Tag: Renascent

Hopewell update: Bloomington OKs $318K more for demolition, prelim infra design, lighting

City of Bloomington project engineer Kendall Knoke explains the contract revision with CrossRoad Engineers, for preliminary design work. (July 15, 2024)
Lot numbering from the Hopewell masterplan

Bloomington’s planned new Hopewell neighborhood is supposed to replace the former IU Health hospital at 2nd and Rogers streets and extend to the surrounding area.

Based on Monday’s update to Bloomington’s redevelopment commission (RDC) from city controller Jessica McClellan, the project has already expended about $17.8 million of the roughly $28 million in TIF (tax increment finance) revenue that the RDC has committed to the project.

At Monday’s meeting, the RDC approved several Hopewell-related agenda items that add about $318,000 to the total expenditures for the project—for demolition, preliminary infrastructure design work, relocation of power lines, and for street lighting. Continue reading “Hopewell update: Bloomington OKs $318K more for demolition, prelim infra design, lighting” →

Bloomington keeps tabs on building at 1st and Rogers for possible Hopewell demolition

Looking northwest from the intersection of Morton and 1st streets. (Feb. 19, 2024)
Bloomington RDC members from left: Deb Hutton, Deborah Myerson, Sue Sgambelluri, and Randy Cassady. (Feb. 19, 2024)
615 W. 1st Street with a sign outside giving notice of a historic preservation commission (HPC) hearing. (Feb. 19, 2024)
607 W. 1st Street has been mostly demolished. (Feb. 19, 2024)
714 S. Rogers St. looking south from the intersection of Rogers and 1st. (Feb. 19, 2024)
714 S. Rogers St. with Marshall Security car parked in the lot. The view is to the south from 1st Street. (Feb. 19, 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.

In the second week of February, the demolition of several buildings along the south side of Bloomington’s West 1st Street got started.

By Monday (Feb. 19) the building at 607 W. 1st Street had been mostly reduced to a pile of rubble.

The point of the demolition is to create a clean slate for developers who want to respond to a public offering of the property as part of the planned new Hopewell neighborhood. It’s part of the area where IU Health’s hospital previously stood.

In about 16 weeks, which works out to roughly the end of May, the work to raze the buildings is expected to be complete.

But the timing for the project completion could depend in part on whether two of the buildings on the south side of 1st Street are actually demolished.

Already known was the possibility that the California-style bungalow at 615 W. 1st Street could escape demolition—either through historic protection, or through a move to a different location. Bloomington’s historic preservation commission (HPC) is supposed to get an update on the status of the building at its Thursday (Feb. 22) meeting.

At its Jan. 25 meeting, the HPC voted to recommend that Anna Killion-Hanson, who is interim director of the HAND (housing and neighborhood development) department, extend by 30 days the demolition delay under which the property had been put. Killion-Hanson did extend the demolition delay by 30 days, which bought the house a little more time.

A different building—which was initially considered for demolition, but did not make the final list—might eventually be demolished.

Based on conversation between city of Bloomington staff and redevelopment commission (RDC) members at Monday’s RDC meeting, the building at 714 Rogers—the southwest corner of Rogers and 1st streets—could wind up getting razed. But that’s not certain.

Continue reading “Bloomington keeps tabs on building at 1st and Rogers for possible Hopewell demolition” →

Bloomington OKs extra cost of asbestos removal for Hopewell demolition, work set to start Friday

Google Street View looking southeast of 615 1st Street.
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.
Area to be demolished as shown in the Hopewell neighborhood master plan. https://bloomingtonhospitalsite.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/2021.01.13_BHRU-Reuse-Master-Plan-2-pg-per-screen.pdf#page=33

At its Monday meeting, Bloomington’s redevelopment commission (RDC) approved a $12,100 bump to the previously approved $353,052 contract with Renascent for the demolition of 10 buildings on the south side of 1st Street.

The demolition work, which is supposed to start Friday (Feb. 9) according to a city of Bloomington news release, is intended to make a clean slate for developers who want to respond to a public offering of  the property as part of the planned new Hopewell neighborhood.

The area with the buildings to be demolished is just part of the Hopewell land, which includes the former site of the IU Health hospital. Bloomington’s RDC bought the property for $6.5 million, in a deal that finally closed late last year.

It’s still an open question whether all 10 buildings will be demolished, because one of them is still under review by the city’s historic preservation commission (HPC). The house in question  is at 615 W. 1st Street, which is described in the HPC’s Jan. 25 meeting information packet as “a highly intact California style bungalow,” which was built in the 1920s. Continue reading “Bloomington OKs extra cost of asbestos removal for Hopewell demolition, work set to start Friday” →

$350K demolition contract for 1st Street Hopewell buildings OK’d, one needs historic review

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 image is from the Monroe County online property lookup system.
Google Street View looking southeast of 615 1st Street.

At its meeting this past Monday, Bloomington’s redevelopment commission (RDC) approved a $353,052 contract with Renascent for the demolition of 10 buildings south of 1st Street, in the vicinity of Fairview and Rogers streets.

It’s part of the planned new Hopewell neighborhood that is supposed to be developed on the site of the former IU Health hospital at 2nd and Rogers Streets.

Renascent is the same company that brought down the hospital buildings for IU Health.

The extent of the demolition approved on Monday extends from a bit west of Fairview Street to Rogers Street on the east. Listed in the bid package as an “alternate” but not included in the demolition contract is the building at 714 S. Rogers Street.

Responding to a B Square question, housing and neighborhood development (HAND) director John Zody wrote about the 714 Rogers property: “We believe there is some interest in potential redevelopment of the 714 S. Rogers St. property.”  Zody added, “To ensure all development options are considered, the RDC will await responses from the active Public Offering before making a final decision related to demolition.” Continue reading “$350K demolition contract for 1st Street Hopewell buildings OK’d, one needs historic review” →