Former Claeys Candy building, mere steps away from expanding baseball stadium, is for sale
SOUTH BEND ― The city of South Bend is seeking buyers for a building downtown that formerly housed a candy factory, and it's only steps away from the city-owned baseball stadium where a $45 million expansion is planned.
The former Claeys Candy factory, at 525 S. Taylor St., housed the South Bend-based company for 70 years until its move to a larger site on Nimtz Parkway in 2021. Wanting to control the building's future, the South Bend Redevelopment Commission bought the roughly 26,000-square-foot facility on Taylor Street and an adjacent parking lot for $550,000 in early 2023.
On Thursday, the commission voted to issue a request for proposals from developers interested in the old factory building — not including the parking lot. The city's asking for a minimum price of $382,000, which is the average of two independent appraisals.
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City officials wouldn't specify a preferred use for the building, but they are willing to change its zoning from industrial if needed. Bids are due to the Department of Community Investment by May 9.
Joseph Molnar, a property development manager with the city, said a future use would need to fit well alongside a planned $45 million expansion of Four Winds Field, where the South Bend Cubs play, and the eventual redevelopment of land where the Housing Authority of South Bend recently demolished the Monroe Circle townhomes.
The two-story brick building and attached warehouse that housed the candy factory is wedged right between those two properties, just north of Union Station and the railroad tracks that skirt downtown's southern edge.
"You've got thousands of people coming (to Four Winds Field) throughout the summer," Molnar said. "There's obviously a lot of eyes on that building, so we think that will draw interest as well."
The commission also moved forward with its bond issuance to pay for Four Winds Field renovations after the South Bend Common Council approved the plan on Monday.
Under a new state law governing city-owned sports and tourism venues, more annual tax money will stay in South Bend to go toward improvements to sites like the baseball stadium and the Morris Performing Arts Center. Up to $5 million in annual revenues from sales and income taxes collected at such facilities are expected to pay for renovations, according to Randy Rompola, an attorney for Barnes and Thornburg who served as the city's bond counsel. No new tax levies are planned.
Email South Bend Tribune city reporter Jordan Smith at JTsmith@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @jordantsmith09
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Former Claeys Candy factory up for sale in downtown South Bend
