![]() Bloomington Council has voted to approve duplexes as a conditional use in core residential zoning districts. The vote on May 6 was unanimous, and followed a May 5 vote that rejected a duplex ban. The Plan Commission had previously recommended that duplexes be a permitted use. A conditional use requires a hearing in front of the city's Board of Zoning Appeals. Separately, the council also approved constraints, including an annual cap of 15 duplexes citywide. They also imposed a requirement that within a 150-foot buffer of a property where a conditional use permit has been issued for a duplex, no additional duplexes will be allowed for two years. Council will continue its discussion of duplexes on May 12, as part of the ongoing update to the city's Unified Development Ordinance (UDO).
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![]() The City of Bloomington's Waldron Recommendation Task Force has issued its report for future uses of the historic building at 122 South Walnut. The ownership of the building reverted from Ivy Tech Community College to the city in January 2021. The three main recommendations are:
Read the full report here. ![]() The annexation process that was halted by state legislative action in 2017 will resume in May, according to an announcement this week by Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton. The city will be distributing revised and updated fiscal plans for the potential annexation areas in early May. City Council is set to review the updated fiscal plans on May 12. After adoption, the public process would continue with re-sending formal notice to current property owners, additional public hearings to review and evaluate potential boundaries, and a City Council vote to approve and/or amend the annexation ordinances, anticipated in September. Read the city's press release here. More information is also available on the city's annexation website. ![]() The City of Bloomington has opened its 2021 Community Survey to the general public, with a May 5 deadline to respond. It asks a variety of questions related to issues that affect quality of life, the economy, public services and more. This is the third survey administered for the city by the National Research Center Inc. (NRC). Similar surveys were done in 2017 and 2019. Click here to take the 2021 Community Survey. ![]() Mayor John Hamilton has formed a task force to solicit and review proposals to rename Jordan Avenue south of 17th Street. The group will also explore other options to rename that road north of 17th Street. The public can submit suggestions here. Task force members are:
![]() On Tuesday, April 27, elected leaders for Monroe County and the City of Bloomington will meet separately to discuss spending priorities for funds from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Monroe County will be receiving about $29 million, while Bloomington will get $22.7 million. The Monroe County Council and Monroe County Commissioners will meet at the end of a work session, which starts at 5:30 p.m. via this Zoom link. The Bloomington Council's meeting with Mayor John Hamilton on the same night begins at 6 p.m. via this Zoom link. Details are still forthcoming on how these ARPA funds can be used, but the intent is to bolster local municipalities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. ![]() Bloomington City Council will be voting to accept the city's Climate Action Plan on April 21. It is a companion document to the Sustainability Action Plan, which was adopted in 2018. The CAP focuses on ways to reduce community greenhouse gas emissions and build climate resilience. Click here to read the full Climate Action Plan. ![]() The Bloomington Plan Commission voted unanimously to approve a project converting the hotel at 1722 N. Walnut to 85 studio apartments. No additional approval is required, and the conversion might be completed by the fall of 2021. The hotel, currently called America's Best Value Inn, is located just south of the former Motel 6 site, where a new apartment complex is being built. The Plan Commission's vote occurred at its April 12 meeting. ![]() The City of Bloomington's Trades District parking garage, located near 10th Street and the B-Line, is opening on Saturday, April 17 with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. The new structure has 350 spaces with ground-floor commercial/retail space. It includes a public art installation, Aurora Almanac, by artist Esteban Garcia Bravo. Click here to learn more about the Trades District garage. ![]() On a 5-4 vote, the Bloomington Plan Commission supported permitting duplexes in all residential zones. Voting in favor were Flavia Burrell, Chris Cockerham, Jillian Kinzie, Karin St. John and Brad Wisler. Voting against were Beth Cate, Andrew Cibor, Susan Sandberg and Israel Herrera. Earlier in the meeting, commissioners rejected an amendment that would have prevented duplexes in all residential districts. That vote was 1-8, with support only from Susan Sandberg. Commissioners also voted 6-3 to remove a requirement that would have prevented more than one duplex built within a 150-foot buffer for a two-year period. The administration/planning staff had recommended duplexes as conditional uses in all residential districts. The recommendation for triplexes and quadplexes is conditional in only R-4, and that remains unchanged at this point. This is part of the city’s UDO update. The next meeting is on Thursday, April 1, at 5:30 p.m. and Beth Cate has indicated that she’ll propose putting a cap on the number of duplexes allowed in each district. After the Plan Commission finishes their updates, this will go to Bloomington Council for final approval. Watch the March 29 Plan Commission meeting here. More information about the UDO process is here. |
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