Commission members approved requests for the two projects at a Monday meeting, though not without debate.
New subdivision
The commission unanimously approved petitioner Darlene Meyer’s request to subdivide a roughly five-acre parcel north of East Moores Pike between South Smith Road and State Road 446.
Meyer, who owns the property, wants it to be used for 17 single-family homes and two common area lots.
The site of the now-approved 17-home subidivision (Courtesy, City of Bloomington)
One single-family home currently sits on the property. It is surrounded by other single-family homes to the north and west, attached single-family homes to the east, and a mix of agricultural land and single-family homes to the south. Attached single-family homes share a common wall and are under one roof.
Project consultant Bynum Fanyo & Associates represented Meyer at the meeting. Company engineer Andrew Schrand said affordability was mentioned as a priority in previous discussions.
“There have been a lot of iterations and new designs with this project based on city revisions and feedback,” Schrand said. “This current design proposal of 17 homes … that will match a lot of need and fit in with the existing concepts specifically to the east that we're connecting to.”
Bridgestone Drive, which is east of the property, will be extended and realigned to go through the future subdivision, according to Schrand.
A previous version of the proposal included paired homes on the site, which commission member and city councilor Hopi Stosberg said she preferred.
“I still just remain a little disappointed that these are single-family homes over there instead of paired homes,” Stosberg said. “I would have appreciated paired homes just to have a little bit more affordability.”
Stosberg supported the request regardless, along with the six other commission members present.
Self-storage building
The commission also approved a three-story, 110,250-square-foot self-storage facility with a drive-through on a roughly two-acre parcel at 4600 E. Morningside Drive.
The project petitioner is Tyler Curry, and the property is owned by Morningside Holdings, LLC. Bynum Fanyo & Associates is the project consultant.
The lot has been vacant or used for parking since before 2007, according to the city.
The site self-storage building (Courtesy, City of Bloomington)
This project raised some controversy because the proposed facility is designed with cars in mind but will be built alongside the recently completed Morningside Neighborhood Greenway in the Park Ridge East neighborhood.
Greenways are low-speed, low-volume streets meant to support walking and biking.
Katie Ghandi, a zoning planner with the city, presented the request to the commission. She noted its proximity to the greenway and nearby homes.
“It’s not an ideal complement to the neighborhood — the nearby residential neighborhoods — and the mixed-use design as desired by the Comprehensive Plan,” Ghandi said. “It's more intense and more auto-centric than what's envisioned.”
However, Ghandi added the project meets the city’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) standards and will answer a need for storage facilities on the east side. City staff recommended the project be approved.
Park Ridge East residents objected to the proposal, both in person and in writing. They said it does not fit in the neighborhood and worry about increased car traffic.
Vehicular access to the new facility is possible on East Morningside Drive, a city-maintained street, or the shared, private drive East Indiana Bell Court.
Stosberg said she also worries about the proposal, although it met all requirements.
“I can’t really vote no, because as was already mentioned, they have followed all the rules,” Stosberg said. “I just can’t in my conscience say, ‘Yes, let’s put that self-storage unit there. It’s on a greenway. It’s an auto-centric design on a greenway, and I think that is highly problematic.”
Stosberg represents District 3 on the city council, which includes Park Ridge East. She said council members are considering revising UDO standards for self-storage units.
However, Development Services Manager Jackie Scanlan told the commission that would be a months-long process, and even if the commission postponed voting on this request, it would still have to review it under the current standards.
For these reasons, too, Stosberg abstained from voting on the request.
One other commission member — Christopher Smith — recused himself from the vote because of a personal connection with the petitioner. The five other members present Monday supported the request.
