The transformation coming to South Bend's West side

 

SOUTH BEND, Ind.-- The Indiana Dinosaur Museum opened its doors to the public Friday, estimated to be the third highest attraction in South Bend, and it's also indicative of what could be a major revitalization of the West side.

"This is a sign of all the investment that's coming to the West side," said South Bend Mayor James Mueller. "This has been in the works for about seven years, so before Amazon or GM announced their big billion-dollar projects, but we know the future of the West side of South Bend, the future of the west side of the county is bright."

The Indiana Dinosaur Museum, part of the 90-acre attraction for families, sits along the Lincolnway corridor connecting South Bend with New Carlisle, where three key investments are coming into the region.

General Motors, Microsoft, and Amazon are all coming to the western portion of St. Joseph County, promising to change the region over the next generation.

"There's a lot of new jobs, good-paying jobs coming to the west side of the county, as well, there's going to be more and more people living on the west side of the county," Mueller said. "So, you're going to see tremendous growth in the years and decades to come."

"Really, we're seeing a great resurgence here on the west side."

But bringing in all these new projects means the city and county have a lot of work to do.

"There's a lot of infrastructure work that has to be done," Mueller said. "So, that's something that the county and the city are working together on."

Not to mention housing needs.

Jeff Rea with the South Bend Regional Chamber says we can expect to see more of a build-out on the west side of both the city and county.

"As those investments continue to happen, I think you'll see other investments like hotels and such that support what's going on on this side of town," he said. "The city's made major investment in utilities, the county's making some major investment in utilities, those things drive development."

Mayor Mueller says the trick will be finding a balance between the environment and the transformational growth promised in the region.

"That's going to be critical too, to balance the growth and development, along with the conservation of the beautiful landscape out here," he said.

Day one of the Indiana dinosaur museum was a huge success with lots of foot traffic.

The grounds with trails and wildlife are open, plus the South Bend Farms market. Coming next month, the South Bend Public House on the same campus will open its doors.

"Really, we're seeing a great resurgence here on the west side," Rea said.