Residents and neighborhood representatives used the meeting'9s public comment period to press the council for coordinated action after recent grocery closures and slow implementation of neighborhood plans on South Bend'9s West Side.

A neighborhood coalition requested an urgent public meeting with the mayor'9s office and relevant departments to discuss three issues: lack of positive promotion to attract investment on the West Side, closure of a grocery store on West Avenue and the resulting food-access shortfall, and slow progress on the LaSalle Park neighborhood plan. The speakers asked that the meeting be scheduled at a time accessible to working families and include the mayor'9s office, community investment and public works staff.

Jordan Geiger, a Near West Side resident, said a neighborhood meeting last week raised concerns about Kroger'9s closure and stalled neighborhood planning work; he said planning staff cited a staffing shortage that delayed plan completion. Ethan Davis (spokesperson for a neighborhood alliance) urged council support and requested administrative follow-up. Council members acknowledged the appeal and said staff and administration would be asked to meet with neighborhood representatives.

Council members and staff identified community investment and planning departments as partners for follow-up and encouraged the petitioners to continue engagement. The petitioners said they seek tangible next steps to restart neighborhood planning and to attract a grocer or other food-access solutions for the area.