YIMBYana

To: Bloomington City Council

Re: Summit District PUD Rezone

Dear Bloomington City Council,

This letter is to support the proposed rezoning of roughly 140 acres off of Weimer Rd. The signed members of the YIMBYana and Stronger Btown, local chapters of YIMBY Action and Strong Towns, respectively, support the Sudbury Planned Unit Development and future projects that support walkable, bike-friendly communities, a strong transit system, diverse housing options, sustainable building practices, and an array of options for people of all ages, abilities, and incomes which this proposal offers.

City code calls for PUD proposals to be approved based on “public benefit.” We write to emphasize that additional housing in Bloomington is a fundamental public benefit to our community. This is true for any growing community and especially in light of the national housing crisis.

The City of Bloomington is not immune to the housing crisis in our country. In fact, Bloomington is the least affordable housing market in Indiana. Local residents feel the pain daily in the form of high rents and expensive homes. Low inventory coupled with high interest rates will maintain high prices for the foreseeable future. The housing shortage is felt throughout the lived experience for our residents personally and in the broader community. When there are not enough housing options, economic growth is stunted and employers look to surrounding communities that better serve residents’ housing needs.

This council can reasonably question if Bloomington is serving our residents’ housing needs. According to the findings from the 2020 Bloomington Housing Study, over 60% of renters and 30% of homeowners are cost-burdened, meaning their housing expenditures exceed 30% of their household income. The problem isn’t just a cost problem, it’s also an availability problem. According to that same study, Bloomington’s rental vacancy rate lands somewhere around 2%, falling far short of the 5-6% needed for a healthy and productive housing market.

The status quo isn’t working and therefore, we must change it. The reality is that Bloomington needs to support the dense neighborhood growth outside of the city core.

Bloomington City Council members have an important opportunity to create a more sustainable future for city residents. We urge you to approve the Sudbury development for the following reasons: