IU in the year 2015: DOWNTOWN

While Nick's and The Village Deli are Bloomington classics, new types of shops, restaurants, pubs and groceries aimed at accommodating downtown living could be built with the passing of the Downtown Plan -- which takes a snapshot of Bloomington and recognizes the positive aspects of the community, said Scott Robinson, Long Range and Transportation Manager at Bloomington's Planning Department.\nSurrounded by blueprints and brightly-colored maps hanging haphazardly from the walls, Robinson said the idea for the Downtown Plan came from the December 2002 Growth Policies Plan, which contains design regulations for downtown. \n"There's lots of public support for the plan," Robinson said. "People are accepting the need for a new design of downtown."\nThe Downtown Plan acknowledges that a lot of the downtown success has come from attracting students to the area, Robinson said. Now, the city wants to capture other demographics to balance that success. The plan will include attracting new people to the area while retaining the success from students. \nOne way to capture a new demographic is through the housing market, Robinson said, so the plan also calls to attract retirees and "empty-nesters." According to the Downtown Plan, separate projects will address more affordable housing for students and non-students. \n"While it may seem that students will snap up affordable units, given that the future growth of Bloomington is projected to be much larger than the expansion of the student population, this may not be an issue," the plan states.\nThe plan contains a provision to create six character districts within the downtown area. Each zone -- including the Arts district -- would have a different feel to it.\nRobinson said the plan for the Arts District is yet to be completely conceived.\n"It could follow an art gallery concept, a working and living space for artists, theaters, venues for musicians or any of those combinations," he said.\nCourthouse Square, the one-block radius from each direction of the Courthouse, is the heart of downtown, and preservation of the area's buildings are a priority in the plan. Development in the Courthouse Square area would have to be aesthetically similar to the existing buildings. \n"There are many great historic structures, and we want them to look maintained and enhanced, not diminished," Robinson said. \nThe main focus of the plan is the physical and architectural form of downtown, said Executive Director for Downtown Bloomington, Inc., Talisha Coppock. This includes improving the circulation of people, bikes and the local transportation system. Property owners and developers will have clearer guidelines for building structures downtown. \n"We want to encourage a variety of mixed uses, with shops, restaurants, technological businesses and offices. The plan is more geared to how new buildings will figure into the downtown landscape," Coppock said. \nThough the Downtown Plan has not yet passed Bloomington's Common Council, both Coppock and Robinson feel very confident that it will.\n"Bloomington cares a lot about its downtown, and we want it to be a 24/7/365 place to work, live and play," Robinson said.