Downtown apartment plan rejected

The City of Bloomington Planning Commission rejected a re-proposal Monday for the building of a new development, The Overlook at Bloomington Luxury Homes. The complex would have been directed primarily toward IU students looking to rent in the downtown area. \nThe development, composed of 99 multiperson units and planned on a plot of land at 11th and Morton streets, would have spanned 6.65 acres. Although the commission rejected the proposal, members encouraged the developers, Westwood LLC, to rewrite their plan to address the issues brought up in the meeting.\nThe commission voted to reject the re-proposal because it did not allow the option to eventually connect N. Woodburn Avenue to N. Morton Street with a straight, public road. The commission agreed with the developers that a busy railway to the north of the site would prevent the connection, but members wanted a plan that would leave the option open because connectivity is encouraged in Bloomington's Growth Policies Plan. The plan, created in 2002, outlines the city's plans for development for the next 25 years. \n"There is a presumption that existing public roads that are in line with each other need to be connected," said Joe Hoffman, a member of the commission. " ... In this case, these are two public roads in line with each other and 800 feet apart. ... Although there is a problem until the railroad (closes or reduces in traffic), cutting off access and putting buildings in the way (of the connecting road) could cause this option to be lost forever." \nThe re-proposal came on the heels of a proposal heard Jan. 10 in which the commission delayed the hearing until Monday, citing problems with connectivity, tree preservation and the architecture of the development.\nThe developers' proposed change to address the connectivity issue was creating a possible entry point in the complex through Woodburn Avenue on the north part of the development. \n "Morton and Woodburn won't connect. ... (The connection) would allow (residents of the complex) to choose north or south," said Steven Peters of Bynum Fanyo and Associates Inc., the company representing the developers. "It would not be welcoming for people to cut through."\nPeters added that the complex would be a residential neighborhood, so connectivity should be discouraged, not encouraged, according to the City of Bloomington's Growth Policies Plan.\nThe proposed connection would create a small private road for apartment residents but would not be sufficient suffice for public use, commission members said. They added that because the road would not be a straight shot between Morton Street and Woodburn Avenue and would instead included "doglegs," or a series of sharp turns, it would not invite drivers to use it as a connection. \n "This site plan makes cut-through traffic hard," said Chris Gaal, a member of the commission. "It's just a bad site design, with doglegs and indirect paths. ... It misses the opportunity for connectivity."\n--Contact City & State Editor Mike Wilson at mhwilson@indiana.edu.