Zoning for the Past: Why Monroe County’s Downzoning Decision is a Step Backward

This Saturday, I will be sitting at The Winslow Sports Park—hot dog in hand, surrounded by families cheering on the Little League baseball Jamboree, opening day. There, under the canopy bleachers and over the crack of aluminum bats, I will find something that defines this community: neighbors chatting across generations, Monroe County residents from every corner mingling, and a spirit of togetherness that zoning maps can’t capture.  I call this “community”.

On April 17, the Monroe County Board of Commissioners voted 2-1 to approve Ordinances 2025-11 and 2025-12, downzoning more than two hundred parcels in the Sunset Hill and Maple Grove Baby Farms neighborhoods from High Density (HD) to Residential 1 (RES). This was not a tweak—it was a  shift. One that limits housing choice, shrinks opportunity, and ignores the economic needs of our shared future.

Zoning with a Rearview Mirror
Let us be clear: good zoning should look 30 years ahead, not 30 years back. Instead, this vote embraces a “last settler’s mindset”—a planning philosophy that says, “I’m here now, so no one else can come.”

But our economy—and our people—need something more. Monroe County employers are struggling to find housing for their workforce. Young professionals, teachers, healthcare workers, and seniors looking to downsize need options. And yet, this decision removes those options by restricting housing types that are more attainable: duplexes, triplexes, ADUs, tiny homes.

According to County Councilmember David Henry, the downzone "forecloses on opportunities for creative, small-footprint development,” which not only limits affordability but removes tools to actually restore community character.
County Surveyor Trohn Enright-Randolph also weighed in, pointing out that the rezoning will force property owners to jump through more hoops just to make modest improvements. More variances, more red tape, more frustration. Is this how we welcome innovation?

A Missed Opportunity for Smart Growth
The affected parcels fall within the Urban Growth Area—exactly where housing should go. This decision pushes development further out, into rural areas, increasing vehicle miles travel, infrastructure costs, and environmental impact. It is sprawling by policy.

We need smart growth, not the stunted variety. That means focusing on new housing where we already have roads, schools, and utilities. It means building the kind of compact, walkable neighborhoods that serve people at every stage of life. And yes, it means zoning to increase our housing stock, not lock it in amber.

The Fiscal Reality: We Need a Bigger Pie
Monroe County has already lost $3.8 million in revenue due to property tax caps and exemptions. Now, Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) at the Indiana Statehouse threatens to limit local government’s ability to grow property tax revenues even further.

Here is the bottom line: we need more taxpayers, not just higher taxes on the few who remain. We need to increase the tax revenue pie. How else will we fund critical investments like the soon to be bonded Justice Center? Limiting growth where infrastructure already exists only handcuffs the County’s ability to generate the revenue it needs to pay for tomorrow’s needs. This is not theoretical—it's math.

A Voice of Reason: Commissioner Madeira
In the midst of the noise, Commissioner Jody Madeira stood tall. Her vote against the downzoning was a stand for thoughtful planning and economic foresight. She understood the implications—not just for a handful of property owners today, but for the thousands of residents who need housing tomorrow. She recognized that the County cannot plan in isolation or based solely on nostalgia. Her attention to detail and long-term thinking were refreshing reminders that we can govern with both heart and head.

The Anti-Bloomington Crusade
The Chair of the Monroe County Plan Commission seemingly isn’t opposed to housing options, she was opposed to Bloomington itself. In her own words today, Bloomington “has lost its community.”

No community?

Someone might want to tell the 80,000 people who live there, the thousands of local business owners, teachers, nurses, artists, and, yes, Little League families who are part of what is very much a community. Just because you do not like annexation doesn’t mean you get to write off an entire city.

The fixation on the city’s boundaries has veered so far off the mainstream path that she has become a cautionary tale in governance. If your primary goal in land use planning is to block progress out of spite, it may be time to retire the gavel.  We need forward thinkers on the Monroe Plan Commission. 
 
The Chamber’s Position
The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce respectfully opposed the downzoning ordinances. As we shared in our public comment:

• These rezonings reduce housing capacity where it is needed most.
• They contradict our community’s long-term development goals.
• They create legal nonconformities, discourage reinvestment, and increase bureaucratic burden.
• And they risk undermining the region’s ability to attract talent and grow local businesses.
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Let us talk about overlays, incentives, and smart land use—not artificial constraints.

Final Thought
At Winslow this weekend, I will be reminded that the community isn’t about zoning categories. It’s about people. It’s about being able to stay, to grow, to invest, and to belong.
Let’s zone for that.

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