Photo // WSBT 22 News
“UNFAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION”. Many community members line up to speak out against the rezoning of the South Bend Motor Speedway.
By: Claire McKenna
Staff-Writer
The South Bend Motor Speedway was on its way to be sold and rezoned by Insurance Auto Auctions, turning the raceway into a junkyard for cars and destroying the rare black oak savanna ecosystem surrounding it. That was, until the IAA withdrew their petition to buy the raceway. This came as a result of many South Bend community members speaking out against the rezoning.
Around 100 people came to the St. Joseph County Area Planning Commission on Sept. 17, and almost 50 people spoke out against the rezoning. Besides environmental interests, constituents were concerned about decreases in neighborhood property values, increases in neighborhood crime and potential for light pollution.
The Indiana Nature LLC website states that the commission came to a unanimous decision to send the petition to the county council with an “unfavorable recommendation.” ABC 57 News reports that the attorney representing IAA told county officials that they tried to find a compromise, scaling back the development to help preserve the savanna, but ultimately, found it was not economically viable to proceed with the purchase under such conditions.
Although the IAA has backed out of purchasing, the raceway is still on the market, and this time the next buyer might not need a special use permit – and therefore no public hearing – putting the savanna at risk once again.
Steve Sass, a founder of Indiana Nature LLC, told The Preface that they are exploring options but could not provide further detail yet. He did, however, want to show gratitude to the community.
“In a time when a lot of people think that they cannot make a difference in their local communities, we just did,” Sass wrote. “It wasn’t easy, and it took commitment of time and energy, but it worked.”
Although he cannot discuss the savanna, Sass did mention a new project the Indiana Nature LLC is working on. St. Joseph County closed Portage Manor, the old “county home/poor farm” on Portage Avenue. With 110+ acres of now-vacant land (mostly farmland) within the city, the county is looking to repurpose or develop the land. Indiana Nature LLC was hired to do an ecological assessment of the property, and presented their findings on Tuesday, Oct. 22.
For more information on that and updates on the Motor Speedway, you can visit their website, indiananature.net.