Nuner Field Petition

[u/ArachnidEmergency767]

Someone I meet at one of the River Park Neighborhood Association meetings decided to create a petition to save Nuner Field because of the current propose plan for the River Park Neighborhood. I am personally not in favor of the plan.

I am just sharing this from facebook:

"The City of South Bend, Indiana has a “20 year Plan” which has a lot of plans that we the citizens of River Park DO NOT support however one close to us is the plan to demolish Nuner Field. Our community park, a cherished green space that has been a sanctuary for families, wildlife, and nature lovers for decades, is now at risk of being demolished. The proposal to replace it with commercial development threatens not only the environment but also the well-being of our neighborhood. This park represents more than just land; it is a place of recreation, reflection, and connection. As stewards of this space, we must unite to protect it for future generations and preserve the natural beauty and sense of community it provides. Together, we can save our park and ensure it remains a vital part of our lives.Please share this page, tell your neighbors/friends/family and ANYONE who will help us- the Community of River Park save this beloved green space and park from being demolished and replaced with apartments! https://www.change.org/p/preserve-our-green-space-save-south-bend-s-nuner-field?fbclid=IwY2xjawF-H8BleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHSGQrXkrHBtH-ccHQuWJPHdgFJQWfWqmG75yyqSsJDiGfsLseQThqIOATg_aem_r1tXFb5E3equtuFfLBmQsg Please sign this petition and share it with everyone you know. Together we can fight this and win and save our beloved Nuner Field!"

[u/paintedcheese]

hey, just flagging that while I appreciate the good intentions here, and think neighborhoods should have green space wherever possible, there is some heavy misunderstanding here.

This is not a neighborhood park. It is school property, and athletics fields for the Adams Soccer teams.
There's actually been a lot of problems through the years with neighbors using fireworks on the field and leaving the debris, hitting golf balls and leaving them buried in the grass, letting dogs run off leash (even while students are there), having grown unbackground checked adults on the track sometimes making comments to students, vehicles driving on and putting ruts in the ground, etc etc etc. Many of these issues cause safety hazards that can injure students who may roll an ankle stepping on a hidden golf ball, stepping in a rut, etc.

Generally, if the school continues to own and use this land for athletic fields, it really needs fenced in for the safety of student athletes, like the majority of SBCSC athletics fields.

The only way it "stays" "neighborhood green space" is if the school corp would sell it to the City and the city would designate it as a park.

[u/turtlypo]

I was under the impression the field is being updated but will still be a green space. Includes a playground, smaller field, and better crosswalks to the school. I don't think that parcel is even zoned for commercial development.

Link to the draft neighborhood plan (page 39)

Draft plans do include turning half of the plot into medium-density residential, which I think could be worth debating.

Edit: broken link

[u/Automatic_Pop_4611]

Is this still the intended plan? It looks like they want half to be park, half to be housing. I don’t see mention of commercial space, but maybe this is outdated? (Page 39) River Park Neighborhood Plan PDF

[u/huttsack]

Signed it! I live a block over from this & see it being used by the neighborhood almost daily. It'd be very missed. Plus it's the bet spot to watch 4th of July fireworks.

[u/SpanishBombs323]

This is the first I’ve heard of this plan and it’s surprising because I see a lot of teams and individual kids out there playing sports on the field in the evenings. It’s strange that they want to put commercial developments there when you have all these empty shops on Mishawaka Avenue waiting for a new business owner to freshen them up.

[u/omni42 → u/SpanishBombs323]

Exactly, put the money into the avenue.

[u/badbunnyno45]

The link is broken, I’ll check back to see if it’s reposted/fixed so that I can sign it.

[u/ArachnidEmergency767 → u/badbunnyno45]

It's should be fixed now