Bloomington-Normal has a lot to look forward to as 2022 approaches.
That’s according to mayors Mboka Mwilambwe and Chris Koos.
Speaking Tuesday at a "State of B-N" event hosted by the McLean County Chamber of Commerce, the two leaders agreed that despite the challenges of the pandemic, both cities are showing strong signs of growth. That’s thanks in large part to the expansion of two major companies: Rivian and Ferrero.
Since setting up shop in Normal five year ago, Rivian has become the community’s third-largest employer. The electric automaker currently employs 3,700 people. The company has completed a recent plant expansion and purchased 360 acres of neighboring farmland for future growth.
Normal Mayor Koos said those are impressive numbers, but they don’t tell the full story of the impact Rivian has on the community.
“We are getting national and international attention as a community,” Koos said. “It’s a significant opportunity.”
He pointed to recent coverage by national news outlets like The New York Times and Washington Post, noting that the attention piques interest in the community for other companies.
Mwilambwe touted Ferrero’s decision to build its first North American processing plant in Bloomington.
“When such significant players come from the outside, that says a lot about the community,” Mwilambwe said. The $75 million Ferrero invested in its new facility sends a message to other companies and the city itself, he said. “It tells us that we’re a great community and have a lot to offer.”
Housing issues
The growth of the past few years has come with a downside, however. An influx of workers to the community is one of the factors driving a housing shortage.
“We have a lot of people coming to this community and they’re not finding a place to live,” Koos said. The problem is compounded by supply chain issues that have slowed the rate of new construction. Koos said despite the hurdles, he doesn’t see the problem as insurmountable.
“There are a lot of people who say we have a housing crisis in this community. I say we have a housing challenge,” he said.
Koos said that the shortage has underscored the need for a more diverse housing stock.
“We’re really good at single family housing,” he said. But increasingly, said Koos, people are looking for duplexes, apartments, or mixed-use dwellings. He said that’s especially true among younger Rivian workers. And he cautioned that sprawl development into surrounding farmland would strain city services.
“We need to keep our footprint compact,” he said.
Mwilambwe said infill development is a priority for Bloomington as well. He said the city is also encouraged by upticks in new construction, noting that Bloomington has issued 94 single family building permits so far this year. That’s up from 31 this time last year.
Infrastructure
“We’re all learning about sewers,” said Mwilambwe, whose tenure has included problems relating to summer floods.
Mwilambwe noted that he ran on an infrastructure platform but joked that sometimes he wished he hadn’t. The city is making sewer issues a priority, he said, noting that $2 million in funds from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) has been dedicated to accelerating the Locust-Colton sewer separation project. He said the city is also directing COVID relief funds towards hydraulic modeling and design for an East Street detention basin near the Bloomington Public Library. Mwilambwe said the city is exploring the possibility for using the former Nicor site at Washington and Euclid for a second detention basin to combat flooding.
Roads remain a priority for the city, Mwilambwe said. The condition of city streets have a direct impact on quality of life for its citizens and are often the most visible indicator of how residents’ tax dollars are being spent, he said.
Koos said infrastructure has always been a high priority for Normal. 2021 was a particularly notable for the town the town in terms of progress, he said. He noted the town replaced 10,000 feet of water main in 2021 and has plans for another 17,000 in the near future. Koos said Normal is also planning major sidewalk renovations, including ADA work.
Pandemic relief funds
The Town of Normal will receive close to $10 million in ARP funds “delivered in two batches,” Koos said. Over 900 people responded to a survey distributed by the town asking residents to weigh in on how those funds should be spent. Koos said it was clear from the response that infrastructure and small business were the top two priorities.
Koos estimated that around 70% of the funds would go towards infrastructure, including broadband development for underserved parts of the community.
“We know from COVID there are areas that are not served well by broadband, and the children that live in those areas are disadvantaged by not having access,” he said.
Mwilambwe said Bloomington will leave decisions about how to spend pandemic relief funding to the city council.
“I believe the council can make those decisions. They’ve been elected in those positions and can reach out to constituents for feedback,” he said.
In additional to infrastructure concerns like sewer and roadways, Mwilambwe said the city would continue to focus on core services like trash and recycling. When it comes to relief funds, Mwilambwe said, the city prefers to take a cautious approach.
“We don’t know what the future holds. We have to be very careful,” he said.
