A project that aims to completely restructure much of the housing between 17th and 19th streets and Dunn and Lincoln streets was presented to the Bloomington Plan Commission Monday night.
The project, which would bump up the current total of 190 dwelling units and 328 bedrooms at the site just west of Memorial Stadium to 265 units and 746 bedrooms, comes from a partnership between CA Ventures — a real estate investment holding company based in Chicago, Illinois, that focuses on student housing — and Regency Apartments, which already has eight properties in town including Meadow Park, Fountain Park and Regency Courts.
A mix of “integrated townhomes,”’ one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom apartments are described in the plan as being contained within two of the major buildings. Different segments of those two buildings might climb to as high as six stories tall and reach 72 feet. There’s a proposed 1,400 square feet of nonresidential space that would be available for commercial businesses or amenities, and a pedestrian path called a “green belt” that would connect East 17th and East 18th streets. The westernmost building would feature a recessed parking garage with more than 500 spaces, and all apartments would come furnished.
“I know from a local standpoint, there’s probably some shock and awe,” said Daniel Dan Hrankowsky, vice president of design and development at CA Ventures. “We feel like (the current Dunn Hill) building has run its course. It’s really not contributing anything to the urban fabric that is going on there.”
Commission members’ safety concerns were alleviated, as access by emergency vehicles was built into the layout and none of the rooms would have private balconies, which can pose fall hazards. Traffic impacts and the pedestrian access across Dunn Street were discussed.
“We’re creating an upscale Varsity Villas here,” said commission member Nicholas Kappas. “Let’s say what it is.”