The lots are at the corners of East Fourth and South Washington streets, East Sixth and North Lincoln streets, and East Fourth and South Dunn streets.
(Courtesy of Google Maps)
The City of Bloomington is considering replacing one of three downtown parking lots with a mixed-use building that will consist mostly of housing units.
The lots, all of which are city-owned, are at the corners of East Fourth and South Washington streets, with 74 spots; East Sixth and North Lincoln streets, with 50 spots; and East Fourth and South Dunn streets, with 52 spots.
The initiative is part of a push to reevaluate how the city can utilize its downtown properties to best serve residents, according to Beth Rosenbarger, the assistant director of the city’s planning and transportation department.
Rosenbarger said the project also was prompted by a lack of affordable housing.
“Bloomington, like a lot of the nation and any kind of community … that is growing in population is part of the national housing crisis,” she said. “When you increase (the) supply of housing, that plays a big role in increasing options and thereby helping to alleviate some of the pricing issues. Also, you can do, specifically, affordable housing at different price points.”
Because of the city’s development regulations, the structure’s first floor must consist of something other than housing. Rosenbarger said the city is considering several options for that space. Some have suggested leasing the first floor to a childcare provider, for example.
Rosenbarger added that, because the city owns the lots under consideration, it has more leverage when it comes to getting a developer to prioritize affordable housing.
“The state doesn’t allow us to require (affordable housing), but we can incentivize it,” Rosenbarger said. “If the city owns property, then we don’t have to use the incentive structure. We could do something more aggressive than just incentives because we have leverage by being the property owner that is above and beyond just regulating.”
The building may also include units available for purchase, Rosenbarger said.
The number of housing units that would be built would depend on which lot the structure replaces. Based on preliminary estimates, Rosenbarger said the number of units could match or exceed the number of parking spaces that would be removed.
Additionally, the number of bedrooms in each unit will vary. Rosenbarger said some may contain up to three bedrooms. That means the number of people housed would exceed the number of vehicles parked, she said.
Rosenbarger said that while Bloomington’s housing supply is struggling to keep up with market demand, the downtown parking supply has outpaced it. That’s one reason the city is reevaluating how it can serve the community other than with surface parking lots.
In recent years, the city rebuilt the Fourth Street parking garage, adding about 200 spaces in the process. The city and private developers have also removed some on-street and private parking spaces downtown, such as on Seventh Street, to make way for a protected bike lane.
Despite that, Rosenbarger said the overall amount of parking downtown has increased.
“I know sometimes people might not feel that way if they are looking for one spot, but it has expanded,” Rosenbarger said. “Housing does continue to expand, but it does not keep pace with the demand in our community, so we are still living in a housing crisis.”
The city has not yet determined how much the project may cost.
It could also be a while before any plans materialize. Rosenbarger said the city is evaluating which lot is best suited for such a structure and gathering feedback from downtown residents, business owners and representatives of other organizations.
Those interested in providing feedback can do so through an online forum.
“When we ask people about it, we want to hear what is important to you in housing,” Rosenbarger said. “What is a way we could support our community and help people who are interested in living downtown make that feasible in their lives? I think that’s an important part of the process and information that we’re interested in.”
