Category Archives: Housing

Return of Downtown Local Ownership?

After the September 8th 2025 Bloomington City Council meeting, residents of the urban core can now construct the beloved shophouse typology. (I know, it took some time to push this blogpost out the door). Agenda Item number 8.B. standardized the accessory dwelling unit application process (which we will talk about in a separate post), allowsContinueContinue reading “Return of Downtown Local Ownership?”

Julia’s Backyard Quest for Accessible Housing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A99FqQC9w9Q ADUs or Accessory Dwelling Units have been legalized on paper in Bloomington, Illinois since 2022. However, many conflicting clauses in the zoning code and use table effectively disallows them from being built. Julia Sutherland has been a resident of central Bloomington for more than a decade and has decided to turn her garage artist’sContinueContinue reading “Julia’s Backyard Quest for Accessible Housing”

Front N Center Charrette Process

This past Wednesday, July 9th, a group of sixteen volunteers worked to vision what could replace the buildings on the former Front N Center lots. Last year, the public was notified about the demolition of these long vacant buildings downtown due to long-term owner neglect. We wrote about our response here. Strong Towns Blono cameContinueContinue reading “Front N Center Charrette Process”

Housing Flexibility Through Boarding

This post will be slightly different from what we have previously posted on this blog feed. However, I think it is important to discuss the personal side of the housing crunch here in Bloomington-Normal. Life can change quickly and housing situations can go from secure to precarious in a matter of days. Embracing a time-testedContinueContinue reading “Housing Flexibility Through Boarding”

The Power of Community: Cohousing

What is Cohousing? In order to help solve our growing local housing crisis, we must be willing to try new types of housing developments. The oversized McMansions that most builders prioritize today are too expensive and out of alignment for most homebuyers. The average household size has decreased significantly in the past twenty years. However,ContinueContinue reading “The Power of Community: Cohousing”

Thinking Outside the Box Housing Forum

Please join us for a housing forum this Sunday, August 25th from 2-4 pm at Bloomington Public Library. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: we have a housing “Poly-Crisis” on our hands. There are so many problems leading into so many facets of housing: overall supply, affordability, and the unhoused. Many ofContinueContinue reading “Thinking Outside the Box Housing Forum”

Forum on Housing Crisis

On Tuesday January 9th, about 100 people gathered to hear from Mark Adams of the McLean County Regional Planning Commission about the current housing crisis in Bloomington-Normal. Several members of the Revivalists were in attendance, but before long, much of the room was in agreement that we needed bottom-up solutions to the current shortage ofContinueContinue reading “Forum on Housing Crisis”