The University has broken ground on Phase II of Eddy Street Commons, according to a University press release published Dec. 19.
The project, which will cost $90 million and is a joint project between the University and Kite Realty, will result in 8,500 square feet of restaurant space, a new Robinson Community Learning Center, a stand-alone grocery store and more than 400 housing units, the press release said.
Phase I of the project, the press release said, will open in September 2018, and “the two phases represent a nearly $300 million investment in the Northeast Neighborhood,” located south of the University.
According to the release, the “mixed-use space — retail, office and apartments — is 100 percent leased, and the condos and townhomes have all been sold.”
Greg Hakanen, director of Northeast Neighborhood Redevelopment for the University, said in the release the project will benefit the neighborhood as well as Notre Dame.
“Massive steps have already been taken to revitalize and regenerate the Northeast Neighborhood for the good of not only the University but the community as well, and this is the last step,” he said. “Phase II will take the biggest existing negative in the neighborhood and turn it into a major positive.”
Phase II, the press release said, will include “two graduate-style apartment buildings and a new Robinson Community Learning Center on the east side of Eddy Street and two market-rate apartment buildings on the west side of Eddy Street.”
According to the release, the project will include space for “small, local specialty shops, small cafes or coffee shops or insurance or law offices.”
Matt Gabet, senior vice president of operational strategy with Kite Realty, said in the press release that Phase II of the project will “complement” Phase I and the neighborhood, and he credited the University for being a “true partner.”
“Because of our partnership structure and collective determination, we were able to work through issues, solve problems and deliver the project you see today,” he said.
Hakanen echoed Gabet’s sentiments, and said Kite Realty was vital to the process of working on the project through the housing crash from 2008 to 2012.
“It was this extraordinary commitment to the project that made engaging Kite as the developer for Phase II an easy decision,” Hakanen said in the press release.
South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg said in the release that the project will be a welcome addition to the community.
“Eddy Street Commons Phase II will build upon Phase I’s success in growing the South Bend economy and strengthening the city’s relationship with Notre Dame,” Buttigieg said. “Because the project pays for itself, it is a win-win for Notre Dame, local employers and the South Bend community.”
According to the press release, the Eddy Street Commons project is one piece of “a broader effort on the part of the University, city of South Bend, South Bend Heritage Foundation, Northeast Neighborhood Revitalization Organization (NNRO) and Northeast Neighborhood Council (NENC) to improve the Northeast Neighborhood with strategic investments in education, housing and infrastructure.”
Completion of the project will conclude with Phase II, the press release said, which is estimated to occur in mid-2020.
