BLOOMINGTON – On behalf of the Bloomington Redevelopment Commission (RDC), the City of Bloomington has issued a Request for Information (RFI) from qualified real estate developers to submit their proposals for potential adaptive reuse of the Kohr Administration Building as a long-term affordable or mixed-income, multi-family residential project.
The opportunity to develop the property at the northwest corner of West First Street and South Rogers is an early result of the completion of the Bloomington Hospital Reuse master plan.
Responses to the RFI, which has been posted at bloomington.in.gov/rfp, are due by Friday, April 2 at 4 p.m. Prospective developers may indicate their interest in touring the building Friday, March 12 or Friday, March 26, by contacting project manager Alex Crowley, crowleya@bloomington.in.gov.
“The overall current hospital site represents a rare and valuable opportunity for our community to realize shared goals, including the imperative for affordable housing,” said Mayor John Hamilton. “By exploring this reuse of the historic Kohr Building, we are planting a flag that this large scale redevelopment must work to welcome people from all walks of life to an inclusive, sustainable neighborhood, expanding affordable and workforce housing in a prime downtown area, convenient to jobs, shopping, parks, and community activities.”
For the development of the 23,000-square foot, 1947 Kohr Building, the City is seeking projects that may accommodate one or more of the following types of housing: transitional, low income (<80% area mean income or AMI), workforce (80-120% AMI), market rate, for unhoused populations, and for seniors.
The City indicates a desire that at least 15 percent or more of the total number of residential units being developed should offer long-term (99 years) affordability for renters at or below 120 percent AMI.
In addition, the project may offer a mix of rental and ownership possibilities and may integrate commercial and residential uses.
The project’s design should incorporate sustainable building principles and be aesthetically compatible with the architecture of the existing building, recently designated by the Bloomington Common Council as a historic structure.
The Kohr building site will be transferred, along with the rest of the hospital property, to the RDC via a purchase agreement executed in 2018.
The rest of the existing hospital complex (apart from the parking garage) will be demolished once the hospital’s operations transfer to the Regional Academic Health Center, expected in 2022.
Recommendations for redevelopment of the site are available at bloomingtonhospitalsite.com
