Common Council Committee/Deliberation Meeting

Bloomington Common Council-Deliberative Session Minutes Council Chambers, City Hall, 401 N. Morton Street, Bloomington, Indiana Wednesday, October 15, 2025, 6:30pm CALL TO ORDER [6:32pm] Council President Stosberg called the meeting to order. 1. ROLL CALL (* indicates participation via Zoom) [6:32pm] Councilmembers present: Isak Nti Asare (absent) At-Large Courtney Daily District 5, Council Parliamentarian Matt Flaherty* At-Large Isabel Piedmont-Smith District 1, Council Vice President Dave Rollo* District 4 Kate Rosenbarger District 2 Andy Ruff At-Large Hopi Stosberg District 3, Council President Sydney Zulich District 6 City staff, officials, and guests present: Nicole Bolden City Clerk Lisa Lehner Council Attorney Kari Bennett Deputy Council Administrator/Attorney Christine Chang Temporary Council Researcher Noah Sandweiss Housing and Neighborhood Development, Historic Preservation Program Manager Duncan Campbell Bloomington Historic Preservation Commission (BHPC), Member Karen Duffy BHPC, Member Andrew (Jack) Baker BHPC, Member Ernesto Castaneda BHPC, Member Daniel Schlegel BHPC, Member Sam DeSollar BHPC, Chair Melody Deusner BHPC, Member Jeremy Hackerd BHPC, Member Reynard Cross BHPC, Member 2. AGENDA SUMMATION [6:33pm] Stosberg summarized the agenda. Noah Sandweiss, Historic Preservation Manager, would present. Councilmembers and BHPC members would hold a discussion. 3. INTRODUCTION [6:33pm] Noah Sandweiss, presented historic preservation topics for discussion. Topics included commission appointments, design review process and delegation, repairs and maintenance, demolition and new construction, enforcement and incentives, and more. 4. JOINT DISCUSSION BETWEEN COUNCIL AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION [6:36pm] Zulich moderated the discussion. On the topic of repairs and maintenance, participants discussed the impact of city code on homeowners’ ability to address needed repairs, Certificates of Appropriateness (COA) reviews, repairs costs, grants, and setting up a system for reporting run-down historic homes. Commissioners and councilmembers discussed procedures for neighborhood guidelines, alternatives to Meeting Date: October 15, 2025 demolition approvals, neglect, and notifying buyers that they are purchasing a historic home. Commissioners discussed the impact of demolishing smaller, entry-level houses houses on Bloomington’s housing market. They asked for support from the council through adding online tools for the public to report endangered historic houses, and asking the Mayor’s Office to appoint new, highly-qualified commissioners quicker. Participants spoke about communities working to designate neighborhoods as historic districts. Elizabeth Cox-Ash commented on the guidelines process in the McDoel Gardens neighborhood. Richard Lewis spoke about guidelines and the historic designation of the Prospect Hill neighborhood. Bill Baus spoke about the Near West Side Neighborhood Association guidelines and development. Wendy Bricht of the Elm Heights neighborhood commented on its historic designation and rentals. Christopher Emge, Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce and Sunny Slopes resident, spoke about architecture. Jeff Richardson spoke about affordable housing efforts and living in Elm Heights. John Butler, Cottage Grove neighborhood, spoke about the potential historic conservation district there. Matt Seddon shared thoughts on historic preservation and city code. James Ford, Cottage Grove, asked about guidelines expectations. Tonda Radewan spoke about renters and landlords in Bloomington Zulich discussed next steps, including at-risk houses, alternatives to demolition delays, and creating a system to inform buyers of historic homes. Piedmont-Smith stated the importance of feedback from renters regarding historic preservation. Stosberg spoke about the UReport system to report concerns. 5. ADJOURNMENT [8:39pm] Stosberg adjourned the meeting at 8:39pm. APPROVED by the Common Council of the City of Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana, upon this 18 ________ day of February __________________________________________, 2026. APPROVE: ATTEST: ________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ Isak Nti Asare, COUNCIL PRESIDENT City Clerk Nicole Bolden Clerk’s Note: The above memorandum summarizes the motions passed and issues discussed rather than providing a verbatim account of every word spoken. Bloomington City Council meetings can be watched on the following websites:  Community Action Television Services (CATS) – https://catvstv.net  YouTube – https://youtube.com/@citybloomington Background materials and packets are available at https://bloomington.in.gov/council -2-