Bloomington Zoning Changes

2025-03-12 Bloomington city council fails to pass Resolution 2025-05 on a 4–4 vote. The resolution would have initiated a change to the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) regarding: sustainability incentives and planned unit development requirements for building electrification; the elimination of minimum parking requirement to facilitate housing development and reduce housing costs; and a reduction of minimum lot widths, lot areas, and building setback requirement to better align with Bloomington’s historic form and character. [copy of Res 2025-05] [BSB coverage]
2025-03-12 Bloomington city council fails to pass Resolution 2025-06 on a 4-4 vote. The resolution would have initiated a change to the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) to generally allow for more housing options across the city to fill the “missing middle housing” gap. The resolution specifically calls for UDO amendments that apply form-based regulations equally across housing type, expand uses and remove restrictions for plexes, remove some ADU requirements and increase ADU size, and expand cottage developments. [copy of Res 2025-06] [BSB coverage]

2024-11-22 Bloomington city council passes Resolution 2024-23, which initiates a change to the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) regarding affordable housing, including but not limited to expected owner-occupied unit development, and to to require housing developments that use the "Payment-in-Lieu" option to accept housing vouchers. [copy of Res 2024-23]
2024-11-22 Bloomington city council passes Resolution 2024-25, which initiates a change to the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) add Single-Room Occupancy buildings as a permitted use in the City, with further guidance as to what should be considered regarding the definition, location, and use of such structures. [copy of Res 2024-25]
In Bloomington, the topics of zoning and housing have been bitterly controversial at least since 2019, when the city council voted in November of that year not to allow plexes in areas historically zoned just for single-family residential. That was followed less than two years later, in May 2021, by a UDO change allowing duplexes as a conditional use in some districts that were previously zoned for just single-family residential. https://bsquarebulletin.com/udo-update-plexes-banned-in-core-neighborhoods-adus-allowed-by-right/ https://bsquarebulletin.com/bloomington-duplex-zoning-ordinance-enacted-on-6-3-vote-revised-citywide-zoning-map-okd-on-8-1-tally/