Withdrawn: Green Acres conservation district application, still appears on Oct. 1 council agenda
With a Bloomington city council vote set for its Tuesday, Oct. 1 meeting, councilmembers have been sent a letter withdrawing the application to establish Green Acres as a historic conservation district.
The Green Acres appeared for a first reading on the council’s Sept. 18 meeting, and appears on this Tuesday’s agenda for a vote.
But on Monday, Sept. 30, Lois Sabo-Skelton, who is chair of the Green Acres Conservation District Development Committee, sent a letter to councilmembers that says the group is withdrawing the application.
Sabo-Skelton’s letter puts it like this: “We are writing to formally withdraw our application for a Conservation District in the Green Acres neighborhood at this time.”
The letter continues, “This decision comes after much reflection on the current circumstances, with the goal of building broader consensus and strengthening our case for the future.”
On Tuesday, it seems likely the item could still get a vote, up or down, from the city council. (The city council’s regular Wednesday meeting was shifted to Tuesday because of Rosh Hashanah.)
[Updated: Oct. 1, 2024: Without discussion, the council voted unanimously against the ordinance.]
The letter stresses the group’s intent to eventually pursue a conservation district for the area. Sabo-Skelton’s letter states: “Please know that this is not a retreat, but rather a strategic step to ensure that we can ultimately protect our neighborhood, as outlined in the city’s comprehensive plan.”
The letter later says, “Please know that we will be back, and we remain hopeful that future discussions will lead to a positive outcome for the Green Acres Neighborhood.”
The proposal for a Green Acres conservation district did not appear to have much support on the city council. However, Dave Rollo, whose district previously included the area, before the boundaries were redrawn, has stated publicly that he would support a Green Acres conservation district.
Since the council’s first reading of the item on Sept. 18, several messages of opposition have been received.
On Tuesday, it’s not clear how the item will be handled procedurally. It appears that some definitive action by the council would be needed, in order to lift the interim protection order, that all the properties in the proposed district now enjoy as a result of action by Bloomington’s historic preservation commission (HPC).
The interim protection is based on action taken by the city’s HPC in mid-August. The interim protection granted by the HPC lasts until adoption or rejection of the ordinance by the city council.
The proposed conservation district includes all the structures in about 125 acres situated in the eastern central part of Bloomington, which have been placed under interim protection against demolition.
The interim protection applies to upwards of 450 properties, even though the original impetus for establishing the district stemmed from a request for demolition of 5 houses in the Green Acres neighborhood—four along Jefferson Street and one on 7th Street.
The area includes most of the Green Acres neighborhood. In rough terms, the proposed conservation district is bounded on the west by Indiana University’s campus, on the north and east by the SR 46 bypass, and on the south by 3rd Street.
Green Acres background documents from meeting packet
Ord 2024-18 city staff report
Ord 2024-18
Ord 2024-18 map
Ord 2024-18 survey by address
Ord 2024-18 application
Ord 2024-18 Green Acres Neighborhood Plan
Ord 2024-18 remonstrance against
Ord 2024-18 letters of remonstrance revised
Ord 2024-18 Council Staff Memo
Ord 2024-18 Council Staff memo revised
Ord 2024-18 slide deck
