GRANGER — A developer, unnamed so far, is asking St. Joseph County to rezone 914 acres of farmland of the former, historic St. Joe Farm — east of Capital Avenue and Cleveland Road — where it would build a “business-tech campus.”
The county’s Area Plan Commission will consider the rezoning for the second time at its meeting at 3:30 p.m. April 16 both virtually and on the fourth floor of the County-City Building in downtown South Bend. The proposed rezoning would change it from an agricultural district and planned unit development district to an industrial district.
The commission’s recommendation would then go to the county council.
A staff report from the county describes the developer’s plans: Up to 300 people would work in three buildings ranging from 262,044 to 602,005 square feet. An area to the south would be reserved for future development. A 200-foot buffer of green space would be allowed along the nearby Juday Creek, which is a cold-water trout stream that conservationists aim to protect as it leads to the St. Joseph River.
County staff report that it would require the city of Mishawaka to extend water and sewer service to the site. While staff say that is currently being planned, The Tribune is also reporting that nearby, in a separate proposed development northwest of Capital and Cleveland, Mishawaka would also have to extend water and sewer service for a proposed auto mall that Gurley Leep Automotive Group hopes to build. In that case, Mishawaka officials say there are still several steps yet to be resolved. Among other things, the developer would have to pay to extend the utilities 1,000 feet to reach the site.
As WNDU has reported, St. Joe Farm dates back to 1867 when the land was purchased by the University of Notre Dame’s founder, the Rev. Edward Sorin. Holy Cross brothers farmed it for more than a century to feed students, faculty and staff on campus.