SOUTH BEND — Perhaps you’re interested in the sights, sounds and excitement from the balcony of an apartment overlooking Four Winds Field at Coveleski Stadium.

Or maybe you’re interested in a more urban backdrop, a river view or a park. How about an apartment, a condo or town home?

No matter what your tastes, developers — public and private — are putting together a new, wide assortment of housing options for those interested in living within walking distance of the core of downtown South Bend even though numerous new options already have come on line in recent years at the LaSalle, Hoffman and other properties.

“This is the most exciting time for me as a developer in more than 40 years in South Bend,” said Frank Perri, who is a partner in the massive project called The Cascade that’s coming out of the ground on land that was occupied by Captain Alexander’s Wharf restaurant about 20 years ago.

The first phase of that project — called the Three Twenty at the Cascade — is a seven-story structure that will include 18 luxury condominiums and a parking garage as well as at least one street-level restaurant fronting the St. Joseph River along Colfax Avenue. That building should be enclosed by March and some residents should be able to start moving in about a year from now, Perri explained.

When that project is completed, Wharf Partners, which includes Panzica Building Corp., will then decide how to proceed with the second phase and there could even be a smaller, third phase in the future, said Perri, who contemplated retirement only a few years ago but is now fully involved in the rapid redevelopment of downtown and the East Race area.

“I see The Cascade as a cornerstone project,” he said, excitedly. “It has the potential to really be the crown jewel for downtown.”

Besides his involvement in The Cascade project across the St. Joseph River from the Century Center, Perri is also separately involved in numerous other buildings and parcels in the East Race that he plans to convert into space for retailers, restaurants and more.

And while The Cascade project is moving forward, developer David Matthews plans to break ground this autumn on a nine-story complex just about a block north along LaSalle Avenue that will include a parking garage, a supermarket and about 140 apartments.

That project, last estimated at $40 million including incentives, was delayed by a utility issue, but Matthews was able to shift the footprint so that construction could proceed without jeopardizing assistance that is being provided through the Regional Cities initiative.

Matthews, who was one of the earliest investors in the East Race when he started building East Bank Townhomes about eight years ago, is thrilled to see the development in the downtown area and believes it’s picking up momentum.

“People who were naysayers are now investors,” said Matthews, adding that he also sees his project by the Commerce Center as another cornerstone in the ongoing development of the downtown area. “In order for the region to thrive, we need a vibrant urban core.”

James Mueller, executive director of community investment for the city, sees it the same way. A vibrant downtown will attract people who want to live there and employers who want to do business there, eventually adding up to additional revenue for the city, which can continue reinvesting in the core and the neighborhoods.

“Downtown is the economic driver of the area,” he said. “It’s where the productivity and the jobs are generated, and without it we won’t be able to maintain our neighborhoods.”

A vibrant downtown filled with eclectic restaurants, bars, stores and other things to do, also helps attract and retain the type of talent that current and future employers need to be successful in the future, said Mueller, adding that development continues to pick up steam.

Here are some of the larger projects announced or underway in the downtown: