The City of Bloomington will move forward with developing a "road map" for improving the west side.
The city council on Monday unanimously approved spending $99,700 to contract with Evanston-based planning and design firm Teska Associates to develop the West Bloomington Quality of Life Road Map.
This is the second strategic plan for Bloomington's west side. The original plan is more than 15 years old.
According to city documents, the road map will "guide equitable development, safety and opportunities in West Bloomington." The plan will look at how problems impacting the neighborhood and the solutions necessary to solve them are interconnected.
"Lasting revitalization requires more than improving housing stock alone," states a memo from city staff, "it also means creating safer neighborhoods, expanding economic opportunities, supporting youth and families and strengthening community connections."
Council member Sheila Montney questioned why the city couldn't develop its own plan with the West Bloomington Revitalization Project, or with the other groups supporting the west side.
"I question the value added when you've been down this path already and it sounds like you probably have the confidence and the skill to do something we're going to be paying someone else to do," Montney said to Community Impact and Enhancement Director Cordaryl Patrick.
Patrick said developing the plan on its own would require too much of the department.
The project will include a profile of the community and local economic market, a strategic plan for revitalization, a project website, an implementation plan, and a small grant award, alongside the roadmap.
In the contract, west Bloomington is defined as Main Street to east of Interstate 74 from east to west, and Division Street to Six Points Road from north to south. Patrick said about 12,000 people live in that area.
The road map will work alongside a current report underway by the National Association of Realtors Consultation Corps. That report will focus on improving physical housing conditions and encourage neighbors to get invested in their neighborhoods through redevelopment. The quality of life plan will be more comprehensive.
Costs for the road map were accounted for in the FY2027 city budget. Teska's proposal was one of two bids the city received. Farnsworth Group, which recently engaged in a water study with Bloomington, offered to draft the roadmap for $129,208.
Teska's proposal splits the plan up into three phases. The first will last one to three months and mostly involve strategy planning with the West Bloomington Revitalization Project. Teska also will start community outreach efforts like focus group interviews and neighborhood tours.
The second phase will last five months, and include opportunities for community input, like discussions with key community groups and an online survey. Teska plans to have two community workshops in that time and draft the quality of life plan. The second phase is where Teska also plans to enact an early action project. In its proposal, Teska will award a sub-grant to a project that will be a "visible improvement on the west side."
The final phase will only be a month long and is when the quality of life plan will be finalized and presented to the city. Teska also will draft an implementation plan that will designate responsibilities and a timeline for any further projects.
"One of the challenges from the first road map is, who is that quarterback?" Patrick said. "Who is the lead organization that makes sure, whatever comes out of this, [they are] waking up everyday to make sure those things get implemented."
All together, the study and planning period will last 10 months.
Zoning code changes
Also Monday, the council voted on several amendments to city zoning code.
One of the changes focuses on making infill and small lot development easier by relaxing some district standards under certain conditions. Right now, city staff said the allowances only benefit specific types of developments that allow vehicle access in the back and are closer to the street in the front.
The changes also affect general commercial zoning districts, known as B-1 districts.
"Last year, the city began evaluating and initiating large-scale 'right zoning' for some residential neighborhoods," according to a staff report. "This effort is planned for continuation, including review of some commercial areas, including a reduction in the amount of B-1 zoned properties."
Those changes involve putting a focus on using ground floor space for commercial business, but allowing residential space on the remaining floors. City staff also said some areas zoned as B-1 would actually not be suitable for a commercial business.
Another clarifies where people can park their cars and recreational equipment like boats, recreational vehicles, and camping equipment. The council also changed code so that accessory structures, like a small shed, must be built 5 feet back from the property line. Any structures already up would be grandfathered in. City documents report the change would make the code easier to enforce.
All of the amendments were unanimously approved by the planning commission at its Aug. 6 meeting.