Bloomington Chamber of Commerce
  • Membership
    • Business Directory
    • Become a Member
    • Benefits of Membership >
      • Interested in Membership
    • Levels of Membership
    • Member Portal & Materials >
      • Member Login
    • Chamber App
    • Connect Bloomington
    • Member Resources
  • Events & News
    • Signature Events >
      • Community Awards Nominations
      • Educator of the Year Nominations
    • Chamber Events Calendar
    • Sponsorship
    • Member News
    • Multimedia Gallery
    • Chamber News
  • Initiatives & Resources
    • Bloomington Women in Leadership >
      • BWIL Steering Committee
    • The Success School
    • Young Professionals Bloomington >
      • YPB Steering Committee
    • Business Resources
    • Job Board
    • Community Calendar
  • Advocacy
    • Advocacy Matters Updates
    • Legislative Agenda
    • Local Government
    • Advocacy Resources
  • About Us
    • Contact Our Team
    • Board of Directors
    • Press & Media
Member Login | Join Us!
Member Login | Join Us!

Construction of Affordable Housing on City Land Next to Switchyard Park to Begin in June

4/6/2021

0 Comments

 
Sixty-four new homes are on track to be built on City-owned land adjacent to Switchyard Park, with groundbreaking scheduled for June. Retreat @ the Switchyard will provide a mix of supportive and affordable housing as well as market-rate units in a new  apartment building at 1730 South Walnut Street. The City’s Redevelopment Commission (RDC) purchased the 1.5-acre site at the park’s eastern entrance in 2017 to help steer development consistent with the community’s long-term goals.

The RDC in June 2020 selected RealAmerica Companies to develop the mixed-income and mixed-use project, which will include at least 48 units dedicated to residents earning 30 to 80 percent of Area Median Income (AMI), 10 of which will be reserved for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, supported by Stone Belt, a local nonprofit organization. The Bloomington Housing Authority (BHA) will provide project-based vouchers to increase access for low-income households and residents with disabilities. Affordability requirements will be in place for at least 99 years. Sixteen apartments will be offered at market rates, and the plans include ground-floor commercial space of 3,000 square feet as well as parking.
A community integration development, Retreat @ the Switchyard will incorporate services for residents within the facility.  Each apartment will be furnished with modern amenities, free Wi-Fi, home office space,  and a patio or balcony; common areas will include office space and a conference room. Located at the eastern entrance to Switchyard Park, Retreat @ the Switchyard will offer easy access to the B-Line Trail, Bloomington Transit routes, Bloomington High School South, and shopping.

The City offered the parcel, valued at nearly $1 million, to RealAmerica for $1 to develop as permanently affordable housing.  The developer partnered with Stone Belt in its application for federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) funds--one of nineteen awarded among the 51 Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) received this year--and will continue to work with the agency to develop onsite service facilities for the residents associated with Stone Belt.    

“It’s exciting to support new housing like this so that more Bloomingtonians have attractive and affordable places to call home,” said Mayor John Hamilton.  “We have been intentional about including and integrating affordable and supportive housing around our beautiful new Switchyard Park, where residents can enjoy so many outdoor amenities in a convenient location.  We thank the RDC for acquiring this property, the IHCDA for awarding federal housing funds, Stone Belt and BHA for partnering to offer long-term independent living solutions for more folks, and to the developers for their expertise and commitment to inclusive models of housing.”    

"We are thankful to be able to invest in this very exciting project,” said Ronda Shrewsbury Weybright, RealAmerica president and owner, “and know it is due to our commitment to quality, the value we bring to the community, the importance we place on our residents, our proven success, and our partnership with the city of Bloomington and Stone Belt."

Detailed design concepts for Retreat @ the Switchyard are being developed this spring.  Upon submission, a detailed site plan will be reviewed by City Planning staff for UDO compliance, and, in turn, reviewed by the City’s Plan Commission.  Construction is targeted for completion by October 2022.

RealAmerica is a Women's Business Enterprise (WBE)-certified company based in Indianapolis, and was selected from among 10 housing developers that responded to a Request for Information (RFI) issued in December 2019.  RealAmerica was created in 1995 for the purpose of developing and constructing apartment housing for low- to moderate-income households, and since 1999, has developed (and manages) 27 apartment communities in Indiana through the LIHTC funding mechanism.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Share your news with us!

    Submit your news to the Chamber by the 12th or 28th of each month to be included in the bi-weekly Membership Matters emails.

    Event submissions will only be published once. Please consider submitting your event to the Community Calendar through your Member Portal. 

    Direct solicitations for sponsorships, paid advertising or political endorsements will not be included in any publication.

    All content in blog posts are submitted from Chamber members. 

    Submit Member News
    Archives

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Webpage Square Ad Banner spaces are available for members. Download our sizes and pricing sheet for more information by clicking the button below.
    Download Web Ad Sheet
Contact Our Team | Business Directory

Our Chamber

​The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce provides leadership through member engagement, business advocacy and civic partnerships to strengthen our community and business environment.

Main Contact

421 W 6th Street, Suite A | Bloomington, IN 47404
[email protected]
(812) 336-6381

Office Hours:
Monday-Thursday: 9:00am - 500:pm
Friday: 9:00am - 3:00pm
Trust Center
​
Media Center
Speaking Requests

There is a no refund policy for events.  If you need to reassign your ticket to another person we will be happy to update our attendance list. Thank you.

Chamber Info

About Us
Board of Directors
Contact Our Team

Chamber Resources

Business Directory
Chamber Events Calendar
Member News
Chamber News
Membership Application
Member Login
Business Resources
Picture
Copyright The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce. All Rights Reserved.
  • Membership
    • Business Directory
    • Become a Member
    • Benefits of Membership >
      • Interested in Membership
    • Levels of Membership
    • Member Portal & Materials >
      • Member Login
    • Chamber App
    • Connect Bloomington
    • Member Resources
  • Events & News
    • Signature Events >
      • Community Awards Nominations
      • Educator of the Year Nominations
    • Chamber Events Calendar
    • Sponsorship
    • Member News
    • Multimedia Gallery
    • Chamber News
  • Initiatives & Resources
    • Bloomington Women in Leadership >
      • BWIL Steering Committee
    • The Success School
    • Young Professionals Bloomington >
      • YPB Steering Committee
    • Business Resources
    • Job Board
    • Community Calendar
  • Advocacy
    • Advocacy Matters Updates
    • Legislative Agenda
    • Local Government
    • Advocacy Resources
  • About Us
    • Contact Our Team
    • Board of Directors
    • Press & Media