Case Date:

7/18/2024

Heard Green Acres wants a conservation district. This is an inappropriate use of historic preservation protections. Historic preservation should be to preserve history, not to prevent development as a NIMBY tactic. This area should be able to grow and evolve to meet the density and environmental priorities of the City. There are other areas that have superior and unique historic structures. Don't make a joke of historic preservation. Please include this in public comment in the packet. The City needs a plan for historic preservation of choosing key areas of the City to protect. Blocking general development helps no one. Areas adjacent to campus should maximize student housing for the benefit of all residents.

Case Date:

7/14/2024

This is more of a question really. A neighbor has claimed quite a bit of land that is listed as city property, but claims because she mows it, it is hers. It seems the city agrees, because for years they've allowed only her to use the site. Is this true? I have close to half an acre behind my house the city isn't using it maintaining at all. I would really like to expand my current property into that area. I'd hate to put all that work in though before knowing if I would get the same deal with the city my neighbor has.

Case Date:

7/15/2024

On Friday, July 12, a crew from JE Reedy pushed through my double locked gate to clear a path so they could install fiber overhead (in a neighborhood that already has fiber). They seriously cut at least 3 trees: 2 are trees that get no taller than 15 feet, and a pine that was near the pole they needed to climb (Duke has cleared this area for years and never had to hack the pine). They said that they came by on Thursday but they did not leave any notice that they would be working in my backyard so they were trespassing. They could have done their work without destroying my fence row but that would have involved creativity and a little effort. I am sickened, angry and sad and want someone in the City to see this mess and come up with a way to make this right. I have several photos but could only upload one.

Case Date:

8/12/2024

Opposing making Green Acres a Conservation District: I am writing today as a member of the real estate community here in Bloomington having been an agent for close to a decade. I'm also writing from my experience as a commissioner of both the Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals for the past several years. I can very much value and appreciate the history and architectural history of the Green Acres neighborhood. I thank the residents who put in the work and told the story of how Green Acres has evolved from the beginning. Stories like these are worth telling and being displayed to the public as much as possible. As far as the petition itself to deem Green Acres a conservation district leading to full fledged historic district designation, I believe is a very broad overreach of the intentions of historical preservation. Having lived several years in the Near West Side/Prospect Hill neighborhood as well as having owned several properties in historic neighborhoods in other cities I can speak to the impact of this type of designation personally as well. Talking about a select handful of houses, which are notable and can be kept as such, and expanding that to include several hundred that have little to no historic significance is where the overreach comes into play. As a real estate agent and investor myself, I fully understand where many are coming from who oppose this broad reach. The point of historic designation is to single out properties that carry a story all their own, not to lump an entire neighborhood, with a large rental population and no historical significance, and confine the expansion and development that is desperately needed to support a growing University and the city as a whole. I've been a part of many discussions on the commissions which I serve about how we can balance preservation with expansion and development and I've seen cases where that blends very well together and is a win-win. This is not one of those cases but since it has been presented as such I'm strongly opposed to it. I believe the intentions are misguided and really crosses a line into government intrusion into the livelihood of many tax paying owners in that neighborhood who want to continue to house students and families at a time when more housing density, of any kind, is very much needed. There are checks and balances in place already to prevent what many are referencing as the Kmart type development here and I fully support the expansion of this neighborhood. I think the goal here should be to keep the current historically significant houses in Green Acres just as they are and work to preserve other individual properties one at a time. Not taking a very broad stroke and misusing the point of preservation in the first place and thus bottlenecking an area ripe for future development. Thank you for your time.

Case Date:

8/14/2024

On the north side of E. Smith Ave, roughly 25 yards west of the intersection with Henderson, there is a tree that is covered with poison ivy vines. The vines now hang over the sidewalk, making it difficult to walk on the sidewalk without bumping into poison ivy leaves.

Case Date:

8/20/2024

Tree damage from early July storm. This is city sidewalk tree across from 1950 W Arbor Ridge Way, Bloomington, Indiana. Please assess for action that may be needed. Submitted by Kelli Wesley, Arbor Ridge HOA Board klw816@gmail.com 812-345-1297

Case Date:

8/24/2024

For the past three weeks there have been 3 discarded sofas sitting at the curb in front of 905 S Eastside Dr., and nothing seems to be happening! - I have left a voice mail for the (former?) ReMax caretaker, Mike Hensinger, asking for an update, but didn't hear back. - During this time it has rained 4 times... so it's safe to assume that they are unusable. - Since this is right across the street from my property where I have lived over 40 years, it's getting a bit depressing to look out of the window! (- since it is also the first year - in all that time! - that a row of cars from the Maxwell Terrace Apts are now parking daily along my side of the street - though that doesn't bother me).

Case Date:

8/25/2024

Hello My name is Annette Castillo. My family and I moved into Blue Ridge last July on N Blue Ridge Ct. I wanted to reach out to you concerning some issues and questions about the neighborhood. This morning there was a verbal argument with our next door neighbors. It escalated to the point of threats. This situation happened because the neighbor came outside to spray “weed killer” in the very section where my nephew was parked. He verbally told them to move. We have had issues with our neighbors since we moved in concerning property lines that they have claimed, and other issues of them not being very welcoming to our family. We have tried our best to avoid these encounters, but now we are at the point that for them to choose to physically harass our guests that visit our home is uncalled for. They have claimed to own the property where we have been reminded multiple times of not to mow and now not to walk on property. We took the initiative to go down to the city last August to verify their claims. The city printed out the property lines and stated that the property was a utility easement. We did not want any issues so we just went along with their claim. I was yelled at this afternoon and threatened to be “put down” by this neighbor today. He not only verbally harassed our family but then threatened to physically harm us. I am beyond words right now and was advised by the Bloomington Police Department to contact the neighborhood association. To ask if there was something we missed about parking on the street? Is that public parking? If not, what are the rules and regulation concerning the street parking? Also, is there anything in place with the HOA to file a complaint? I am free at anytime and would like to chat with you so I am informed of the rules and regulations here. Please reach out at your earliest convenience. Thank you for your time! (812)391-7693

Case Date:

8/25/2024

My next door neighbor has set up a unhoused encampment next door. They have unleashed dogs we can climb under the fence and there is no access to water, trash disposal, or bathroom facilities. No discussion was had with me prior to the encampment moving in and it is preventing me or my dog being able to use our backyard.

Case Date:

8/25/2024

The Standard of Bloomington has a huge mess in the mail room. Nothing organized. No security. Student occupants have no way to locate their packages. And for some reason, my son’s unit is not able to register their apartment number due to last years occupant not releasing it? Unacceptable as packages are not locatable. Fear that things will get stolen. And as it’s the beginning of the school year , many families have shipped lots of valuable items to their kids. Can you help?