Downtown Bloomington: Where is it now? Where is it going?

The goals city planners have met in the past 13 years will carry into decisions regarding the future of Bloomington. Planners are drafting a new Growth Policies Plan, which could be released to the general public for comment by this fall.

But more than a decade of growth has led to unforeseen challenges. City officials say one group of residents has oversaturated the downtown housing market: students.

Today’s dominant downtown housing model is built to meet demands that are very different from those made by the mix of people who used to live in the center of town.

Many current Indiana University students can afford premium downtown housing, a trend the city did not anticipate from its fastest-growing population of residents, according to Tom Micuda, planning director for the city of Bloomington.

“The students have been coming in from out of state, they’re coming in from well-to-do cities, they’re coming from international origins, and all of them possess one thing in common — they possess a pretty decent amount of buying power,” Micuda said. “The city is always very interested in making sure we have a balance of options for residents of Bloomington. That’s the one thing that planners struggle with ... it’s not just a Bloomington thing.”