Staff graphic by Bill Thornbro
Staff graphic by Bill Thornbro
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Jeff LaFave and Lauren Slavin, Herald-Times
Historic homes filled with local businesses mixed with new architecture to house the community’s workers and residents. More and more downtown residents using varied forms of public transportation. Restaurants that open early for breakfast, and bars that stay open into the wee hours of the next morning.
A snapshot of downtown Bloomington today would look a lot like the vision for the city’s future described in the city’s Growth Policies Plan — the blueprint of the city’s future. The 2002 document outlined policy measures to create a “vibrant and visually cohesive downtown … to serve as a cultural, recreational and economic focal point, as well as an employment center for the entire community.”
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.”
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