Page last updated on July 13, 2022 at 2:41 pm
Each week, Mayor Hamilton and Deputy Mayor Griffin provide video updates on recent news and key initiatives.
Transcript
John Hamilton:
Hi, I'm Mayor John Hamilton.
Don Griffin:
And I'm Don Griffin, Deputy Mayor for the City of Bloomington. John, you know what we're going to talk about today?
John Hamilton:
What are we talking about today?
Don Griffin:
We're going to talk about affordable housing and what we've done.
John Hamilton:
Big topic, close to my heart.
Don Griffin:
Very close to your heart.
John Hamilton:
Yeah.
Don Griffin:
So you started six years ago. Tell us about what has happened.
John Hamilton:
Well, look, first, it's a huge topic. It's a challenge for so many people in our city. We're one of the most expensive cities in Indiana to live in, whether you're renting or owning. There are a lot of people who are spending more of their income on housing than they should. So we've been focused on this really for the last six-plus years trying to address how do we help Bloomington be a place where everybody can live whatever your station in life. And it's been a challenge, but I'm really proud we've made a lot of progress on it.
Don Griffin:
Okay. Can you tell us about some of the programs that we've created?
John Hamilton:
Yeah. You know, and we've worked very closely with the city council and a lot of other partners.
Don Griffin:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).
John Hamilton:
One, we created a new housing development fund, which has actually brought in millions of dollars from developers to support affordable housing across the city. We've upgraded our zoning ordinances to try to encourage and give incentives for affordable housing. We've directly appropriated money out of the Build Back Better, the federal money, and the Rescue Plan money and Recover Forward all that stuff.
John Hamilton:
So we've tried to steer resources into it. And the result is we've actually created, supported, and preserved 1,121 units of affordable housing. Now, that's a lot and that's a whole bunch of projects we could talk about. But one way to look at is by comparing it to the previous six years, fewer than 100, well fewer than 100. So we've a tenfold increase in the pace of affordable housing. And that's things from the little development right by Switchyard Park from years ago or the new one we just announced last month, to B-Line Heights, to dedicated housing for people experiencing homelessness, a whole range of things.
Don Griffin:
So we have a history of providing affordable housing. Let's talk about the future.
John Hamilton:
Well, that's exciting too. Apart from all that we've been doing, there are some pretty interesting things coming. One is the old hospital site. So Hopewell.
Don Griffin:
Hopewell.
John Hamilton:
Exactly.
Don Griffin:
Okay.
John Hamilton:
New name. It's going to have hundreds of units of housing that we're working with developers, and potential partners. We hope a lot of it will be affordable. That's the plan, both for ownership and rental. Right in the heart of downtown, really exciting opportunity. Another example is up Arlington Road, above 17th Street. The city actually was given 42 lots that got the infrastructure, they're ready to build, and we're going to be working on affordable home ownership up there. So those are just a couple examples of how we keep working on improving affordability for everybody in Bloomington.
Don Griffin:
Well, mayor, that's fantastic. Now, if you or someone needs affordable housing or would like more information on affordable housing, go to our website here at the city of Bloomington. And as always, folks, thank you and have a great one.