The City of Bloomington has released a draft zoning map as the last phase of a two-year overhaul of the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), the city's main zoning document.

A public forum will be held via Zoom on Tuesday, Oct. 27 from 5:30-7 p.m. with a presentation on the proposed changes and a Q&A session. There will be at least four more meetings in the coming weeks to seek public input, as well as opportunities to provide feedback via online surveys.

A website for the mapping project also contains a proposed housing diversity story map, an interactive map where residents can enter their address, and information about opportunities to provide feedback over the next eight weeks. The input collected during this period will help city staff prepare for public hearings in early 2021 to consider and adopt the new zoning map for the city, along with text amendments. 

The Bloomington-Monroe County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) has approved a new regional transportation plan through 2045, with new emphasis on safety, transportation equity and climate change. Approval came at the group's Oct. 9 meeting.

Pat Martin, City of Bloomington senior transportation planner, noted that this marks the first MPO in Indiana to endorse a "Vision Zero" action plan, with a goal of eliminating all traffic fatalities and severe injuries. "Now the hard part comes in implementing the policy," he told MPO members.

The plan will be submitted to the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) for their review and concurrent approval with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA). 

Click here to view the 2045 Metropolitan Transportation Plan.

The City of Bloomington is hosting a public forum on Oct. 6 to review a site plan for the redevelopment of the current IU Health Bloomington Hospital area. The event begins at 6 p.m. and will be held online. Residents can participate by registering here, or watch the event on Facebook or CATS.

Participants will be asked to take part in three 25-minute workshops featuring interactive discussions about the plan.  The workshop topics will be Access + Connections, Open Space, and Land Use + Neighborhood Character.  
 
The next public forum will occur in December, when the master planning consultant, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), will present a finalized plan. The master planning team is also working with the Hospital Reuse Committee, a group of more than 30 community members who have been involved with the city on this project since 2015. Chamber CEO Erin Predmore serves on that group.

Additional information, updates, and input opportunities are available on the project website.

Scott Robinson has been named the new Planning & Transportation Director for the City of Bloomington, a mayoral appointment that is expected to be confirmed at the Bloomington Plan Commission's Oct. 12 meeting. He replaces Terri Porter, who retired on Sept. 25.

Robinson has served as assistant director since 2018 and has worked for the City of Bloomington for 18 years. Most recently, he took the lead in developing the city's Unified Development Ordinance and the city's Comprehensive Plan.

In his new role, Robinson will receive annual salary of $101,418. The assistant director's position will be posted here in mid-October. Click here for more information about the Planning & Transportation Department.

The Bloomington Parks & Recreation Department is surveying residents for its 2021-2025 master plan. 

Click here to take the survey.

Click here to read the current 2016-2020 master plan.

A master plan is required in order to receive grants from the state and federal government and other sources. It is also required for accreditation from the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). In June, the Bloomington Board of Park Commissioners approved a $72,500 contract with Troyer Group Inc. to develop the plan. 

As part of ongoing work to develop the 24-acre site where the IU Health Bloomington Hospital is now located, the City of Bloomington is asking for feedback on preliminary design concepts.

Consultants hired to develop the site's master plan (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill) have developed three concepts based on input so far. A presentation of their work is available here.

Click here to take the survey.
Click here to view the project's website.

A new apartment complex at the Johnson Creamery site will add 58 apartments in a 5-story building that also includes retail space facing the BLine.

The site is now a parking lot for the Johnson Creamery's office complex, which will remain – and where the Chamber's offices were previously located. It is between 7th and 8th Streets just west of the BLine.

There will be 27 studio units, 22 one-bedroom units, 5 two-bedroom units and 6 three-bedroom units, totaling 77 bedrooms. In addition, there will be 2,600 space of first-floor retail, 36 parking spaces under the building, and a green roof. 

The Bloomington Plan Commission gave unanimous approval to the project at their July 13 meeting. Click here to read more.

The Monroe County Public Library is updating its strategic plan and asking residents to help shape their future work.

The plan, for 2021-2023, will guide MCPL's technology, programs, partnerships and materials. Click here to read the current 2018-2020 plan.

​Click here to take the survey.

You can also give public commentary at the monthly meetings of the MCPL board of trustees. Their next meeting is on July 15 at 5:45 p.m. More info here.

At their June 23 meeting, the Bloomington Board of Park Commissioners approved a $72,500 contract with Troyer Group Inc. to develop the Parks & Recreation 2021-2025 master plan. 

Jonathon Geels with Mishawaka-based Troyer Group was on hand to describe the firm's work, including public engagement efforts that will include a combination of in-person meetings and the use of Miro, an online collaboration system. 

A master plan is required in order to receive grants from the state and federal government and other sources. It is also required for accreditation from the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA).

The funding for this project comes from the parks department's general fund budget.

Click here to watch the board's discussion of this item on CATS. More details are in the meeting packet, pages 53-65.

This was the first meeting for the board's newest commissioner, Ellen Rodkey. She also serves on the Chamber's board of directors.

The City of Bloomington is creating a protected bike lane along 7th Street from Woodlawn to the B-Line, and is holding a public forum on Thursday, June 18 to get input from residents. The event starts at 6 p.m.

​Called the "7-Line," the project would add physical barriers between the bike lane, located on the south side of 7th, and auto traffic. It would also remove all metered parking from Woodlawn to College. Bus frequency along this corridor (Route 6) would increase. Indianapolis-based American Structurepoint is the design consultant for this initiative, which is envisioned eventually to extend east of the IU campus.

To participate in the June 18 forum, click this Zoom link or watch on Facebook. Can't make the meeting? Give online feedback here.

​Find more information on the project website.