By: Diane Benjamin
801 North Main is now the entire property. Other than the City Manager mentioning the City had owned the property for a decade, very little was said about the $1,400,000 taxpayers invested. The 2 presentations weren’t close to finalized but it appears to me that both want the land for free. Neither developer is building student housing. Parking is going to be a big thorn. One developer mentioned the State passed a law eliminating parking requirements, he was not suggesting no parking structures.
Both concepts are open to changes. The buildings in the first one are 6 stories, Molly Ward mentioned that appears too tall for the neighborhood. I agree.
Franklin Square Development concept:
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Royce Brinkmeyer concept:
The video shows additional designs. It would have been nice to have the packet the Council had. Must be a secret.
Keep in mind: “You will own nothing and be happy”. Quote from the World Economic Forum (WEF)
Both are high density housing with retail on the first floor. Research: 15-Minute City.
Hit Play to hear both presentations:
Free public land and taxpayer funded subsidies for giant for profit corporations? Try nope!
People are unable to afford their property taxes, the city is taxing groceries, water rates have doubled. Bloomington is not for its people. If the government accepts either of these proposals, it is for the millionaire commerical class, not the common man.
Do you know who the developers are? Local names?
One is Champaign and the other if a group trying to save the Founder’s Square area
It looks like in the 1st picture, the “Creativity Center”, south of Chestnut, will be converted to a parking garage for both residents of the new development and I assume shared with infrequent BCPA attendees.
They suggested the tenants there now would rent space in the new buildings
There should be no way the City grants free land and a TIF district. That turns the burden on everyone else to pay for the soaring cost. There is no guarantee this is a quality building that has a useful life that outlasts the duration of the TIF district. This presents a strain on strapped city resources and continues to invest funds into an area at a disproportionate level that has not improved with the continued millions of dollars given away.