BLOOMINGTON — The new Bloomington Convention Center is quickly rising, but a planned hotel for the expansion has yet to break ground. The city is now considering heavy financial incentives to ensure the hotel gets built.
The Bloomington Redevelopment Commission discussed a resolution concerning the potential hotel at the former College Square business park at 3rd Street and College Avenue Monday. The resolution proclaimed, in part, that: "the real estate at College Square necessary for the host hotel would be made available, in some form, to the host hotel project at no or nominal costs to the project."
"We have explored every option possible, and we're hitting dead ends," said Bloomington Redevelopment Commission executive director Anna Killion-Hanson during Monday's meeting. "Construction is expensive, period."
The commission clarified the developer could potentially only pay $1 to lease the land for an indeterminate amount of time if the resolution passes.
The resolution was tabled until the commission's next meeting on December 15 in order to give the public more time to look over the proposal.
Fred Bennett of nearby snack shop PopKorn Kernels With A Twist hopes the hotel gets built because of how conventions have already boosted their business.
"They smell us outside and say, 'Ooh, popcorn!' and boom, they come in," Bennett said.
Even if the hotel remains in limbo, Bennett said the convention center construction is already paying off for the popcorn shop.
"I'm not going to say a lot of construction guys, but some of them have come in because they smelled us outside," Bennett said.
The Bloomington Convention Center expansion is scheduled to open in early 2027.
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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.
