Coveleski Park Neighborhood Plan

Aerial view of the Coveleski Stadium and surrounding area.

Purpose:
In 2007, as Coveleski Regional Stadium celebrated its 20th anniversary, the City of South Bend began a redevelopment plan for the neighborhood surrounding the ballpark prompted, in part, by the relocation of the Gates automotive dealership to Erskine Commons on the city's south side. The City acquired nearly 15 contiguous acres of property surrounding the park as part of a strategy to encourage new mixed-use development near the stadium and enhance its connection with the core of downtown. The City's control of the land maximizes the opportunity for economic growth in line with a master-planned strategy, while minimizing the potential for inappropriate development.

Desired outcomes:

• Increase downtown density 
• Expand economic activity 
• Increase downtown residential opportunities through construction of infill housing, complexes of apartments/condominiums, or mixed-use development with retail on the first floor and residential above.
• Create a more visible entrance to Coveleski Stadium.
• Strengthen the connection between Coveleski Stadium and the core of downtown.
• Improve pedestrian and vehicular circulation.
• Resolve parking concerns for the ballpark while creating a more walkable neighborhood.
• Enhance the ballpark with 360-degree seating.

Overview:
The conceptual development plan for the Coveleski Ballpark Neighborhood focuses on the area bounded by Bronson Street on the south, Wayne Street on the north, Michigan Street on the east and Scott Street on the west. It includes short-, mid- and long-term strategies.

Click for larger map

The plan consists of three segments:

1. Coveleski Stadium – Enhancements to the stadium, including a new entrance and 360-degree seating.
• Phase 1 plans for the Cove include renovation to existing concourse suites, press box and clubhouses to start before the 2010 baseball season.
• In Phase 2, the most extensive work will take place. A new main entrance would be built in centerfield, including a team store, concession stands and restrooms. Within the ballpark, re-graded berms will enable new enhancements: a bar, a picnic terrace, a high-top group area.
• Phase 3 would focus on right field and include the addition of new batting areas, a Kids Zone with kids concession areas and a display area for semi-trucks.
2. Park/Entrance – In the block surrounding the ballpark, creation of a park-like entrance at the corner of Lafayette Boulevard and Western Avenue with new parking areas and two new street corridors:
• Monroe Street would extend east, from Taylor Street to Lafayette Boulevard.
• Franklin Street would extend south, from Western Avenue to Monroe Street.
3. Surrounding Neighborhood – The wider neighborhood (bounded by Taylor Street on the west, Jefferson Boulevard on the north, Lafayette Boulevard on the east and the stadium on the south) would be the focus of mixed-use development, including infill housing, new development and adaptive reuse of existing buildings. (Even as the strategy was under development, City officials have had conversations with potential development partners interested in sites near the stadium for new commercial businesses.)

Conceptual redesign of the Coveleski Stadium

Steps taken to date:
The following actions have been taken by the South Bend Redevelopment Commission, which oversees redevelopment efforts implemented by the City's Department of Community and Economic Development:

• October 2007 –  HOK Sport Inc. (now Populous) is hired to create a conceptual development plan for the Coveleski Ballpark Neighborhood.
• December 2007 --  The former B'Nai Yisrael (Sons of Israel) synagogue is purchased with a plan to relocate the city's first Jewish synagogue (built in 1901).
  March 2008 –  Gates Chevy World site (former Sears building) is acquired.
• June 2008 --  HOK Sport Inc. (now Populous) is authorized to conduct a facility analysis of Coveleski Stadium.
• October 2008 --  Gates Chevy World Building is demolished.
• November 2009 --  Project updates given to South Bend Park Board, Redevelopment Commission and Common Council.

Funding:
The Coveleski Ballpark Neighborhood Plan is funded by tax incremental financing or TIF revenue from South Bend's central business district. The 493-acre South Bend Central Development Area was created in 1985 by the Common Council, the Redevelopment Commission and the Area Plan Commission.

• How does a TIF area generate revenue? When a TIF area is established, the assessed value of the area's property serves a "base" value for determining growth. As new investment occurs, any increase in assessed value, or increment, is assigned to the TIF. The increased taxes that result from the growth remain available within the TIF to fund redevelopment projects. Taxes generated from the base value of the area continue to support local taxing units before the TIF area was established.

History:
Stanley Coveleski Regional Stadium was built in 1987 for $11 million under the leadership of then-Mayor Roger O. Parent. The facility is owned by the City of South Bend and managed by the South Bend Parks & Recreation Department. Stanley Coveleski was a Hall of Fame pitcher who settled in South Bend after his successful baseball career came to an end in 1929. The stadium is now affectionately known as "The Cove." The 5,000-seat stadium is worth an estimated $35 million to $40 million today.

The stadium is home to the South Bend Silver Hawks, a Class A minor league baseball team affiliated with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Silver Hawks, which play in the Midwest League, were named in homage to the Studebaker Silver Hawk, once made in South Bend. Originally affiliated with the Chicago White Sox, the team switched to the Diamondbacks in 1997.

Called "the grandfather of the modern ballpark" by BallParkReviews.com, Coveleski Stadium provided a design template for a move in recent years to bring ballparks back into City downtowns. HOK Sport Inc. (now Populous), architect of Coveleski Stadium, also designed Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore and Cleveland's Jacobs Field.