property lookup system – The B Square

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” →

Attorneys in the annexation trial wanted to be able to leave their exhibits in the courtroom overnight, so a sign was placed instructing the cleaning crew to skip the courtroom used for the annexation trial. (May 2, 2024)

Map of annexation areas. https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1_7o1q_H6CpeK-1gdEzDTxnPk84RZQ_E&usp=sharing

The image of Reed Quarries is from the Pictometry module of Monroe County’s property lookup system.

Now over is the trial on the merits of Bloomington’s plan to annex two territories on the west and southwest sides of the city.

Around 3 p.m. on Friday, both sides rested their cases after five full days of witness testimony in the courtroom, located inside the justice center at College Avenue and 7th Street in downtown Bloomington.

This past week’s trial was just about the merits of annexing Area 1A and Area 1B into the city, and did not address a different, constitutional question for other territories, which relates to annexation waivers of remonstrance, which were signed by some land owners.

Over the course of the week, not every witness on either list—for the the city of Bloomington, or for the remonstrators—was called to the stand. Those who did testify included current and former elected officials, current and former city staff, the city’s paid consultants, as well as a dozen or more landowners in the areas to be annexed.

Nathan Nikirk, the special judge out of Lawrence County who is presiding over the case, gave the two sides 45 days to submit their proposed orders in the case, which will include their final arguments. No closing oral arguments were given on Friday.

Before leaving the courtroom on Friday, Nikirk thanked all of the attorneys for their professionalism. He noted that annexation is a “passionate issue.”

Nikirk said he does not know the “perfect answer” on the case but promised to do his “very best.” He would be giving the matter all the consideration that he could, Nikirk said. Even if some are not happy with his eventual decision, Nikirk said he hopes that they understand that he had given it a lot of time and effort. Continue reading “Weeklong Bloomington annexation trial: It’s a wrap, each side gets 45 days to submit final brief” →