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” →

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

Bloomington RDC members from left: John West, Deb Hutton, Deborah Myerson, Randy Cassady, and Sue Sgambelluri (March 4, 2024).

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

607 W. 1st Street has been mostly demolished. (March 4, 2024)

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.

Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson (March 4, 2024).

Economic and sustainable development director, Jane Kupersmith (March 4, 2024)

Bloomington resident Dave Huber addresses the RDC as Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson looks on (March 4, 2024)

Pre-demolition aerial view of the Kohr administration building from Monroe County’s online property lookup system.

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” →

Potential affordable housing encore for Kohr hospital building takes another step

The aerial photo of the Kohr Administration Center is from the Pictometry module of Monroe County’s online property lookup system.

At its regular Monday meeting, Bloomington’s redevelopment commission voted to greenlight the formalization of a deal with a potential affordable housing developer for the Kohr Administration Center building, which is a part of the IU Health hospital on 2nd Street.

The potential developer is a group represented by Brinshore Development, Bloomington Housing Authority, and Springpoint Architects, Bloomington’s director of economic and sustainable development Alex Crowley told RDC members on Monday. [Added April 22, 2021 at 9:23 a.m. Rottman Collier Architects is the co-architect in the project group.]

The city of Bloomington will be getting control of the Kohr building in the context of a $6.5 million real estate deal, which calls for Bloomington to take over the whole hospital property on 1st and 2nd streets in 2022. That will come after IU Health moves operations in late 2021 to its new facility, which is currently under construction on the SR-46 bypass.

The question of formalizing a Kohr building deal was put to the RDC, because it’s the public entity responsible for approving tax increment financing (TIF) district funds, which are being used to purchase the hospital site from IU Health.

The RDC’s approval to go ahead and draw up a formal arrangement, will put the group in a position to meet this year’s July 26 deadline for an application to the federal low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) program, to help finance the project. Awards through the program are due later in 2021, Crowley said. Continue reading “Potential affordable housing encore for Kohr hospital building takes another step” →

Bloomington city council: Yes on historic designation for hospital building, No on restaurant

cropped better 2020-10-08 players pub IMG_8710

Pre-demolition shot of the Kohr administration building.

The Kohr Administration Center at IU Health’s hospital, at 1st and South Rogers streets, was given historic designation by Bloomington’s city council on Wednesday night.

The vote about the Kohr building by the nine-member city council was unanimous.

Also unanimous was the council’s decision at the same meeting to deny historic designation to the building on South Walnut Street that was most recently home to the Player’s Pub.

The thumbs-up from the city council on the Kohr building means it will join the parking garage as one of the buildings on the hospital site that IU Health will not demolish before it hands over the facility to the city of Bloomington in a $6.5 million real estate deal.

The handover will come after IU Health leaves the 2nd Street complex around the end of 2021, to occupy its new location on the SR-46 bypass. Continue reading “Bloomington city council: Yes on historic designation for hospital building, No on restaurant” →