City Council meeting lasts for more than six hours

After a six-hour-long meeting Wednesday, the Bloomington City Council approved an ordinance to create a planned development unit for South Patterson Drive.

The ordinance amends three zones into one. The current space includes 14 vacant buildings and New Tech High School. The new zone will include residential space, business buildings and the high school.

The council spent hours deliberating four “reasonable conditions” to the plan. Most of the time was devoted to discussing two proposals that gave two different options for parking on West Third Street after buildings would be created.

The council discussed both options independently and then voted 5-4 to let the petitioners make the ultimate decision on the type of parking that will be built for West Third Street.

The first option would have provided on-street parking as well as a median to divide traffic between west- and eastbound lanes. The median, many supporters said, would help ease traffic in the area.

The second option provided the street with a boulevard-style parking lane. Many in favor of the second option said a parking lane would be a safer option than on-street parking.

Council members such as Michael Satterfield addressed concerns of what future businesses in the area would think about having on-street parking as opposed to a parking lane.

Council member Andy Ruff was in favor of option four, which laid out a plan for on-street parking.

“We have the potential for the gateway to Bloomington,” he said.

Council President Isabel Piedmont-Smith also favored the option for on-street parking. She said she felt like it would slow traffic in that area.

“Currently it is a tunnel from one side to another,” she said.

Mark Figg from Patterson Pointe LLC said he was fine with the decision to give the developers the option to choose what type of parking will be built for West Third Street. Patterson Pointe LLC is behind the construction of the residential and business spaces that would be built in the new zone.

Other conditions to the ordinance include making a road through the existing parking lot of New Tech High School. The road will be created for easier access to the school.

A signalized intersection at “Old” West Third Street and Patterson Drive was also approved.

The project was presented to the city council in November 2009 and was made public earlier this month.

Many council members said open discussions should have started about the project earlier because there was a lot of doubt and concern surrounding the project.

“I feel like I should have been involved earlier in this process,” Piedmont-Smith said. “These streets need to be livable.”