The City of Bloomington has formed a Future of Policing Task Force to evaluate law enforcement and create an "optimal vision of law enforcement for Bloomington and Monroe County for the next three to five years," according to a city press release.

Members of the task force are: 

• Carolyn Calloway-Thomas, chair, Indiana University African American and African Diaspora Studies & City of Bloomington Human Rights Commissioner
• Kevin Farris, Ellettsville town councilor
• A'ame Joslin, clinical assistant professor, IUPUC Department of Education & City of Bloomington Commission on the Status of Women member
• Treon McClendon, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration Commissioner
• Malik McCloskey, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration Commissioner
• Amy Makice, founder, Bloomington Center for Connection
• David Norris, pastor, City Church for All Nations
• James Sanders, electronics engineer, Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center & City of Bloomington Commission on the Status of Black Males member
• Jim Sims, president, Bloomington City Council 
• Garfield Warren, research scientist, Indiana University Department of Physics

A public forum is planned for Wednesday, June 2 focused on  a digital inclusion plan to improve infrastructure, internet speed, connectivity, access to devices, and digital literacy in Monroe County. 

The June 2 forum, which starts at 5:30 via Zoom, is hosted by ​the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County, along with members of the County Digital Advisory Team. The event will review and seek feedback on initial findings of a digital inclusion survey. To receive the Zoom link, RSVP by emailing Meagan Niese at [email protected].

​More information about this initiative is available here.

Aligning Monroe County with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recent guidance, the county's health officer has rescinded the previous health order as of Monday, May 17. The City of Bloomington also rescinded its health order, effective May 17.

This means that people who are fully vaccinated do not need to wear a mask or stay socially distant from others in most instances, whether inside or out.

Masks may still be advised for people with certain health conditions, such as being immunocompromised, so those with concerns should check with their doctor. The CDC says that people who are not vaccinated should still wear a face covering and remain socially distant from others, except where required by federal, state or local rules and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance. Businesses and organizations can continue to require face coverings and physical distancing if they choose.

The Monroe County Board of Health will meet on Wednesday, May 19 to assess data and consider further updates or changes. That meeting starts at 4:30 p.m. via this Zoom link.
 
For more information, visit the City of Bloomington's COVID-19 site at https://bloomington.in.gov/covid-19, or the Monroe County Health Department COVID-19 site here.

An analysis of first-floor commercial space in downtown Bloomington was the focus of a 2021 Capstone project by Indiana University O'Neill School students.

The report makes several recommendations, including:

• Improve wayfinding and access to public information downtown.
• Engage the student community downtown.
• Revitalize the courthouse square by incorporating more community space.
• Make the post-COVID recovery a community affair.

Read the full report here, or watch a presentation on the report here.

In a unanimous vote at their May 12 meeting, Monroe County Commissioners rejected a proposal for housing and retail on South Rogers, known as Clear Creek Urban. The three commissioners objected to the density of the development and possible traffic congestion, and felt there wasn't enough parking.

"We are the county. We are not the city," Commissioner Julie Thomas said. She wants the developer, Tamby Wikle-Cassady, to bring back a scaled-down version of the project, which included townhomes, apartments and commercial/retail space.

Several people spoke in support of the project, including County Councilor Geoff McKim, County Surveyor Trohn Enright-Randolph, and Cathi Crabtree, chair of the Monroe County Affordable Housing Advisory Commission. Representatives of the Chamber and the Bloomington Economic Development Corp. spoke about the need for more housing. One person spoke against it.

Click here to watch the Commissioners' discussion on CATS. Click here to view the project packet.

The City of Bloomington is holding a public forum on Thursday, May 13 to review the reconstruction of West First Street from South Fairview to South College. The project is part of the broader redevelopment of the Bloomington Hospital site, which the city is acquiring later this year.

The forum runs from 6-7 p.m. via this Zoom link. Click here for the project's website. For more information about the overall hospital site redevelopment, click here.

A multi-family housing project with 906 beds is being proposed by Trinitas Ventures for the former Kmart site at 3216 E. 3rd St. Called the District at Latimer Square, it is on the agenda for the Bloomington Plan Commission's May 10 meeting.

The development would include five residential buildings, one leasing and amenity building, and a 385-space parking structure. Three student-oriented apartments would be built on the site's northern section. Two buildings on the south side would have multi-family housing.

​Click here to visit the project's website. UPDATE: The Plan Commission continued discussion of this project to its June 14 meeting.

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).

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: 

• Extend the initial short-term use period to five years, allowing arts organizations utilizing the facility a secure, yet temporary opportunity to rebuild operation revenue post-pandemic. Provide minimum yet adequate funding for general upkeep and maintenance of the building.
• Continue public ownership of the building for five years and create a new Cultural Improvement Corporation to oversee both the Waldron and the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. Seek venue management from interested organizations, including one proposal that has already been received.   
• Commission a third-party study to determine type, size, location, and cost for a future arts facility to be built within the downtown region, ultimately replacing the need for the Waldron as an arts facility.    ​

Read the full report here.