BLOOMINGTON – The City of Bloomington is inviting residents, builders, and community partners to take a closer look at Hopewell and a broader conversation about what housing attainability can look like when development is designed to reflect Bloomington’s values.
On Thursday, February 12, 2026, the City will host “Cultivating Neighborhoods & the Small-Scale Development Movement,” a free public learning event focused on Hopewell and the City’s evolving approach to development and development reform. The event will take place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers (Room 115) at Bloomington City Hall, 401 N. Morton Street. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and seating is first-come, first-served. Time will be reserved for questions and discussion. Registration is required.
“As Indiana’s most housing cost-burdened metro area, Bloomington needs more housing, of all shapes and sizes, for more people,” said Mayor Kerry Thomson. “Hopewell is our opportunity to rethink how neighborhoods grow in ways that are more attainable, more local, and more reflective of who we are as a community.”
Hopewell, located on the former IU Health Bloomington Hospital site, represents a significant opportunity for the City to test new approaches to neighborhood development at a scale and location rarely available so close to downtown. The City has identified small-scale, incremental development as one tool that can help reduce unnecessary barriers in the development process.
After declining conventional development proposals in June 2025, the City partnered with Flintlock LAB to explore an alternative development framework for Hopewell. That framework emphasizes:
- pre-approved building designs to reduce permitting complexity and cost,
- participation by local builders and vendors,
- a mix of attainable and market-rate housing, and
- training pathways for small-scale developers, including residents.
The City is piloting this model in Hopewell to evaluate whether elements of the approach could be applied more broadly across Bloomington.
The February 12 lecture will be led by Eric Kronberg, a nationally renowned IncDev faculty member and principal of Kronberg Urbanists + Architects. Kronberg’s work focuses on navigating zoning and development regulations to support walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods and incremental growth. He is often referred to as “The Zoning Whisperer.”
The presentation will cover:
- The principles behind small-scale and incremental development.
- How those principles are being applied at Hopewell.
- How this development model could inform future housing and neighborhood efforts citywide.
The event is hosted in partnership with the Incremental Development Alliance, a national nonprofit dedicated to training and supporting small-scale developers who strengthen neighborhoods through incremental, community-focused projects. With workshops, boot camps, and ongoing support programs across 33 states, IncDev has trained over 10,000 alumni in the principles and practice of small-scale development.
