On July 27, the Bloomington Board of Park Commissioners approved a contract extension with Marshall Security, a private firm, to provide extended security coverage in downtown area parks.  The unarmed guards would be staffed in shifts from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Last month the board approved an initial contract with Marshall for one shift at Switchyard Park, from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.

Tim Streets, operations and development division director, told the board that there had been numerous security incidents during daytime hours throughout other parks and on the B-Line Trail, including physical altercations, unconscious persons, assault, and destruction of public property.  In addition to Switchyard Park, the security guards will now patrol these parks: RCA Park, Seminary Park, B-Line Trail, Building Trades Park, Butler Park, Crestmont Park, Miller Showers Park and Third Street Park.

This new contract of $52,500 runs through Dec. 31 and adds to the previous contract of $60,588.  The funding will come from the city's share of CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act funds. This is the first time that the parks department has hired private security for regular patrols

Watch the discussion on CATS here. Read the staff memo here.

A development that will add 340 apartments with a total of 900 bedrooms on the former Kmart site was unanimously approved at the July 12 meeting of the Bloomington Plan Commission. No city council approval is required.

Called the District at Latimer Square, the nearly 12-acre property at 3216 E. 3rd St. is being developed by Trinitas Ventures. The site includes the Bloomingfoods East store, which will remain in place. The plan calls for five residential buildings, one leasing and amenity building, and a 385-space parking structure. Trinitas expects the project will be finished by mid-2023. 

Read materials in the Plan Commission packet here. Watch the July 12 meeting on CATS 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.

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.

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:

• Cedric Harris, Indiana University Director of Bias Response, Division of Student Affairs
• Tim Mayer, former City Council member and current South Jordan Avenue resident
• Elizabeth Mitchell, journalist, filmmaker, and historian of Bloomington's African-American community, 42-year city resident, and community volunteer (co-chair)
• Tom Morrison, IU Vice President, Capital Planning and Facilities
• Glenda Murray, Monroe County Historian, community volunteer, and retired IU staff
• Alex Tanford, IU Professor Emeritus of Law, Maurer School of Law (co-chair)
• James Wimbush, IU Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs

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.

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.

The City of Bloomington is seeking applicants for its Redevelopment Commission (RDC), following the resignation of RDC president Don Griffin Jr. He resigned his position on March 15 and will be joining the city as deputy mayor in April.

The RDC oversees the city's Housing and Neighborhood Development (HAND) department, neighborhood improvement grants and tax increment finance (TIF) districts. 

Click here to apply for a seat on the RDC. This vacancy is appointed by the mayor. Other RDC positions are appointed by the Bloomington Council.

At its March 8 meeting, the Bloomington Plan Commission approved three out of 10 proposed amendments to the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), starting a formal process that will continue over the next few weeks.

The three approved ordinances were: ZO-01-21 (technical corrections for scrivener’s errors, punctuation, references, and/or citations); ZO-02-21 (technical corrections, not substantive changes, in Chapter 2 Zoning Districts); and ZO-05-21 (technical corrections, not substantive changes, in Chapter 5 Subdivision Standards).

The next meeting is on March 22. The most controversial revisions – involving duplexes, triplexes and quadplexes – will be considered at the commission's March 25 meeting. A revised zoning map will be on the March 29 agenda. 

Following action by the Plan Commission, the revisions will be forwarded to the Bloomington Council for final approval. Find more information about the UDO revisions here.

Erin Predmore, CEO of the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, has been named president of the Crane Regional Defense Group board. 

The CRDG is a citizen-led committee established through partnerships between chambers of commerce, county councils, financial institutions and local business leaders, and championed by the Southern Indiana Business Alliance (SIBA). It is  a subcommittee of the White River Military Coordination Alliance, was established in 2020 as a grassroots effort to expand community support and advocate for Crane at the local and federal level.​

Click here to learn more about the Crane Regional Defense Group.