Switchyard Park is expected to get $25.5 million as Bloomington officials begin the process for nearly $40 million in projects in the newly combined tax increment financing districts, though some redevelopment commission members have questioned what exactly the final project list should be.
Switchyard is the largest piece of the presented project list, which also includes money for greenways and other parks, renovations to the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, public safety projects, affordable housing, the Certified Technology Park, sustainability and public works projects and an animal shelter upgrade.
The Bloomington Redevelopment Commission approved the bond Monday 4-1, with commission member John West dissenting. The bond will still need to be approved by the Bloomington City Council, which will start the approval process Wednesday.
Controller Jeff Underwood said these projects are on a list, but they aren’t locked in and can be changed until they are under contract.
“We did not want to tie your hands to ‘This is the list and this is all it can be spent on,’” he said.
There are five areas the city’s current administration hopes the bond will address: community sustainability, public amenities, affordable housing, transportation infrastructure and support of the city’s urban core. No project was approved Monday, and all projects on the list are subject to go through a more thorough approval process before money is given to any project.
Redevelopment commission members West and Katie Birge both said they questioned the inclusion of some projects on the list of priorities, even though the list isn’t set in stone.
“I wouldn’t want — by approving a bond with all of these detailed projects — to be making the point that all of these projects should be eligible for bond proceeds,” West said.
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