Ground floor office space in Bloomington public parking garages close to full occupancy

The ground-floor office spaces in both of the city of Bloomington's two relatively new parking garages—at 4th Street and in the Trades District at 10th Street—could soon finally be occupied.

In the Trades District, Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) moved into the ground-floor space at the start of April, according to Jane Kupersmith's report to Bloomington's redevelopment commission (RDC) on Monday night. That's about four years after the ribbon cutting for The Trades District parking garage It was last fall when the RDC approved work to build out the 4,059 square feet of office space.

On Monday night, Kupersmith also reported some progress towards finding a tenant for the remaining space in the 4th Street parking garage, which already has as tenants the city's parking services and Hoosier Networks. About the prospective tenant, Kupersmith said, "We're negotiating in earnest," adding that she is meeting with the city's legal department the following day to "sketch out some baseline terms." Kupersmith called the tenant "a live one," describing them as "committed long term," with an interest in also taking over the Hoosier Networks space, if that becomes available.

At Monday's meeting, Kupersmith did not name the prospective tenant. However, at the March 24 meeting of Monroe County's convention and visitors commission (CVC), Visit Bloomington's executive director​ Mike McAfee talked about the work he is doing to relocate the visitor's center and staff offices, which are currently at 2855 N. Walnut Street. "One spot is the 4th Street garage that we've looked at a few times. I'm waiting on a proposal from the city about that," McAfee said.

The 4th Street parking garage retail space is practically just across the street from the planned expansion of the Bloomington Convention Center. McAfee said at the CVC meeting: "We're investigating relocation options for the visitor's center as well as our offices close to the convention center within a block or two, within walking distance."

McAfee indicated that about 5,000 square feet would be needed, in order to house the center and offices in one space, so he figured most likely two locations would be needed. "We won't have enough space for the Visitor Center and our offices in one facility," McAfee thinks.

Even if the Visitor Center as a tenant does not pan out, the 4th Street ground floor space looks like it will be filled in the short term, with artist exhibitions and studios. The topic of the 4th Street retail space was a part of the RDC’s meeting agenda, because the five-member group was asked to approve a resolution approving an agreement for revocable right of entry and release so that artists could use the space for exhibitions and studio space until there’s a permanent tenant. 

Holly Warren, who is assistant director for the arts in the city’s department of economic and sustainable development, presented the resolution at Monday’s RDC meeting. Warren said the space in the parking garage has already helped address the shortage of places for artists to create and show their work, by  providing space for successful events held there since 2022. As examples of exhibitions and festivals, Warren gave part of the 2023 Black y Brown Arts Festival and a 2022 show in partnership with Indianapolis-based One Drop. The resolution makes the space available for artist studios and exhibits through 2026, with a provision they have to leave if a permanent tenant is found.

The city has faced challenges filling the commercial ground floor space for the 4th Street garage, which was completed in late August of 2021. In connection with the parking garage project, it was the commercial ground floor space that led to the failure of Bloomington's attempt to exercise eminent domain to acquire a parcel at the south end of the lot, on 3rd Street, which was owned by Juan Carlos Carrasquel.

ESnet, the tenant for the Trades District parking garage space, describes itself as providing high-bandwidth, reliable connections that link scientists at national laboratories, universities, and other research institutions, to make it possible for them to collaborate on scientific challenges like climate science among others.

The name on the lease of the Trades District garage space is the regents of the University of California. That's because the steward of ESnet is Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley—it's funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.