(BLOOMINGTON) – As the Fourth Street Garage is decommissioned in preparation for demolition, the process of designing the new parking facility continues, with the architect’s presentation of the final design to the Redevelopment Commission (RDC) rescheduled for June 17.
In consultation with the Technical Review Committee, CSO Architects finalized several key features to ensure that the new facility will have more parking capacity and amenities for visitors than the existing garage, and include environment-friendly features required for Parksmart sustainable certification. Elements of the design in progress include LED lighting, solar panels, electric vehicle charging stations, bike parking, first-floor retail space, and convenient payment kiosks.
Meetings with neighboring business owners will take place over the next several weeks to discuss the timeline for demolition and construction. After the design is approved by the RDC it is scheduled to be presented to the Plan Commission July 8. Work on site will begin later this summer.
The City’s new downtown innovation district marked a significant milestone Friday, May 31 with the official opening of new roads. Running east-west between North Madison Street and North Rogers Street just north of West 10th Street, Maker Way was built to serve the Trades District. The district’s infrastructure has been further developed with the extension of North Madison between 10th and 11th Streets, providing access to the front entrance of the co-working space and business incubator known as The Mill (642 N. Madison). A new parking facility to serve the economic and cultural hub is currently being designed. Its location determined at the RDC’s May 20 meeting, the Trades District Garage will be built just northwest of the Showers Building and south of 10th Street. The design is scheduled to be presented to the RDC later this summer.
Public Works’ Streets Division has completed paving Dunn Street from North Old State Road 37 to the State Road 45/46 Bypass. Work will continue at that location next week to stripe the newly paved road, weather permitting. Paving of the entrance to and parking lot of the Ferguson Dog Park off North Old State Road 37 will begin this week, entailing possible traffic delays in this area. The department updates the paving schedule at this site: https://bloomington.in.gov/interactive/maps/pavingschedule
Staff from multiple City of Bloomington departments continue to coordinate efforts to deliver upkeep and maintenance services block by block as part of the Brighten B-town initiative. After rain delays, crews are painting curbs around City Hall to complete the punch list for Zone 1 (an area bounded by Indiana Avenue and Rogers Street, and 2nd and 10th Streets) and are kicking off efforts in Zone 2 (bounded by Rogers and Adams Streets, and 2nd and 11th Streets) by cleaning curbs there in preparation for painting. Brighten B-town progress may be charted at https://data.bloomington.in.gov/dataset/brighten-b-town-status.
Engineering projects being overseen by the City’s Planning and Transportation department continue, entailing traffic restrictions as follows:
- Traffic restrictions will continue through August 1, 2019, in the 321-331 block of South Walnut to accommodate the demolition and removal of debris in preparation for the buildout of the Urban Station II development. Grand Contracting LLC has been working with the City and adjacent property owners to collaborate on the logistics as the build-out continues. The anticipated completion date for this project is August 1, 2020.
- North Jordan Avenue between 10th and 7th Streets continues to be closed to traffic to allow the City of Bloomington Utilities Department to replace an existing 6″ cast iron water main with a new 12″ water main. Work is progressing despite last week’s inclement weather and the road is scheduled to reopen on or before June 28.
- The 17th Street Reconstruction Project is proceeding with the coordinated removal, relocation, and installation of utility service lines. The project will add pedestrian amenities and roadway improvements along this busy corridor. The project has required the temporary relocation of the Bloomington Transit bus stop at Lismore Drive and West 17th Street to the roundabout located at Arlington Road and West 17th Street. The bus stop will return to its original location before the completion of the project, scheduled for the fall of 2019. More information about the project can be found at https://bloomington.in.gov/engineering/projects/17th
