Planning Post Newsletter Winter, 2012 - City of Bloomington

Issue XXI
Winter 2012
City of Bloomington
Planning Department
401 N. Morton St., Suite 160
Bloomington, IN 47404
phone: (812)349-3423
e-mail: planning@bloomington.in.gov
www.bloomington.in.gov/planning
facebook.com/bloomingtonplanning
Terrible, Horrible,
No Good, Very Bad
Bike Ride
Rain nor sleet nor snow nor
roving bands of zombies will
keep us from the streets during
Bloomington’s first annual Terrible
Horrible No Good Very Bad Bike
Ride. The 5-mile ride will traverse
urban cycling routes around
Bloomington to prove that it’s
possible to bike in all kinds of
weather. Intended for both the
fearful and the fearless. If you can
ride on this day, you can ride any
day.
The Terrible Horrible No Good
Very Bad Bike Ride
Saturday, February 18 at 10 am
Meet in front of City Hall
The Planning Post
The Newsletter of the City of Bloomington Planning Department
Bloomington
What does Bloomington look like in 2040? Where and how should we live,
work, learn, and play? What are our priorities for the future? How do we get
there? These are just a few of the many questions that ImagineBloomington
will help answer. ImagineBloomington is an update to the City’s
comprehensive plan, the Growth Policies Plan. It’s the road map that will
guide Bloomington’s future. ImagineBloomington will not only establish
official City of Bloomington policies, but it will also direct both current and
future decision makers with carrying out those policies.
The kickoff meeting will be held at the Monroe County Public Library,
Main Library on Tuesday, February 21 in Room 1B at 7:00 pm. Nine
additional workshops will be held in locations throughout the city.
Citizens can also participate from the comfort of their own homes through
ImagineBloomington’s interactive web tool, UserVoice. Citizens can submit
ideas on a variety of topics, provide feedback, and vote on ideas from other
users.
Date Location Time
Tuesday, February 21 Monroe County Library, Main Library 7:00-8:30 pm
Thursday, March 1 Bloomington High School North 7:00-8:30 pm
Tuesday, March 6 Highland Park Elementary School 7:00-8:30 pm
Thursday, March 8 University Elementary School 7:00-8:30 pm
Monday, March 19 Batchelor Middle School 7:00-8:30 pm
Wednesday, March 21 Binford Elementary School 7:00-8:30 pm
Tuesday, March 27 Tri-North Middle School 7:00-8:30 pm
Thursday, March 29 Summit Elementary School 7:00-8:30 pm
Monday, April 2 Childs Elementary School 7:00-8:30 pm
Wednesday, April 4 Templeton Elementary School 7:00-8:30 pm
Don’t miss this opportunity to shape the future of Bloomington. Stay tuned.
We’ll be updating these sources regularly:
Website: bloomington.in.gov/imaginebloomington
UserVoice: http://imaginebloomington.uservoice.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/bloomingtonplanning
Twitter: twitter.com/BtownPlanning
Inside This Issue: MPO Crash Report Bloomington Preservation Plan Construction Buzz

MPO Crash Report
The Bloomington/Monroe County Metropolitan Planning Organization
(MPO) recently released a report providing thorough analysis of the causes
and trends of crashes in Monroe County. This year’s report includes crash
data from 2008 to 2010.
A total of 12,415 crashes were reported between 2008 and 2010. This
figure is roughly the same as the three year total from 2007 to 2009, as
reported in last year’s crash report. Just over three quarters of the total
crashes reported no injuries (property damage or unknown) and the rest
reported various levels of severity in injuries sustained. Over the course
of the three years analyzed, there were 31 fatalities, somewhat more than
the 22 fatalities reported from 2007 to 2009. Of the 31 fatalities, almost
half (13) were from single car crashes, six were from two-car crashes, six
involved mopeds/motorcycles, and five involved a pedestrian. There were
no fatalities involving a bicycle or a bus.
Top 5 Crash Locations, 2008-2010
1) State Road 45/46 @ N. College Ave./N. Walnut St.
2) State Road 37 @W. Bloomfield Rd.
3) State Road 37@ W. 3rd St.
4) E. 3rd St. @ S. Pete Ellis Dr.
5) State Road 46 @ E. 3rd St.
The greatest number
of crashes occurred
during weekday rush
hours between 3:00
P.M. and 6:00 P.M., with
an average slightly
greater than 1 crash
per hour. The weekend also follows a predictable pattern, but the crash
rate has a more even distribution through the day and early evening hours.
Between the hours of 7pm and 4am, the weekend experiences a higher
crash frequency than during the week. Friday continued to have the
highest number of crashes overall, while Sunday had the lowest number
of crashes.
State highways are prominently featured in the list of problematic
intersections. This could be attributable to several factors, but higher traffic
volumes and speeds on these roads are likely factors. The intersection at
College Avenue/Walnut Street and the State Road 45/46 Bypass topped
the list of problematic intersections, followed by Bloomfield Road and
State Road 37 and then W. 3rd Street and State Road 37. Because these
intersections continue to exhibit high numbers of crashes from year to
year, safety improvements should be considered.
The leading cause of crashes during the study period was once again
failure to yield right of way with 2,470 incidents. Other leading causes
include reaction to other driver behaviors, following too closely, and unsafe
backing. These causes may be reduced through law enforcement and
education efforts as well as through physical improvements. Bicycle
and pedestrian crashes are an important consideration due to a relatively
high number of non-motorized trips in the area, and the sensitivity to
injury of individuals using these modes. Therefore, reducing the frequency
of these crashes is a priority. The intersection of Dunn Street and Kirkwood
Avenue has topped the list for pedestrian crashes in two consecutive crash
reports, warranting further investigation.
Preservation Plan for
Historic Bloomington
The Historic Preservation
Commission (HPC) recently
completed a new historic
preservation strategic plan for
the community. Beginning
in February of 2010, the HPC
undertook a planning process to
update and revise the existing
historic preservation plan from
1998. The Preservation Plan
for Historic Bloomington is an
advisory document that will
provide the HPC with a fresh set
of historic preservation goals and
strategies for the future. Planning
Department staff worked closely
with the HPC to provide technical
assistance and land use guidance
to complete this important effort.
Key goals of the plan include:
work with stakeholders and
City entities to locally designate
and expand local preservation
incentives for the Courthouse
Square district, complete a
comprehensive historic survey of
the Monon Corridor area, draft
signage and awning standards for
historic properties, prioritize core
neighborhoods for historic or
conservation districts, and locally
designate the historic Showers
buildings and participate in the
Showers area’s redevelopment
planning.
Read the full report online at:
http://bloomington.in.gov/bhpc
Planning Post Winter 2012 Page 2

Construction Buzz
1 1825 S. Highland
Options for Better Living
Options for Better Living
(Options), a non-profit
organization that assists
in affordable housing and
employment opportunities
for persons with disabilities,
was approved to build two
duplexes and one group home.
2 1800 W. Tapp Rd.
BUGS & BUSS
The Plan Commission approved
an amendment to allow
recreation uses within the
Woolery PUD. Bloomington
United Gymnastics School
(BUGS) and Bloomington
United Soccer School (BUSS)
proposed to relocate to a site
within the PUD and construct
a new 26,000 SF building near
the Clear Creek Trail.
Elevation of BUGS/BUSS Building
3 626 N. Morton St.
Horizons
ERL-9, LLC
Construction has begun on the
Horizons, a 64-bedroom multifamily
apartment building on
N. Morton Street.
Ground has been broken at the
construction site.
Construction Buzz Location Map
SR 48
SR 46
SR 45
Curry Pk
3rd St.
Tapp Rd
SR 37
Bloomfield Rd.
SR 37
Rockport Rd
Kinser Pk.
17th St
Walnut St.
2nd St.
Walnut St.
Fee Ln.
Hillside Dr.
Winslow Rd
Henderson
IU
10th St.
3rd St.
High St
Rhorer Rd
Safe Routes to School
Sare Rd
College Mall
Snoddy
Legend
Park
Downtown
Shopping Center
Planning Post Winter 2012 Page 3
School
Planning staff has been assisting the Monroe County Community
School Corporation (MCCSC) to implement an Indiana Department of
Transportation Safe Routes to School planning grant that was awarded
to MCCSC in 2009. The project will complete comprehensive Safe Routes
to School plans for the following seven schools: Tri-North Middle School,
Arlington Elementary, Fairview Elementary, Highland Park Elementary,
Binford/Rogers Elementary, St. Charles School, and University Elementary.
Each plan will detail a strategy to increase the number of students walking
and bicycling to school. This will include, but not be limited to:
•
•
•
•
•
2
3
Smith Rd
SR 45
SR 46
SR 446
N
Data collection and analysis of existing walking and bicycling
patterns, school traffic patterns, and barriers to walking and
bicycling
Meetings with school staff, City of Bloomington and Monroe County
staff, and parents groups
Recommended solutions to address specific barriers to walking and
bicycling
Recommendations for signage and striping improvements in the
school walk-in area
Identification of a system of preferred walking routes for each
school
Consultant proposals are currently being evaluated, and the project is
scheduled to begin this spring.
1

INDOT I-69 Route Map through Southwest
Indiana
Planning Post Winter 2012 Page 4
City of Bloomington Planning Department
401 N. Morton St., Suite 160
P.O. Box 100
Bloomington, IN 47402
Subscribe to the Planning Post to receive
three newsletters per year via email.
Simply send your request to:
planning-news+subscribe@bloomington.in.gov
To unsubscribe, send an email to:
planning-news+unsubscribe@bloomington.in.gov
The MPO and Interstate 69
The Bloomington/Monroe County Metropolitan Planning
Organization (MPO) is a regional transportation body which is
required to show how federal transportation funding is programmed
and spent in the Bloomington urban area. In 2010, the Indiana Dept.
of Transportation (INDOT) requested the MPO add Section 4 of I-69 to
the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Section 4 of I-69 runs
from US 231 by the Crane Naval Base to SR 37 south of Bloomington
near Victor Pike. In November 2010, the MPO agreed to show the
preliminary engineering and right-of-way phases of the project but
not the construction phase.
The MPO and INDOT have remained at an impasse as to whether or
not to include construction of I-69 to the TIP. A subcommittee of the
Policy Committee was formed in the fall of 2011 to work through
some of the issues and formulate a resolution to the disagreement.
Questions were asked by the Policy Committee and answered by
INDOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). INDOT
is proceeding with Section 4 of the project and the MPO is under
increased pressure to make a decision on construction of I-69 Section
4. To follow what has transpired from the MPO’s perspective, visit
the Policy Committee’s Agenda and Packets webpage at http://
bloomington.in.gov/MPO_Policy_Committee