140-acre rezone to be taken up by Bloomington’s city council again on May 15

Close up proximity map of Summit District PUD.

Overview map of Summit District PUD.

A rezone request for about 140 acres in the southwest part of Bloomington got a second round of scrutiny from the city council last Wednesday.

The first council deliberations took place on April 17.

A postponement until the council’s May 15 meeting got unanimous support.

It sounds like some councilmembers could be ready to take a vote in mid-May. But there’s still another month before a 90-day window closes, on June 26. After that, the new zoning would be automatically enacted, if the council did not act to deny it.

The 90-day clock started ticking after the 7–0 positive recommendation was certified to the city’s plan commission, on March 28.

The Summit District planned unit development (PUD) could allow construction of an estimated 4,250 units of housing in five new neighborhoods, to be built out over the course of the next 10 years. Continue reading “140-acre rezone to be taken up by Bloomington’s city council again on May 15” →

140-acre rezone proposal gets first hearing from Bloomington city council, to continue on May 1

Bloomington city council meeting on April 17, 2024. Andy Ruff attended on the Zoom video platform. Matt Flaherty was absent.

Councilmember Isak Asare distributes to his colleagues a handout from the Summit District developer. (April 17, 2024)

Overview map of Summit District PUD.

Close up proximity map of Summit District PUD.

Bloomington city councilmember Hopi Stosberg. (April 17, 2024)

Travis Vencel, with Sullivan Development (April 17, 2024)

, and Angela Parker, legal counsel for Sudbury Associates. (April 17, 2024).

Bloomington’s development services manager Jackie Scanlan (April 17, 2024)

A rezone request for about 140 acres in the southwest part of Bloomington will get continued discussion from the city council at its May 1 meeting.

At its meeting this past Wednesday, the city council heard the presentation on the Summit District PUD proposal from development services manager Jackie Scanlan, followed by remarks from Travis Vencel, with Sullivan Development, and Angela Parker, legal counsel for Sudbury Associates.

A PUD (planned unit development) zoning district is a kind of customized zoning district that uses an existing zoning district as a baseline, but diverges from it, in order to deal with challenges that are unique to the district.

On Wednesday, the council gave itself just four minutes apiece for questions of staff and the petitioner. The public comment lasted around 45 minutes.

Highlights from public comment included concerns that have been expressed since the proposal was first heard by Bloomington’s plan commission, in July of last year.

Those concerns included the potential impact on stormwater flows, traffic, and the capacity of the city’s sewer system, in addition to impacts on the visual landscape.

Public comment also included support, based on the additional estimated 4,250 units of housing the rezone could make possible, in five new neighborhoods, over the course of the next 10 years.

The city’s plan commission gave the project a 7–0 recommendation at its mid-March meeting this year.

There did not seem to be any strong overt opposition to the rezone conveyed by councilmembers, during their allotted time for questions. Continue reading “140-acre rezone proposal gets first hearing from Bloomington city council, to continue on May 1” →

Rezone of 140 acres for up to 4,250 housing units gets thumbs up from Bloomington plan commission

Overview map of Summit District PUD.

Close up proximity map of Summit District PUD.

Plan commission president Brad Wisler. (March 19, 2024)

Bloomington interim planning and transportation director Jackie Scanlan. (March 20, 2024)

Travis Vencel, with Sullivan Development, and Angela Parker, legal counsel for Sudbury Associates. (March 20, 2024)

A rezone request from Sudbury Partners, LLC for about 140 acres in the southwest part of the city has been forwarded by Bloomington’s plan commission to the city council with a positive recommendation.

Action by the commission on the rezone request from Sudbury Associates came on Tuesday night. The vote on the nine-member plan commission was ~~8–0~~ 7–0 with one abstention, from Chris Smith. Ellen Rodkey was absent.

The planned unit development (PUD) in the southwest of the city, called Summit District, would allow for the construction of 4,250 housing units, in five different new neighborhoods, with construction phased in a way that foresees a build-out over the next decade. Continue reading “Rezone of 140 acres for up to 4,250 housing units gets thumbs up from 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)

Close up proximity map of Summit District PUD.

Overview map of Summit District PUD.

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” →