By: Diane Benjamin

I’ve done many stories on Opticos and Missing Middle Housing. Review this story, it contains what the Council told staff they wanted back in July 2024 to solve the “housing crisis”: https://blnnews.com/2025/05/31/remember-when-i-told-you-staff-wouldnt-drop-it/

There is ZERO in those instructions about creating “walkable neighborhoods” or hiring a consultant from California.

That didn’t stop Jeff Jurgens from signing a contract. Jurgens can spending $50,000 without council approval, guess how much the contract he signed puts citizens on the hook for:

If you don’t see the obvious “skirting the rules”, see what else is in the contract:

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Go back to the directions from Council in the story linked above. “Walkable” isn’t in it. Neither is “missing middle”. Maybe people in California want walkable, but when the temperatures in Central Illinois are blazing hot or freezing cold the only people walking are those who have no other options. Opticos has an office in Chicago, do they know the weather? What does Chicago have in common with Bloomington? Is “Missing Middle” just a talking point Opticos pushes across the country? Bloomington has very few really nice days. Walkable neighborhoods were never a priority – the “housing shortage” was.

With Assessed Values on properties dramatically increasing again, expect rents to go even higher because local governments pretend they need all the money they can grab in property taxes.

The contract is not only for $49,900, expenses are additional which means Jurgens spent over $50,000 without council approval.

So far Opticos has been paid:

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The contract required 50% payment upfront – that’s the $24,950. $2,000 must be expenses, funny how it’s a round number. Did the City require receipts?

By signing this contract City Manager Jeff Jurgens failed to fulfil the charge the City Council gave him. Was all this Kelly Pfeifer’s idea and Jurgen fell for it? Instead of doing anything to alleviate the “housing crisis”, Opticos is creating chaos. Keep in mind the Mid Illinois Realtor Association brought this group to Bloomington: https://blnnews.com/2025/08/19/my-recap-of-bloomington-last-night/

Community discussions have shown building on the many approved projects hasn’t happened because of interest rates and the cost of materials. The Opticos plan does nothing to promote building. It is: “never let a good crisis go to waste”.

Will anyone on the Council realize they were played? Only a few will care. This is scheduled to come back to Council on September 8th. It will be clear which elected officials are fine with the deceit. It will be obvious which Council members don’t care if their directions to the City Manager were subverted.

See the entire contract here: