New housing units approved by Bloomington city council

Posted on July 26, 2023

*Bloomington City Council member Donna Boelen. (WJBC File Photo)*

BLOOMINGTON – In Monday night’s city council meeting, the proposed addition of around 800 residential units was approved.

Bloomington City Council authorized the annexation and zoning of a 77-acre plot of land north of West Market Street near Rivian Motors. The housing units range from apartments to townhomes.

The project, called Bloomington 77 Developments, will also include an outdoor running and biking trail in addition to the residential units. The vote went 7-1 in favor of the project, and the lone council member to say no, Donna Boelen, said that the city needs to do a better job of maintaining its current infrastructure.

“We are still struggling to keep up with the roads that we have, I think that the city needs to be intentional where the housing development goes and follow the comprehensive plan a little bit more closely,” Boelen said.

Boelen also said that she agrees that the city needs more housing, but they need to be smarter about where to put that housing.

Fellow city council member Sheila Montney shared a statement with WMBD which said, “Rivian shared workforce data earlier this year that about 40 percent of their employees are commuters, and increasing housing stock will not only help with workforce recruitment and retention, it will also improve quality of life for those currently spending a lot of time and money driving,” Montney said.

She concluded by saying that Boelen is right about Bloomington’s gaps in maintaining existing infrastructure and that she’s also working to improve its condition.

WMBD-TV can be reached at [email protected].

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