Bloomington Fourth Street Garage Progressing

(rendering courtesy CSO Architects)

The city of Bloomington will propose an updated design for a planned garage at its Plan Commission meeting next month. The revised design by CSO Architects would be built on the Fourth Street property owned by the city. The plan calls for enough space to park 500 vehicles, a potential public or commercial ground floor space, public restrooms, public art and other amenities. 

The bidding process would begin after approval from the Plan Commission, with construction set to take a year to complete. A revised design was needed after the city’s eminent domain petition to buy property adjacent to the current site was denied by the Monroe County Circuit Court. 

“We were disappointed that the judge limited the City’s ability to build this public amenity in the most sustainable and efficient way possible, and we know the delay has been difficult,” said Mayor John Hamilton.  “But we are dedicated to proceeding with a project that is so integral to economic vitality in our downtown.” 

The original Fourth Street garage was built in 1985 and was found to be structurally unsound and was closed in January 2019 and demolished last fall. Preliminary drawings and a timeline for the new project can be found here.