Community Invited to Virtual Town Hall on Hospital Site Redevelopment

Bloomington, Ind. - The City invites residents to participate in and learn more about the process of redeveloping the current site of IU Health Bloomington Hospital at a virtual town hall public forum Tuesday, June 16 at 6 p.m.  Participants may join from computer or mobile by registering in advance at the following link: https://som.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_o21mwJR1RruN6UzUb6fscA

Participants may also join via an H.323/SIP room system:

H.323: 162.255.37.11

Meeting ID: 948 6232 5295

  SIP: 94862325295@zoomcrc.com

After registering, participants will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.  The town hall will also be streamed live on the City’s Facebook page.

This is the first of four town hall meetings scheduled to engage residents in the site planning process this year.  The next meeting will occur in early August, with details forthcoming.  Community members may provide input about the redevelopment at any time at this online form and may visit the project website at www.bloomingtonhospitalsite.com for additional information and updates.

The City purchased the 24-acre site at Second and Rogers from IU Health in 2018 in order to pursue redevelopment options to help meet community goals for affordable housing, sustainable development, equity, and inclusion. In early 2020, the City, through its Redevelopment Commission, contracted with the architecture and urban planning firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) to oversee the process of developing a master plan for the site, including intensive community engagement and site design options. The master planning team recently began working with the Hospital Reuse Committee, a group of more than 30 community members who have been involved with the City on this project since 2015.

The master planning process is building upon the recommendations created for the site by a team of nationally renowned land use and urban planning experts representing the Urban Land Institute (ULI). ULI created their report after a 2018 visit to Bloomington during which team members gathered input from more than 100 community stakeholders and developed a set of recommendations and options for the reuse of the site.  

Recommendations include designing the site for mixed-use, including retail, residential, and office space; possibly incorporating a community center; and appropriately reintegrating the “mega-block” into its surroundings by reintroducing the street grid and connecting to nearby parks and trails.  IU Health’s sale agreement with the City requires demolition of the main hospital structure, while the existing parking garage and the Kohr Administration Building may remain on the site. 

IU Health Bloomington Hospital, an anchor in downtown Bloomington for over a century, will vacate the property when the new IU Health Regional Academic Health Center opens on the city's east side in 2021.