Billy Tyus

While there is no official redevelopment agreement in place, and the deal to purchase the property has not closed, Bloomington city staff are planning for the buyer to demolish most of the existing structure.

Cullinan Properties of East Peoria is currently under contract to purchase the 53-acre site for $11.3 million. City staff said the deal could close between November and January.

The City of Bloomington believes childcare accessibility and affordability are “critical” issues for the community, said Tyus. “It's just as important as finding quality employees,” he said.

Agencies that provide homeless services in Bloomington-Normal are sounding an alarm over changing federal guidelines that may reduce funding for those programs.

The Bloomington City Council on Monday received a presentation on how to make incentives more understandable and effective to developers.

Government efforts to address the Bloomington-Normal housing shortage are a work in progress. Every little effort to make it more attractive to develop helps.

The results of a recent housing symposium were analyzed, with a number of potential remedies being suggested. The city also will hold meetings to receive citizen input over the course of the next month.

Bloomington City Council members voted unanimously Monday to approve the streetscape plan for improving downtown Bloomington that has been in the works for the better part of two years.

Now that the City of Bloomington has a new anchor tenant for Grossinger Motors Arena, the city is looking for a new name for the downtown venue.

For more than a year, the City of Bloomington has been looking into a new streetscape plan. It's a potential $30 million "generational" project that would replace aging under-and-above-ground infrastructure. Staff have said the effort is about far more than beautification.