By: Diane Benjamin
Missing Middle Housing is supposed to be on the September 8th Bloomington City Council Agenda. There are some things the City and the Council either don’t know or do and aren’t telling you. No wonder some on the Council wanted a fast vote.
Opticos has been using the same canned program for over 20 years: https://opticosdesign.com/the-missing-middle-housing-collection/
Every city they have made money off of is sold the same program: Catalog of Prototypes
The plan they charged Bloomington $49,900 for is not what the Council asked staff to do. https://blnnews.com/2025/08/28/opticos-profiting-from-pre-packaged-message/
Note from that story: Realtor.com claims Bloomington real estate is hot. There is nothing in their story about “missing middle” housing. It claims Bloomington has a mix of affordability!
Another Opticos website pushing Missing Middle: https://missingmiddlehousing.com/
Now connect some dots:
A company located in Illiopolis, Il is using “Missing Middle”: https://heartlanddevelopment.biz/
They don’t mention Opticos, “missing middle” had to come from them however.
On that website, click on projects. It lists Bloomington-Normal as “coming soon”.
See their “team”: https://heartlanddevelopment.biz/team/
This is one of them:
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Who is Jen McMillin?
McMillillin’s LinkedIn page doesn’t mention this position: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifermcmillin/ It does make clear she is an activists: “Good trouble”. She ran for Illinois House and lost to Dan Caulkins.
This story is from last December: https://www.nprillinois.org/member-messages/2024-12-13/jen-mcmillin-i-believe-in-the-value-of-staying-informed-within-communities
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If you really want a look at her soul, it requires looking at her X account: @jenmcmillin
She runs with every left talking point. Guess who follows her on X!
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Hoban is the guy who wants everyone who works in Bloom-Normal to live in Bloom-Normal. He also frequently tells both City Councils how many thousands of homes this area is short.
McMillin wrote a book called Rebuild the Union: a blueprint for America’s Future. She has a GoFundMe to get it published. She wanted to raise $1000, it’s not going well. Two people have contributed for a total of $220.
Maybe people want to use the Constitution as the blueprint instead of leftist propaganda.
Since Jen isn’t busy enough, she also has what looks like a consulting business that needs donations: https://www.sunshinestrategies.org/
Page all the way to the bottom. It looks like she is the only employee. This non-profit has no tax returns in ProPublica.
In case you got lost in rabbit holes, here’s a summary:
Opticos inspired Heartland Development with “Missing Middle” housing
Heartland claims they are “coming soon” to Bloomington-Normal
Heartland’s employee, Jen McMillin, is a community activist.
Patrick Hoban, local EDC, follows McMillin on X. Maybe he will show up at Public Comment to praise “Missing Middle”.
Meanwhile, the whole concept of “Missing Middle” is a canned approach to housing that Opticos has been using for twenty years. The City staff bought a $49,900 zoning plan to wreck single family neighborhoods. Pack people together with not only multi-family housing but Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) in the backyards of existing housing.
Opticos isn’t what the Council told staff they wanted. It should be rejected. Massive changes to zoning to fix a temporary housing problem is a flawed plan that will forever change Bloomington. Capital always goes where it works.
(Notice government created the housing problems. You don’t want them solving it)
Great reporting Diane!
When people would not normally choose to live on postage stamp, multi-family lots with limitations on the transportation they can use and wouldn’t want to live elbow to elbow in high density, unsafe neighborhoods – the government has to step in and force the free market to align with its ideologically based opinions about how citizens should behave and what they should want. They will “correct” our misplaced desires.
The problem is that MMH zoning changes are just the start. What follows is tax payer provided infrastructure rebuilding, tax payer provided financial incentives to encourage builders, more ordinances to prevent displacement, government mandated building designs, equity based restrictions on who can live where. If equity is more than just a buzz word to them, will there be income-restrictions, or means testing? Will quotas be enforced? Will rent control be required, or worse?
Ultimately, years from now angry citizens realize again that their government wasted their hard earned money on a foolish boondoggle. Housing costs and lack of availability are just as high, likely higher, they pay even more taxes and have lost more rights, and the unintended consequences are worse than the original problem. Deja Vu all over again.
The whole problem with housing in Bloomington Normal, if there actually is a problem, stems from government over control and spot zoning. Developers need to be allowed to plan large scale developments in order to use enough quantities of scale, to at least plan to break even, or make a small profit. The taxes and fees charged by the municipalities currently discourages any real investment in our communities.