Monroe Circle Complex in South Bend to be demolished in early July

SOUTH BEND, Ind - The Monroe Circle Complex in South Bend is soon to be demolished after facing significant issues.

“I hope they do good work,” said Arthur Tillis, a resident of South Bend.

The South Bend Housing Authority plans to demolish the Monroe Circle Complex and replace it with more affordable housing units.

Officials say the reason for the demolition is that the complex was beyond disrepair, with issues such as asbestos and leaking roofs.

The cost of the demo bid, which will be done by Green Demolition Contractors, is around $850,000.

Tillis who lives across the street from the complex, hopes for a positive outcome with the project.

“I've never seen anything wrong with the places and I hope everything turns out okay,” he said. “I hope they build better places like what they said they were going to do, and we hope it doesn’t take too long, but things don’t happen overnight you know.”

The city plans to start demolition in early July with contract completion set for September 20th.

Due to the Monroe's proximity to Four Winds Field, Lou Pierce, the president of Big Ideas Public Relationship Firm, that works closely with the South Bend Cubs, gave his thoughts on the matter.

“The way we feel about development in and around the stadium in South Bend, it's all good, anything that’s good for the citizens of South Bend is good for the baseball team,” Pierce said.

Pierce is also excited to see more housing development in the area.

“It's a good thing to have people moving back to the core, our urban core,” he said.

The city and the housing authority say they are committed to rebuilding new affordable housing units on the site.