Mayor: Plan for housing still good idea

Bloomington's mayor said Wednesday the city will try to forge ahead with a proposed nine-story downtown apartment complex just off the square. The apartments would house about 800 students. \nMayor John Fernandez announced Wednesday that his office is seeking a continuance for the Melrose Apartments petition until the May meeting of the Board of Zoning Appeals. The zoning board serves as a quasi-judicial body that rules strictly on whether a project meets required conditions.\nInitially heard at the board's March 15 meeting, the petition comes up for a second hearing and a vote April 12. Fernandez said he hopes postponing the meeting will allow the developer and the board to reconcile their differences. \n"Melrose has the potential to be a tremendous asset," Fernandez said. "It could greatly enhance the vitality and vibrancy of our downtown for many years to come. We just need to work out some important details to make it as good a project as possible."\nIntergroup Realty Trust, a Florida-based developer, plans to construct the proposed high-rise apartment complex at the ST Semicon site, a run-down building across from city hall. \n"Every day I walk out of city hall and see this blighted and decrepit eyesore that has sat vacant for 10 years," Fernandez said. "I believe in this project's potential, and I believe we can make it a better proposal."\nThe proposed housing complex has generated some controversy over its size and whether there would be adequate parking. Some city council members have said such an urban infill project would be out of place downtown. \nThe developers will have to resolve such issues with the zoning board. If approved, Intergroup President Pat Nolan said the apartment complex should be ready by the 2002-03 academic year.\n"There's the issue of parking -- whether it will satisfy the needs of the residents," said Nathan Hadley, the city's executive assistant of economic development. "There's the issue of whether it will fit in with surrounding buildings. And some people aren't comfortable with the high density of this project. We hope to see that everyone is comfortable with this."\nTom Micuda, the city's planning director, said he didn't know if a compromise could be hammered out.\n"I can't predict an outcome at this point," he said. "It'll involve more than tweaking. I don't know the extent to which the developer will compromise, but I know they're willing to talk and explore this."\nSome members of the Monroe County Council have expressed interest in buying the ST Semicon site for a new juvenile correctional facility the county plans to build. Councilmen Jeff Ellington and Scott Wells have been pushing to make the purchase, arguing the site's proximity to the Justice Building would allow the county to save money by sharing resources.\nBut the zoning board is the only local governmental agency with authority over the matter. \nAnd the city's planning department will try to smooth over concerns about the plan, which has the backing of downtown businesses.\n"In 16 years, we've had only 300 new housing units downtown," said Talisha Coppock, director of the downtown commission. "That pales in comparison to the growth of the rest of the community."\nDowntown merchants would salivate over the idea of 800 new student consumers in the area, Coppock said. \n"Student housing is important to the downtown's economic health," she said. "They'll patronize music stores, coffeeshops, bakeries, bookstores. The more pedestrians we have downtown, the more businesses will flourish"