The planned development site on Bloomington's southwest side.
(Courtesy, Bloomington Plan Commission)
A development that would bring an estimated 4,250 homes to a 140-acre site on Bloomington’s southwest side is moving forward.
The city’s plan commission recommended the Summit District project at its meeting Tuesday. The recommendation will be considered later by the city council, which will have the final say.
Sudbury Development Partners wants to rezone land north of RCA Community Park to build five new neighborhoods there. It plans to complete the project in phases over a decade or more.
The site is on the edge of city limits and is one of the largest undeveloped pieces of land in the city, if not the largest.
Travis Vencel of Sullivan Development is co-developing the project with Tyler Ridge of Ridge Group. He has said the project will help address Bloomington’s need for housing.
“We’re setting aside over 38 percent of the site (for) open space and green space,” Vencel said. “We’ve got diversity in types of land uses and diversity of housing to really meet the needs of the community.”
Travis Vencel (Courtesy, Community Access Television Services)
Vencel and Ridge envision a mix of single- and multi-family homes, condos, apartments and townhomes, as well as space for offices, retail, restaurants and hotels. They also plan to include a trailhead and space for a new fire station.
The development would be dense for the area, with some buildings as tall as eight stories, or 86 feet tall.
Residents who live near the proposed development site largely oppose it. They say it is too dense and worry the area’s infrastructure cannot support a massive influx of new residents.
Several dozen people attended the meeting, many of whom provided input on the project.
Deb Pekin is a resident of Arbor Ridge, a largely retirement-age HOA neighborhood consisting of single-family detached homes next to the proposed development site. She said a project this dense is inappropriate for the site.
“This one development is suggesting that they are going to provide 4,250 units of housing … for this one location,” Pekin said. “Does that seem reasonable? That doesn’t seem reasonable to me.”
Deb Pekin (Courtesy, Community Access Television Services)
Rachel Noble lives on Weimer Road, a two-lane road that would lead to the proposed development. She worries the project will bring more traffic than the area can handle.
“The density is too much,” Noble said. “The only developed road into this right now is Weimer Road. So, what are you going to do to ensure us, the city, that we are going to be okay? Our road can’t handle this.”
Rachel Noble (Courtesy, Community Access Television Services)
A traffic study for the project found many existing intersections would require improvements, including some on Weimer Road.
Residents say Weimer Road floods often and is already dangerous because of traffic backups. Those who live on Weimer worry non-permeable surfaces in a new development may exacerbate the flooding issue.
Randy Craw said he recognizes the city needs more housing but worries about water runoff onto his property, which is in a floodplain.
“Sometimes the consequences of your actions aren’t really seen for a long time,” Craw said. “We, the public that live downstream, are seeing this water go through. Anybody that’s downstream is going to be hit.”
Randy Craw (Courtesy, Community Access Television Services)
The developers must adhere to the city’s environmental regulations as laid out in the Unified Development Ordinance, which governs land use and development throughout Bloomington.
Additionally, the city is requiring at least 15 percent of the total housing units built to be permanently income-restricted.
Others spoke favorably of the project. Indiana University graduate student Pauly Tarricone said many people in Bloomington struggle to find housing — and they don’t always have time to attend and provide commentary at lengthy public meetings.
“The current housing system favors property owners, excluding from this conversation the voices of those who are seeking housing,” Tarricone said. “The power differential is at the heart of our housing crisis.”
Pauly Tarricone (Courtesy, Community Access Television Services)
A recently updated study by the Regional Opportunities Initiative says Bloomington needs more than 4,155 homes by 2035. That’s something cited by the developers and several people who support the project.
Thomas Landis, a lecturer at IU, said a limited housing supply forces market prices up, and that even adding housing at market rate can help get prices under control.
“When most zoning codes make illegal most forms of housing except large, single-family houses … costs will only increase,” Landis said. “We see these negative impacts of urban sprawl in our community here and we see it across the nation.”
Thomas Landis (Courtesy, Community Access Television Services)
Several organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, United Way, and the Regional Opportunities Initiative also support the project.
“One really critical part of being a welcoming, inclusive community is to make sure that people have the kind of housing they need,” Morgan said. “Right now, we are not able as a community to offer housing for the range of needs that we see. That’s one of the reasons I am particularly excited about this proposal.”
Mary Morgan (Courtesy, Community Access Television Services)
Of the eight plan commission members, seven voted in support of the project Tuesday. Commissioner Chris Smith abstained.
It’s not yet clear when the city council will vote on the project. City staff must certify the commission’s recommendation within 10 days from Tuesday, and the council must hear the petition within 90 days after certification.
