Commercial Corridor Initiative

The Commercial Corridor Initiative is a stakeholder-driven, comprehensive approach to business development and physical improvement along the major routes into South Bend. Since 1998 when Mayor Stephen J. Luecke began the initiative, the City has invested $7.75 million (through 2007) into strategic streetscape improvements, matching grants, redevelopment activities, public safety, and marketing. This award-winning initiative is structured as a public-private partnership where businesses help set project priorities. Six commercial corridors participate in the initiative:

• Lincoln Way West
  Lincoln Way West is lined with commercial and residential property that demonstrates the history of development in South Bend.  Lincoln Way West is the logical route that visitors from the South Bend Regional Airport and the South Shore commuter railroad travel to downtown South Bend.
  
  
• Miami Street
  Miami Street is an important connector between pleasant residential neighborhoods, downtown South Bend, and the Erskine Hills shopping district.  The corridor is a neighborhood commercial center that provides convenience shopping, dining, specialty stores, office space, and a location for special events.
  
  
• South Michigan / South Main Streets
  South Michigan / South Main Streets compliment each other as paired one-way streets. South Michigan is the principle entryway to the city from points south; South Main provides convenient access from the downtown to the emerging Erskine Hills shopping district. Home to many long-standing businesses, the corridor has seen the recent growth of Ivy Tech and other institutional uses.
  
  
• Mishawaka Avenue
  The commercial center of the adjacent River Park neighborhood for nearly a century, "The Avenue" has continued to provide a home for specialty businesses and unique shops. Mishawaka Avenue not only serves the needs of the surrounding neighborhood, but also is home to regional attractions such as Indiana University South Bend, Pottawatomi Zoo, and the South Bend Farmers Market.
  
  
• Portage Avenue
  Portage Avenue is the primary access to South Bend's pleasant, historic housing immediately west of the St. Joseph River.  Portage Avenue serves as the center for those neighborhoods and as a connector to the city's northwest side.
  
  
• Western Avenue
  Western Avenue is the primary entrance to South Bend's Westside neighborhoods, commerce, and industry. The growing diversity of residents and businesses contribute to Western Avenue's identity as a vibrant urban place.

Community Development
1200 County-City Building • 227 W. Jefferson Boulevard
South Bend, IN  46601
574.235.9660 • Fax: 574.235.9469