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Page last updated on November 19, 2024 at 2:00 pm

Hopewell Logo

Welcome to Hopewell

The City of Bloomington is pleased to announce that “Hopewell” will be the name for the new neighborhood to be created following the decommissioning and demolition of the former IU Health Bloomington campus on West 2nd Street. The Hopewell name has a long history of association with the site.

Shrewsberry & Associates, LLC submitted a Primary Plat with the Hopewell name for the City Plan Commission’s review and approval at their February 7th public hearing on behalf of the City of Bloomington Redevelopment Commission. The plat refers to this area as the “Hopewell Subdivision”, names the streets, and identifies the proposed new parcels for future development. This plat is focused on the block bound by 2nd Street, Rogers Street, 1st Street, and the B-Line. This is a necessary step to dedicate various utility easements and additional rights-of-way for facilities such as an extension of Madison Street from 2nd Street to 1st Street and a new east-west street to be named University Street between Rogers and Morton Streets.

In 1905, Bloomington’s Local Council of Women bought a 10-room red brick house that would become our community’s first hospital. The house, located on a portion of the acreage that became Bloomington Hospital and later IU Health Bloomington Hospital, once belonged to Isaac Hopewell. The property came to be known by that name, linking “Hopewell” to the site for generations to come. The Local Council of Women converted that home into the much-needed local hospital. The local activists and volunteers supported the hospital with canned goods, garden produce, fundraisers, and even raising chickens to help feed patients. 

 

Serving as part of Bloomington’s hospital for nearly six decades, Hopewell House was eventually razed in the summer of 1963. The beautiful legacy of Hopewell House – residents taking action to care for each other – continues to inspire the many individuals working to ensure that this new neighborhood in the heart of Bloomington remains a place of compassion, good health, and perpetual optimism. More information about the history of the former hospital site, now known as Hopewell, can be found at https://bton.in/advRF.

 

The City contracted with Borshoff, an Indianapolis-based advertising, and public relations firm, to assist with naming and branding the former hospital site. In the process of selecting the Hopewell name, representatives of the City and Borshoff conducted one-on-one interviews and small group engagement sessions with a variety of stakeholders. These contributors shared a broad variety of perspectives representing their diverse interests and expertise, including business, arts, environment and sustainability, healthcare and human services, development, education, community history, neighborhoods, and government.

 

“The Hopewell name captures a bit of the history of the site and at the same time projects an inspiring vision for its future. Generations to come will be influenced by the notion that this is a community with a long and proud history of people stepping up to take care of each other. Today, that means we must work together on not only accessible healthcare, but accessible greenspace, equitable housing opportunities, and a commitment to sustainability. We look forward to continuing to work together to build a neighborhood that reflects our core values,” commented Mayor John Hamilton. 

 

Additional information will be posted at hopewellbloomington.org as it becomes available.

 

UPDATES

November 19, 2024: Hopewell Public Offerings may be viewed on the Bloomington Redevelopment Commission's website here.

October 24, 2024: The slide deck from the Hopewell Public Update can be found here. Meeting recording can be found here.

 

October 17, 2024:  The City of Bloomington will hold a public event to provide an update on the planned Hopewell neighborhood development on Wednesday, Oct. 23, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the John Waldron Arts Center, 122 S. Walnut St.

Attendees unable to attend in person can stream the event via Zoom. The event will conclude with a Q&A session, offering the public an opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback on the project.

This event is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact comms@bloomington.in.gov or call 812-349-3406.

 

June 15, 2022: Hopewell Development Steering Committe Update

 

Signup to Receive Hopewell Updates.

 

Hopewell Rendering

 

Questions?

If you have questions about this project, contact the Mayor's Office at mayor@bloomington.in.gov or 812-349-3406.

 

Project Background

 

Hospital Site Logo

 

On January 3, 2018, the City of Bloomington and IU Health announced that they had signed a letter of intent regarding property at the current Bloomington Hospital site. Upon opening the new IU Health Regional Academic Health Center in 2021, IU Health will transfer the property and other nearby parcels to the City for its development in the community’s interest.

A group of nationally renowned land use and urban planning experts representing the Urban Land Institute (ULI) has made recommendations to the City of Bloomington regarding redevelopment possibilities for Bloomington Hospital and the 24-acre hospital site.

The report’s recommendations include zoning the site for mixed-use, including retail, residential, and office space. The emphasis on creating office space, as well as a range of affordable housing in the area, was based on stakeholders’ indications of limited supply in both categories. A community center, with an emphasis on arts programming, would helm the site, per ULI’s recommendations. The report also considers spatial, aesthetic, and contextual considerations of the site, recommending measures to reintegrate the current “mega-block” into its environs. To this end, the report suggests extending the historic street grid into the property, adding green space that connects to existing parks nearby, and transitioning the scale of new buildings to segue into the residential neighborhoods surrounding it.

“By making this commitment well in advance of IU Health’s relocation, our community has ample time to study options, gather public input, and plan for the next use of the land,” said Mayor John Hamilton. “More opportunities for the public to actively participate in the future of this land will come through the Urban Land Institute planning process. This is an exciting opportunity for Bloomingtonians to thoughtfully reimagine this important location in our city.”

 

 

Master Plan

January 14, 2021– Master Plan

January 14, 2021– Traffic Impact Study

 

 

Kohr Administration Building

Historic Resource Assessment

Assessment by Arsee Engineering

 

 

Past Virtual Town Halls

November 18, 2020–Watch or download the presentation PDF.

October 6, 2020–Watch or download the presentation PDF.

August 6, 2020–Watch or download the presentation PDF.

June 16, 2020–Watch or download the presentation PDF.

 

 

Plans and Documents