Leaders from Bloomington plan housing symposium to address local housing crunch

Posted on May 31, 2024
Bloomington City Manager Jeff Jurgens spoke with WJBC’s Scott Miller. (Photo courtesy: Blake Haas/WJBC)

By Blake Haas

BLOOMINGTON – Leaders from Bloomington want to address the housing crunch in McLean County with an upcoming symposium.

In a recent report from the Mclean County Housing Coalition, the county faces a shortage of about 7,000 housing units while the homelessness rate continues to rise.

Bloomington plans a housing symposium for around 30 bankers, realtors, and loan officers to combat the issue.

“Although we do see developments in some areas, we are questioning, why aren’t? There’s clearly a need here, so why aren’t houses going up and going up faster,” Jeff Jurgens, Bloomington’s City Manager told WJBC’s Scott Miller. “We want to hear directly from these individuals what they believe the barriers are and why the housing is not coming.”

At last count, the average home price in McLean County was $250,000 in 2023, an $80,000 jump from 2020 numbers.

Jurgens told WJBC he would like a plan of action regarding the housing crisis by the end of June.

Blake Haas can be reached at [email protected].

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