Tag: neighborhoods

Tuesday: Bloomington plan commission to vote on rezone rec for 140 acres in city’s southwest

Overview map of Summit District PUD.
Close up proximity map of Summit District PUD.

For a special meeting on Tuesday, Bloomington’s plan commission has set an agenda to hear a single petition—for the rezone of nearly 140 undeveloped acres in the southwest part of the city.

It’s located northwest of RCA Community Park.

If the rezone for the Summit District is eventually approved by the city council, the proposal from Sudbury Partners, LLC could lead to the eventual construction of around 4,250 new housing units, plus commercial uses like a hotel, as well as additional roadway, trail, and utility connections. Sudbury also intends to dedicate land for a trailhead and a fire station on the eastern side of the site.

The build-out of the project is planned in five stages, corresponding to neighborhoods, which are named after mountains (Shasta Meadow, Denali Woods, Everest Center, Sandia Place, Whitney Glen). The first stage, with 550 housing units, is not projected for completion until 2028. Later stages call for completion by 2034.

The plan commission’s job on Tuesday night will be to send the rezone request to the city council with one of three messages—a recommendation to approve it, a recommendation not to approve it, or explicitly with no recommendation.

Three plan commission hearings have already been held on the petition—the first one in July last year. Continue reading “Tuesday: Bloomington plan commission to vote on rezone rec for 140 acres in city’s southwest” →

Map of racially restrictive covenants released by Monroe County recorder

“None of the above tract of land is to be ever sold to colored people.”

That is the text of a covenant recorded on a deed dated Nov. 6, 1912 for some land located at the northwest corner of 17th Street and College Avenue in Bloomington, Indiana.

A point in time that lies over a century in the past might seem like ancient history.

But the same parcel is part of a plat that is dated just 77 years ago—June 16, 1946.

The covenant on the plat reads: “The ownership and occupancy of lots and buildings or parts thereof in this addition are forever restricted to members of the white race, except that domestic help, not of the white race may occupy a room in said dwelling during the period of employment.”

Information on racially restrictive covenants on deeds and plats in Monroe County is now within easy reach of anyone with an internet connection.

This past week, Monroe County recorder Amy Swain released a project that maps out racially restrictive covenants on deeds and plats, which the county recorder’s office has unearthed, scanned and made accessible on a web page.

The map is embedded in an explainer website, but can also be accessed through a direct link.

Swain is the newly elected recorder, sworn into office just about six weeks ago. Her statement announcing the release of the map gave credit to the office led by the previous recorder, Eric Schmitz: “[O]f course, the bulk of the work was done during former recorder Eric Schmitz’s administration.” Continue reading “Map of racially restrictive covenants released by Monroe County recorder” →