Tag: plan commission

Mayoral transition: Bloomington boards have upcoming vacancies, to be filled by city executive

In an open letter dated Nov. 9,  mayor-elect Kerry Thomson made a clarion call to Bloomington residents for them to participate in city government.

people sitting around a table with two empty chairs
This art was generated by https://www.bing.com/images/create/

Thomson wrote to residents that her administration would “make it easy for them to participate in their government.”

She added: “That starts now—with you.”

Cited in Thomson’s letter as a path to participation is service on a board or commission, through a mayoral appointment.

She invites residents to apply for an seat on a board or commission. 

Appointments to boards and commissions also get a mention in a Nov. 14 letter that Thomson sent to current Bloomington mayor John Hamilton.

Thomson includes such appointments in the decisions that she asks Hamilton to refrain from making in his remaining time in office (emphasis in original): “Such decisions would include, but not be limited to, signing new or extensions of contracts, purchasing or conveying property, and making future board and commission appointments.”

Most board and commission terms go through Dec. 31 or Jan. 1, which means several naturally-occurring vacancies will need to be filled. For example, two of the five mayoral appointments to the plan commission end on Jan. 1, 2023.

At least some of the mayor-appointed members of boards and commissions are described explicitly in local law as serving “at the pleasure” of the mayor—like members of the board of public works or the board of public safety.

Seats on those two boards do not have specified term lengths. There’s not a natural point in time for a mayor to swap out one of those board members, by choosing not to re-appoint them.

The request about appointments in Thomson’s letter to Hamilton is not confined to just those board members that are explicitly described in the law as serving “at the pleasure” of the mayor. Continue reading “Mayoral transition: Bloomington boards have upcoming vacancies, to be filled by city executive” →

Will Bloomington burn big bucks in payouts, if billboard ban is OK’d? Plan commission punts vote

Looking east at Kinser Pike, along SR 45/46. This Lamar Outdoor Advertising billboard is the subject of litigation.
Bloomington plan commission (Oct. 9, 2023).
Alan Townshend, attorney for Lamar Outdoor Advertising.
Beth Cate, Bloomington corporation counsel.

On Monday night, a short-handed Bloomington plan commission put off a vote on a proposed phasing out of billboards in the city by 2031.

One big question that emerged during Monday’s meeting: How much compensation will Bloomington have to pay billboard owners, if the city causes them to remove their billboards by using zoning laws?

Based on Monday’s meeting deliberations, the question of compensation for billboard owners is one that the city’s legal department had apparently not contemplated up to now. Monday’s meeting marked the second required hearing in front of the plan commission, after a first hearing in September.

The commission will likely take up the question again at its Nov. 6 meeting. It’s the Bloomington city council that will have the final say on the question.

The public commentary, from at least nine speakers, was uniformly against the billboard ban, for several reasons. Among the arguments was the idea that there’s a benefit to local businesses and nonprofits from an effective and economical form of advertising. Continue reading “Will Bloomington burn big bucks in payouts, if billboard ban is OK’d? Plan commission punts vote” →

Bloomington looks to ban billboards: Even if outdoor ad firm wins current legal case, sign could be nixed

Looking east at Kinser Pike, along SR 45/46. This Lamar Outdoor Advertising billboard is the subject of litigation.
Excerpt from the city of Bloomington’s zoning map, which shows the location of a billboard that’s subject of litigation.

Last Monday, Bloomington’s plan commission heard a proposal from mayor John Hamilton’s administration to amend the city’s zoning code for signs.

The amendment would effectively make all billboards in Bloomington disappear by 2031. That includes the one off Kinser Pike next to the SR 45/46 bypass, which is currently subject to litigation.

Last year, after the billboard’s owner, Lamar Outdoor Advertising, converted the billboard face to a digital display, Bloomington cited the company for violation of the UDO’s regulations on electronic reader boards.

Lamar is fighting the citation. Even if Lamar wins the court case, the company could eventually have to take down the billboard—if the amendment to the city’s unified development ordinance (UDO) is eventually approved by the city council. Continue reading “Bloomington looks to ban billboards: Even if outdoor ad firm wins current legal case, sign could be nixed” →

Lake Lemon Marina rezone denied: Driveway onto Northshore Drive can’t stay

A rezone request for Lake Lemon Marina was denied by Monroe County’s three-member board of commissioners at its Wednesday meeting.

Voting against the request were the two commissioners present—Julie Thomas and Penny Githens. Lee Jones was absent.

Based on commentary during Wednesday’s meeting, the case will eventually be litigated in the Monroe County circuit court.

Continue reading “Lake Lemon Marina rezone denied: Driveway onto Northshore Drive can’t stay” →

Plat for western part of new Hopewell neighborhood OK’d by Bloomington plan commission

Added by The B Square: color for remaining buildings, streets, and alleys.
Hopewell West Primary Plat
Hopewell West Primary Plat

The redevelopment of the former IU Health hospital site at 2nd and Rogers streets took another step forward this past Monday.

At its regular monthly meeting, Bloomington’s plan commission approved the primary plat for the chunk of the project that is now called Hopewell West. It’s bounded by 2nd Street and 1st Street on the north and south. The eastern boundary is Rogers Street.

A plat is a detailed map that outlines the boundaries, dimensions, and other essential features of a specific land parcel.

IU Health has demolished all but two buildings as part of the purchase agreement with Bloomington’s redevelopment commission. The new plat for the land puts the two remaining buildings on their own lots—the parking garage with its 390 parking spaces, and the Kohr administration building, which the city is looking to redevelop as income-restricted housing.

The new plat also divides the block with three new segments of public streets—two running north-south and one running east-west. The plat also adds some new alleys.

The primary plat for Hopewell West had unanimous support from the seven of nine plan commissioners who were present. (Brad Wisler and Ellen Rodkey were absent.)

The new plat does not need approval from the Bloomington city council. But the plat depends on one approval that is under the control of the city council—the vacation of two alleys in the northeast corner of the block.

That means sometime in the coming weeks, the council can expect to see an alley vacation on its agenda.

On Friday, the city issued a news release announcing that there will be groundbreaking for the Hopewell project on July 21, 2023 at 3:30 p.m.

The groundbreaking will signal the infrastructure work on the Phase 1 East portion of the site, which lies east of Rogers street.

Further in the future is the start of infrastructure work on the Hopewell West portion of the site, which was subject to Monday’s primary plan approval by Bloomington’s plan commission on Monday. Continue reading “Plat for western part of new Hopewell neighborhood OK’d by Bloomington plan commission” →

New studies could inform August plan commission review of 6,000-unit development in SW Bloomington

Bloomington plan commission (July 10, 2023)
Travis Vencel , Sullivan Development
Angela Parker, attorney for the Summit District PUD development team.
Tyler Ridge, president of The Ridge Group, and managing member of Sudbury Development Partners LLC
Rachel Knoble, Weimer Road resident

At its regular Monday meeting, Bloomington’s plan commission completed the first round of its deliberations on a 140-acre rezone request for a tract of raw land in southwest Bloomington.

The property is located east of Weimer Road, and west of the RCA Community Park. It’s also west of some land owned by the Monroe County government. The county-owned land has received some discussion as a possible location of a new county jail facility.

The planned unit development (PUD) rezone of the property, which is proposed by Sudbury Development Partners, LLC, would allow up to 6,000 units of housing to be constructed, in five different neighborhoods over the course of the next eight years.

Commissioners voted unanimously to put the item on their Aug. 14 agenda for another hearing.

By the time of the August meeting, it’s possible that a new regional housing study will have been released. Also hoped for by the time of the second hearing is a utilities study for the development area that is being done by city of Bloomington utilities (CBU).

Another set of information, which will eventually help refine the details of the project, is a traffic study that the development team will be conducting. Continue reading “New studies could inform August plan commission review of 6,000-unit development in SW Bloomington” →

Bloomington plan commission to hear 6,000-unit housing proposal for 140 acres of undeveloped land

The image is taken from Monroe County’s online property lookup system.

A 140-acre tract of raw land in the southwest part of Bloomington could become the site of a five-neighborhood development with up to 6,000 housing units.

A proposed planned unit development (PUD) appears on the Bloomington plan commission’s Monday agenda, which would rezone the area to allow for the Summit District proposal to be built—over the course of the next eight years.

The property is located east of Weimer Road, and west of the RCA Community Park. It’s also west of  some land owned by the Monroe County government. The county-owned land has received some discussion as a possible location of a new county jail facility. Continue reading “Bloomington plan commission to hear 6,000-unit housing proposal for 140 acres of undeveloped land” →

8-story student apartment building on North Walnut OK’d by Bloomington plan commission

Locator map.
Shown are recent student-oriented housing developments approved since 2019.
View of Walnut Street looking south.
Site on North Walnut
Sidewalk gap looking north on Walnut Street between 17th and 19th streets.

At its Monday meeting, Bloomington’s nine-member plan commission gave unanimous approval to an 8-story apartment building to be built at the site of the former Great Wall restaurant on North Walnut street.

The 172 apartments will include a total of 463 bedrooms, with the following breakdown: 19 studios, 5 one-bedroom units, 87 two-bedroom units, 14 three-bedroom units, 12 four-bedroom units, and 35 five-bedroom units.

Other details of the project include 264 parking spaces incorporated inside the building.

Nathan Casteel, an architect with DLR Group, and Olivia Prais, with project owner Core SVA attended the plan commission’s meeting—with Prais joining via the Zoom video conferencing platform. Continue reading “8-story student apartment building on North Walnut OK’d by Bloomington plan commission” →

Planning notebook: Former Great Wall restaurant site could be home to 426 college students

Locator map.
Shown are recent student-oriented housing developments approved since 2019.

The property where The Great Wall restaurant formerly stood on North Walnut Street, across from the northern tip of Miller-Showers Park, is now the site of a proposed 8-story student-oriented apartment building.

The building would include a mix of 3-bedroom, 4-bedroom and 5-bedroom apartments, for a total of 426 bedrooms.

That’s based on a preview of an April 10 Bloomington plan commission item given at a Tuesday morning work session by senior zoning planner Eric Greulich. Continue reading “Planning notebook: Former Great Wall restaurant site could be home to 426 college students” →

Rezone for “truckstop–small” denied by Monroe County, ends 30 years of overnight truck parking

Off SR-37 south of Bloomington and just south of the spot where I-69 and the state highway merge sits Sunmart, a Shell gas station and convenience store that also allows overnight truck parking.

The overnight truck parking now has to end, because a requested rezoning of the nearly 5-acre property was denied on a unanimous vote of the three Monroe County commissioners at their regular Wednesday morning meeting.

The use of the land as a convenience store and daytime truck parking is legal under Monroe County zoning. So those uses can continue.

What seemed to be the key consideration weighed by commissioners was the fact that the use of the land for overnight truck parking had been in violation of zoning code for 30 years. And they were persuaded by a view expressed during public comment that to rezone the property to allow what had been a non-conforming use would amount to “rewarding” the non-conformance.

Commissioner Lee Jone said, “I don’t think it sets a good precedent to remove restrictions that have been violated for 30 years.” Continue reading “Rezone for “truckstop–small” denied by Monroe County, ends 30 years of overnight truck parking” →