At a glance

Duplex guidelines:

  • The owner/developer must obtain a conditional use permit, which requires approval by the board of zoning appeals and a public hearing.
  • No more than 15 duplexes can be built in Bloomington per year in the areas that previously had been zoned exclusively for single-family homes. (See districts R1, R2 and R3 on maps below.)
  • If a new duplex is approved, no other duplex can be approved for two years if it is within 150 feet of the duplex that was allowed first.

The new zoning maps:

Interactive: tinyurl.com/va4k2p8w

PDF: tinyurl.com/mskpnbxw
The Bloomington City Council has signed off on new zoning laws that will allow, among other changes, the creation of up to 15 duplexes per year.

The approved changes also include a new zoning map and new zoning districts, such as mixed-use student housing, which is intended to accommodate an adequate supply and mix of housing opportunities for students in areas adjacent or within easy walking distance to campus.

The council approved the changes on a 6-3 vote Thursday (may 13). Vice president Sue Sgambelluri, who last week had voted against allowing duplexes in most single-family neighborhoods, on Thursday voted in favor of the changes.

She said she wasn’t sure whether anyone was totally happy with the final legislation, but she said she was confident that the council in the last week added enough restrictions, including the cap and a buffer zone, to be able to control any negative effects from new duplexes.

Isabel Piedmont-Smith, who also voted in favor of the changes, said they represented a “good step forward in allowing duplexes and no longer favoring the most expensive form of housing, which is single-family detached housing.”
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