Michael Divita

Plan for Standard House

The Standard House, Option A, was used.

A beige house with a wide porch sits on top of a small hill

Through its preapproved housing program, South Bend has now permitted 90 new homes in 67 buildings. Here is permit #16, a detached house on Clover Street.

Fantastic, but for the record, none of these were built using preapproved plans (though I think some plans are influenced/inspired by them).

A selection of new infill homes on South Bend's southeast side

Transpo had been considering adding some BRT features to its main routes, but I have not heard anything recently. Their focus has been on implementing the new route map defined by their CONNECT Transit Plan. The agency may be hobbled by not having had a permanent general manager/CEO for a year.

Before

After

A former auto service garage being used for storage turns into a bar and duckpin bowling alley

W. Wayne Street, South Bend

White house with porch

New infill home construction
Howard Street, South Bend

Rendering of LaSalle Park (the park)

Autumnal rendering of trail along Linden Avenue

More from the plan:

Rendering of Washington Street infill housing

Rendering of Western Avenue infill projects

With the approval of the South Bend Plan Commission and Common Council, a new LaSalle Park Neighborhood Plan has been adopted. The plan proposes infill housing coordinated with the area's natural ecology, park improvements, and new mixed-use development along Western Avenue.

3-story condo building under construction

Rendering of a New Orleans-inspired building

Not sure this will become a Mardi Gras hot spot, but a New Orleans-style building is under construction on Notre Dame Avenue in South Bend

South Bend > St. Joseph County on new house permits

For the first time in at least two generations, more single-family house permits were issued in South Bend than in unincorporated St. Joseph County. From only about a 10% share of permits in the early 1980s, South Bend has steadily gained permit share over its suburbs.

I dug up another 10 years of data: In 2025, South Bend had its highest number of new house permits issued in at least 44 years.

Only 14 of South Bend's new homes in 2025 were built on greenfield sites; thus, well over 90% were in infill locations. By using existing street and utility infrastructure, these homes are a victory for residents, neighborhoods, and the City's taxpayers.

South Bend housing boom:
According to South Bend-St. Joseph County Building Department data, the City issued 187 new house permits in 2025; this is the highest total ever recorded in the 34-year history of the consolidated department.

Ah, yes, the perfect solution to speeding: remove a dedicated bus lane and widen the road to add more vehicular capacity. 🤔

16' wide townhouses

The townhouse comes in 16' or 22' widths, with different cladding options.

3-bedroom bungalow

The bungalow plans come in 2- and 3-bedroom options.

Bungalow

Row of townhouses

South Bend's pre-approved housing catalog has expanded! Bungalow and townhouse plans are now available.

If we're talking about passenger trains, it's zero. Amtrak uses an Amshack on South Bend's west side; South Shore commuter rail has a terminal at the South Bend Airport. A preliminary look at moving Amtrak, with its four daily trains, to this station is underway.

Shorter timeline for potential Amtrak service. Longer timeline for potential South Shore service. Airport would not be a through station. South Shore has proposed running a shuttle from the airport to a west side South Bend station on a Chicago to Downtown South Bend/Union Station main line.

St. Patrick Catholic Church

Or for a more religious experience ...

South Bend Union Station, Studebaker assembly plant, and a parking lot

An early winter dusk in the Rust Belt

Monreaux apartments

The Parisi condos

Ten of the projects are downtown, six are on the northeast side, and two are on the south side. They range from affordable apartments to high-end condominiums.

Five Corners condominiums

Diamond View

Five Corners apartments

Madison Lifestyle District apartment site

A few years ago, having one or two large multifamily residential projects underway in South Bend would have been a big deal. Right now in the city, at least 18 are somewhere in the development process, from concept to construction nearing completion.

All these buildings were built using South Bend's pre-approved housing plans.

Merry Christmas from South Bend.

Not great by any means, but at least they provided sidewalk connections to the door, better than most places. Just gotta survive the weather and unpleasantness for several hundred feet.

Colfax Corner courtyard

The 200k-square-foot project includes a rehabilitation of the former South Bend Tribune building and the redevelopment of Main Street Row into a five-story office building. The two will be connected by a mid-block plaza.

Colfax Corner rendering

In collaboration with the City of South Bend and Notre Dame, a developer plans the $154M Colfax Corner project, a research and innovation hub downtown

These are a part of a big wave of housing projects on vacant lots. Across Lindsey Street, three townhouses and a detached house are being built next to a recently completed set of duplexes.