The old Tribune building is becoming a tech hub, Howard Park is getting a permanent stage, and the city has drafted its own rules for data centers.
If you were downtown for Notre Dame-Miami weekend, you walked past at least one of these projects. South Bend has three big efforts underway at the same time: an innovation hub budgeted at $130 million to $135 million, a riverfront bandshell expected to cost at least $6 million, and a new set of standards for the data centers that keep coming to St. Joseph County.
The quick version
- Colfax Corner: Under construction at Colfax Avenue and Lafayette Boulevard. Initial occupancy is expected in mid-2028.
- Howard Park bandshell: In design. Construction should start in spring 2027, and the city hopes to finish by the end of 2027.
- Data centers: Mayor James Mueller said Oct. 6 there is no data center project to announce in the city. The draft rules closed for public comment on Oct. 31 and have not been finalized.
Colfax Corner: the Tribune building's next life
The South Bend Tribune called the art deco building at Colfax and Lafayette home from 1921 to 2019. It's now the centerpiece of Colfax Corner, a 202,000-square-foot research and innovation hub led by the investment firm Ancora in partnership with the University of Notre Dame and the city.
What's being built. The restored Tribune building will be paired with a new five-story research and office building. Notre Dame is expected to take about a third of the space. The rest is aimed at companies in advanced computing, data analytics and AI, plus new dining and retail and a courtyard with a mid-block entrance.
Who's building it. Gensler is the architect, Anderson + Bohlander is the landscape architect, and Weigand Construction is the builder.
The timeline:
- Ground broke on Aug. 13, 2026.
- Core and shell construction is expected to start in late 2026, according to Weigand's schedule.
- The new building is expected to top out in the second quarter of 2027.
- Initial occupancy is targeted for mid-2028.
How it's paid for. Notre Dame won a $30 million matching grant from the Lilly Endowment in 2024. The city is lending Ancora $30.8 million raised through a bond issue, as part of a new Innovation Development District. That loan is repaid through a mix of incremental property taxes and state sales and income taxes. Partners project more than 400 high-tech jobs and $750 million in direct economic impact over the next decade. Those figures are the partners' projections.
Why it matters. Colfax Corner is the first phase of the Tech and Talent District called for in the Downtown South Bend 2045 Plan. Mueller has said the project "will transform the landscape of our downtown."
Data centers: big money nearby, new rules in the city
What's happening around South Bend. Amazon Web Services' campus near New Carlisle, west of South Bend, has already passed its original $11 billion investment goal. AWS said in July that it has invested $13.8 billion. It has hired more than 1,000 people so far, more than 800 of them Hoosiers and about 450 from St. Joseph County. Microsoft is preparing a data center campus in Granger, where site work began in May. South Bend's role so far is providing wastewater service to the AWS campus.
What's happening inside the city. Mueller said in October that there's no data center project in South Bend to announce yet.
The new framework. On Oct. 6, the city released a draft "Neighborhoods-First Framework for Data Centers" for large, hyperscale projects. It sets eight standards in two groups.
Protection standards:
- Pay its own way. Full property taxes, with no abatements, and the project covers its own utility upgrades.
- Operate transparently. No nondisclosure agreements, and city agreements are public.
- Be a good neighbor. Enforceable setbacks, lighting and traffic standards, plus enhanced noise protection.
- Steward natural resources. Use water and energy efficiently and protect the wastewater system.
Neighborhood investment:
- Deliver a fair return. The city commits 100% of data center project tax revenue to neighborhood improvements: infrastructure, affordable housing, climate action and utility relief.
- Use local labor. A project labor agreement, local hire targets, prevailing wage, apprenticeships and minority- and women-owned business goals.
- Advance neighborhood priorities through partnerships with local nonprofits.
- Build local talent through investment in workforce training.
Where it stands. Public comment closed Oct. 31, and the city's page still shows the framework as a draft. Council members Oliver Davis Jr. and Sherry Bolden-Simpson have said writing data center rules is the council's job. Mueller has called it "still a framework," with pieces that have to move through other bodies, and plans to bring a noise ordinance to the council. You can read the draft at southbendin.gov/data-centers.
Why it matters. Data centers bring large tax bases and construction jobs. They also raise questions about power, water and noise. South Bend is writing its terms before any proposal arrives.
The Howard Park bandshell
Howard Park is getting a permanent performance stage on the St. Joseph River. The idea dates to the park's 2019 redevelopment plan.
- Cost: At least $6 million. The state awarded a $3 million READI grant in July, and the city still has to come up with the other $3 million. The Redevelopment Commission approved $250,000 for design in March.
- Where: On the existing concrete stage area by the river, so performers will have their backs to the water. The city has said the design will account for flooding, which usually hits the lower grassy area nearby.
- The latest: The city's Board of Public Works approved $7,900 for contractor Abonmarche to bore deeper than 25 feet, looking for soil that can support the foundation. City deputy public works director Jitin Kain called it a minor snag. What the crew finds will determine the type of foundation.
- When: Construction should start in spring 2027. The city hopes to finish by the end of 2027.
The city rents temporary stages for Howard Park's summer concerts now, so a permanent venue should mean more shows with less setup. Planning a visit? Our local's guide to South Bend and Mishawaka covers the riverfront.
Also on the riverfront
- The State Theatre. The Community Foundation of St. Joseph County's plan to renovate the long-vacant theater won a $4 million READI grant in July. The foundation will need to raise more than that, and it hasn't said how much.
- The East Race riverwalk. The city closed the East Race Waterway for all of summer 2026 for a $5.3 million upgrade that replaces the wooden riverwalk between Seitz Park and Howard Park with a 14-foot-wide concrete walkway. The city says the work runs through May 2027.
What to watch next
- The final data center framework, whether the Common Council weighs in, and whether a proposal inside city limits follows
- Colfax Corner's core and shell construction, expected to start late this year
- The bandshell's foundation design, once the deeper soil results come in
- Fundraising updates on the State Theatre
How we reported this
We drew on the City of South Bend's data center page and trail announcement; the University of Notre Dame, NDWorks and Weigand Construction announcements on Colfax Corner; and reporting from WVPE, WNDU, WSBT, ABC57, Inside INdiana Business and the South Bend Tribune. All of it was checked on Nov. 3, 2026. Projections of jobs and economic impact are the partners' figures, and we label them that way.
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