boutique hotel development

714 S. Rogers St. looking south from 1st Street (March 4, 2024)

714 S. Rogers is at the eastern (right) edge of the blue-shaded area.

Buildings shaded in green are authorized for demolition. The building shaded orange is 615 1st Street and would need to be reviewed by the historic preservation commission before demolition. The building shaded red is 714 S. Rogers St.

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” →

bordered Overview Map Trades District Offering sheet YYYxxxx

annotated cropped INSET R Map Trades District Offering sheet YYYxxxx

It still seems likely that some kind of boutique hotel will be developed in the Trades District. But on Monday night, uncertainty emerged about who the developer will be.

On Monday’s agenda for Bloomington’s redevelopment commission (RDC) was a resolution to approve a letter of intent with Pure Development to build a $35-million, 150-room boutique hotel in Bloomington’s Trades District.

But at the RDC’s 5 p.m meeting, John Fernandez announced that two and a half hours earlier, around 2:30 p.m., he had received an updated offer from a different developer—MHG Hotels.

So Fernandez asked the RDC members to put off a decision on the resolution that appeared on that night’s agenda, and to direct him to go back and negotiate further with the three developers who have made offers on Tract 3 of the Trades District to build a hotel there.

The RDC heeded Fernandez’s request.

Fernandez is vice president of innovation and strategic partnerships for The Mill, which is now responsible for the marketing and promotion of the Trades District, which is located north of city hall. Continue reading “MHG ups ante to compete for hotel project in Trades District, Bloomington’s RDC puts off decision for now” →