Neighboring businesses say the area around Indiana 933 and Darden Road has improved since Wellbrooke of South Bend opened. The facility was built on an empty space once occupied by North Village Mall. SBT Photo/ROBERT FRANKLIN
Timeline
• 1975 — North Village Mall opens.
• 2010 — North Village Mall is torn down.
• 2013 — Ground broken on assisted-living, rehabilitation, long-term care facility at 52565 Indiana 933.
• 2014 — Wellbrooke of South Bend, a joint venture between Indiana-based Mainstreet and Iowa-based Life Care Services, opens in August. LCS operates the facility.
• 2014 — Facility costs $14.2 million and utilizes 66,560 square feet. It features 30 assisted living apartments and 70 suites for rehab/transitional/long-term care.
It seems as if business had been declining at the teal-painted North Village Mall for about a decade before it was finally torn down in 2010. And then neighbors were left with nothing but a large, empty space.
Today, it’s a whole different story.
What once was something of an eyesore north of Roseland has become a new $14 million skilled nursing and assisted living center called Wellbrooke of South Bend.
On first glance, manymight think the 66,560-square-foot structure is an upscale hotel, and it is already having a positive effect for its neighbors.
“It’s helped us tremendously,” said Mike Horwarth, store manager for NAPA Auto Parts, which sits nearby at Indiana 933 and Darden Road. “The overall appearance from the highway, you want to look back. You look back and you see us and them in the background.”
It’s helped his business in part by creating more traffic flow through the parking lot, Horwarth said. “Overall our business is up since they finished it up,” he said, noting he even got a boost during construction when the workers would stop over if they needed a part for the machinery they were using.
Ponderosa, which has been on 933 for nearly 45 years, saw a little increase during construction. And as Wellbrooke fills up with patients and staff, some increase in business is expected with the restaurant just a short walk away, said Bobbie Covington, general manager of Ponderosa.
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