WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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The Bloomington City Council voiced unanimous support for extending height and density restrictions on downtown development, last night.
The restrictions were added to the city code last year as a temporary protection until the city finished revising its unified development ordinance. The restrictions reduce the maximum building height by ten feet. Density is also cut back by around 30 units per acre.
Development Services Manager Jackie Scanlan told Council member Dave Rollo her department fielded slightly fewer projects than in past year. But she said she can’t directly correlate that to the restrictions imposed last December.
Development Services Manager Jackie Scanlan told council member Alison Chopra she expected pushback from developers once the restrictions were in place. Planning and Transportation Director Teri Porter said, in fact, three projects have been approved while the restrictions have been in place.
Of the three projects Porter referenced, two received waivers from the Bloomington Plan Commission despite the height restrictions in effect. The ordinance considered also addresses housing diversity, adding language encouraging the Plan Commission to consider projects that contribute to the diversification of downtown housing, or address the community’s affordable housing challenge.
The extension of the height and density restrictions would expire at the end of 2019, or when the UDO revision is complete.
