BLOOMINGTON — The future Hopewell neighborhood is Bloomington's largest housing development plan. The city hopes to keep Hopewell affordable by thinking small.
Mayor Kerry Thomson and development firm Flintlock LAB unveiled its updated plans for the Hopewell neighborhood to residents Monday night. The ideal proposal for the first two redevelopment blocks would feature 118 homes which would cost between $175,000 and $676,000.
"We have been the least affordable place in the state of Indiana," Thomson said. "How do we make a community that really attracts the people that work in Bloomington in a way where they can afford to live in Bloomington?"
The city hopes to fit more homes on less space by allowing houses to face alleys instead of a proper street. It would require changing Bloomington's housing code, but if it succeeds, it would allow for smaller housing lot sizes within the city.
Thomson believes the smaller homes could attract both younger homebuyers and older empty-nesters who would want to downsize.
"People are staying in homes much larger than what they want to stay in," Thomson said. "They want to stay in the community, but may not be able to maintain the home that they have."
Phil Stafford has lived in Bloomington for 45 years. He attended the meeting to see how the smaller homes could work for older Bloomingtonians.
"We're thinking about how we might downsize at some point," Stafford said. "It's a real-life concern for a lot of people at this age in Bloomington and we have a lot of people in that situation. If you took out the student population, we would be a rather old community."
Construction crews are currently building the new infrastructure of the Hopewell site, which was once the Bloomington Hospital.
Thomson hopes the new homes can start construction next summer. She said the city plans to use all-local contractors to build out the neighborhood.
—
Taj Simmons the In Your Community reporter for Monroe and Morgan counties. He joined WRTV in August of 2023. The Oakland, CA native is not a Hoosier by birth, but is excited to learn all about the area and tell the stories of the people who make this state feel like home. Share your story ideas and important issues with Taj by emailing him at taj.simmons@wrtv.com.
