The boundary map that the applicants are using for their nomination.
(Provided, City of Bloomington)
The Bloomington Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) will meet on Aug. 12 to consider a proposed district that would grant historic protections to the city’s Green Acres neighborhood.
A group of residents has nominated the area for a conservation district, which is intended to “slow radical change in a neighborhood by reviewing only major events like demolition and new construction,” according to the city’s website.
The commission has not yet determined the time and location of the Aug. 12 meeting.
The nomination is a response to a recent request to demolish five single-story homes on Jefferson and Seventh streets. A potential purchase of the properties being brokered by local Realtor Sable Beyers is contingent on being able to demolish to buildings.
Beyers said her prospective buyer has considered replacing the homes with low-density student housing but added no plans have been finalized.
Despite this, residents worry the homes, if demolished, will be replaced by large structures that do not fit with the character of the neighborhood. Many of the homes in Green Acres were built in the era following World War II.
The homes being considered for demolition are all zoned Residential Multifamily, which is meant for medium-scale residential development and related civic and residential-supportive uses, according to the city’s website.
The city’s Unified Development Ordinance says the base height limits in Residential Multifamily districts are three stories. However, the maximum height possible is 5.5. stories, if the developer adopts affordable housing and sustainable development incentives, according to the city's planning and transportation department.
The city’s map of historic sites shows the homes are listed as “contributing,” which means they’ve been deemed to have enough historic integrity to be included in a district.
At a recent neighborhood meeting, residents argued the neighborhood has adequate historical integrity and should be preserved.
But even if the HPC votes in favor of the district, that won’t be the end of this saga. The final determination lies in the hands of the Bloomington City Council.
HPC members and neighbors alike have said they worry the council may rule against the nomination. The council recently rejected a historic designation for Lower Cascades Park after residents rallied against former Mayor John Hamilton’s plan to close part of the road that cuts through the park and convert it into a multi-use trail.
The council is likely to vote on the district nomination before the end of the year, but the timing will depend on the council’s preferences, according to the council’s attorney. The council will hold departmental hearings for the 2025 city budget starting in August.
The Green Acres neighborhood is in the city’s third council district, represented by council member Hopi Stosberg. In an interview with WFIU-WTIU News, Stosberg said she could not comment on the merits of the petition or how she might vote on it if presented to the council.
“There’s a whole process that has to go through, and I think it sort of preempts it if I as a council member before that whole process happens,” say, ‘This is how I’m going to plan to vote on it,’” Stosberg said. “I just don’t feel like that’s an appropriate statement or declaration for me to make right now.”
Stosberg deferred to Noah Sandweiss, the city’s historic preservation program manager, to speak on the merits of the petition. Sandweiss did not immediately respond to an email from WFIU-WTIU News asking if he had reviewed the application.
Stosberg added she attended one of three public meetings hosted by the group organizing this effort. She said she heard concerns from residents, both at the meeting and on an individual basis.
“Not all of them seem like they thought that a historic conservation district was the right move or a good idea,” she said. “There were specific concerns about what it actually means.”
Once a conservation district is granted, it is automatically elevated to a historic district after three years unless a majority of property owners in the district object in writing to it becoming one.
While conservation districts require HPC input for demolition and new construction, local historic districts require the HPC’s input on all exterior changes, according to the city’s website.
“There's this idea of, even if it rolls over, you can write the rules for your district in a certain way … and so then there's been the concern over well, who gets to write those rules, and how do we define those?” Stosberg said. “There are people concerned about accessibility features about the idea of aging in place and needing things like ramps or other assistance — devices that they might need on their house and whether or not that would be okay.”
Despite this, Stosberg added she believes there’s a general consensus among neighborhood residents that the homes should not be demolished and replaced with tall structures.
The commission is considering holding a work session with the council to discuss this topic and others, including possibly setting aside space for moved historic buildings in developments such as the planned Hopewell neighborhood and Summit District.
There are two conservation districts in Bloomington, according to the city’s website: the Near West Side and Maple Heights.
