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Page last updated on February 4, 2021 at 11:42 am

The City of Bloomington recognizes sustainability as a key component of nurturing Bloomington's long-term environmental, economic and social integrity. The City's Unified Development Ordinance offers developers certain bonuses and allowances for buildings including features that help meet particular sustainability goals. These benefits are for developers, not individual residents. For a full description of the incentives, see section 20.05.049 of Bloomington's Unified Development Ordinance.

Sustainability Goals:

Energy and resource efficiency

Features that meet the energy and resource efficiency goal include green roofs, improved building performance rating, the use of non-polluting and/or renewable on-site energy sources, recycling and/or salvaging at least 50 percent of non-hazardous construction and demolition debris, or utilizing building materials and products sourced within 500 miles.

Landscape and site design

Qualifying designs include the use of at least 25 percent permeable pavement, utilization of natural vegetation and other techniques to convey and filter storm water, employ systems to recycle at least 50 percent of greywaterand storm water, retention of 90 percent of area tree canopy, and/or conservation of land with a slope of 12 percent or greater.

Public policy

Public policy commitments include incorporating mixed use development, providing 100 percent of the required long-term bicycle parking spaces, decreasing automobile parking while increasing bicycle parking, and providing subsidized Bloomington Transit passes or a private van or shuttle.

Public Transportation

Qualifying projects are located near a transit stop, activity center, downtown, public school or park, or multiuse trail.

Incentives are based on a three three-tiered, with bonuses accorded to the number of sustainable practices included in the projects.

  Requirements Residential Bonuses Nonresidential Bonuses
Level one incentives
  • At least 2 energy and resource efficiency projects
  • 1 landscape and site design project
  • 1 public policy project
  • 1 public transportation project
  • Side building setbacks decreased to 6 feet
  • Rear building setbacks decreased to 20 feet
  • Side building setbacks decreased by 25 percent
  • Rear building setbacks decreased by 25 percent
  • Maximum residential density increased by 25 percent
Level two incentives
  • At least 3 energy and resource efficiency projects
  • 2 landscape and site design projects
  • 2 public policy projects
  • 2 public transportation projects
  • Side building setbacks decreased to 5 feet
  • Rear building setbacks decreased to 15 feet
  • Side building setbacks decreased by 50 percent
  • Rear building setbacks decreased by 50 percent
  • Maximum residential density increased by 50 percent
Level three incentives
  • At least 4 energy and resource efficiency projects
  • 2 landscape and site design projects
  • 2 public policy projects
  • 2 public transportation projects
  • Allocation of at least 15 percent affordable housing units
  • Side building setbacks decreased to 5 feet
  • Rear building setbacks decreased to 15 feet
  • Side building setbacks decreased by 50 percent
  • Rear building setbacks decreased by 50 percent
  • Maximum residential density increased by 75 percent