Bloomington poised for public offering of Hopewell South land, security extended, fences reconfigured

This flyover image from the online Monroe County property lookup system is from March 2024. The former overlay of streetways is still visible in the image.

At its regular Monday meeting, Bloomington’s redevelopment commission (RDC) took care of three relatively low-cost items related to the Hopewell project, as it prepares to consider a public offering for some of the land.

Those relatively low-cost items involved security patrols, a security fencing reconfiguration, and an electrical contract related to a vacant building.

The Hopewell neighborhood—to be developed at the site of the former IU Health hospital at 2nd and Rogers Streets—is supposed to eventually offer as many as 1,000 units of additional housing.

A public offering for Hopewell South is supposed to be in front of the RDC for its approval at its Sept. 16 meeting. That’s according to remarks at Monday’s meeting from Deb Kunce, who is with JS Held, the project management firm that the RDC has hired for the Hopewell development.

Hopewell South is the portion of the site bounded north-south between 1st Street and Wylie Street, and west of Rogers Street.

Hopewell South includes 714 S. Rogers on the southwest corner of Rogers and 1st Streets. It’s the former Bloomington Convalescent Center building. The other buildings of Hopewell South have been demolished.

The expectation is that the responses to the offering will be due by Nov. 1, 2024. That’s exactly one year after the due date for the first public offering that the RDC made for Hopewell South. Continue reading “Bloomington poised for public offering of Hopewell South land, security extended, fences reconfigured”

Redevelopment notebook: Bloomington OKs $8.5K to seal building, no word yet on Trades District hotel

The now vacant former Bloomington Convalescent Center at 714 S. Rogers will have entrances and windows boarded up in the next few days to secure it against intrusions.

The building, which is now owned by Bloomington’s redevelopment commission (RDC), sits in the area of the planned new Hopewell neighborhood, near the site of the former IU Health hospital at 2nd and Rogers streets.

At its regular Monday meeting, the five-member RDC approved a $8,560 contract with Ann-Kriss, LLC to undertake several different tasks meant to secure the 714 S. Rogers building against break-ins.

Those tasks include: removing windows as needed; preserving the windows; securing ground floor entry points and window openings with “appropriate materials”; and cleaning up debris. Continue reading “Redevelopment notebook: Bloomington OKs $8.5K to seal building, no word yet on Trades District hotel”

Hopewell action on the ground moves ahead, as overall project assessment continues

On Monday, contracts for work on two specific buildings in the Hopewell neighborhood, the site of the former IU Health hospital, were approved by Bloomington’s five-member redevelopment commission.

The former Bloomington Convalescent Center at 714 S. Rogers was subject of a $39,816 contract with VET Environmental Engineering, to mediate water damage inside the building.

The former Kohr administration building—which was one of two buildings not demolished by IU Health under the terms of the $6.5-million real estate deal between Bloomington and the health care provider—was subject of a $7,450 contract with B&L Sheet Metal and Roofing, to reinstall downspouts on the building.

The other building left standing on the property was the 390-space parking garage.

But on Monday, RDC members also got an update on the way the 24-acre redevelopment project is getting evaluated by new Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson’s administration.

She has formed an advisory team, which has, for the time being at least, put the the role of a non-profit called City of Bloomington Capital Improvements, Inc. (CBCI) in limbo. Continue reading “Hopewell action on the ground moves ahead, as overall project assessment continues”