left behind, including a reimbursement fund for connecting sewer lines and a suite of pre-approved building plans. Some of the lots have been repurposed for urban gardens and tree nurseries.

Last month, an Evansville nonprofit backed by city tax breaks won a statewide award to build on 37 vacant lots in west side neighborhoods.

The 21 homes to be demolished

South Bend plans to demolish this house at 219 S. Chestnut St. in 2024.
South Bend plans to demolish this house at 219 S. Chestnut St. in 2024.

  • 823 S. Arnold St.

  • 219 S. Chestnut St.

  • 226 E. Donald St.

  • 1132 E. Donald St.

  • 610 E. Fairview Ave.

  • 1329 Fisher St.

  • 1031 Hancock St.

  • 610 S. Illinois St.

  • 227 E. Indiana Ave.

  • 732 E. Indiana Ave.

  • 722 W. Jefferson Blvd.

  • 253 N. Kenmore St.

  • 2001 Leer St.

  • 615 Leland Ave.

  • 507 W. Marion St.

  • 1011 O'Brien St.

  • 2424 Orange St.

  • 1328 Randolph St.

  • 2114 S. St. Joseph St.

  • 1912 S. Scott St.

  • 213 S. Wellington St.

Online

View an interactive map and photos of the 21 properties at southbendtribune.com.

Email South Bend Tribune city reporter Jordan Smith at JTsmith@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @jordantsmith09

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Where South Bend will demolish more homes in 2024