Bloomington staff recommend keeping Kirkwood open in 2026, shift to parklets and corridor study

City staff recommended Feb. 4 that Bloomington keep Kirkwood Avenue open to vehicles for 2026 while redirecting resources toward improved parklets, targeted ‘micro-activation’ events and long-range planning.

Jane Cooper Smith, director of the Economic and Sustainable Development department, told the Bloomington Common Council that the city intends to activate section 7 of ordinance 25 0 2 if necessary, which gives the city engineer authority to temporarily or permanently suspend parts of the outdoor dining closure program. She said the engineer would submit a statement to council and the Board of Public Works and that such a suspension could occur with 14 days’ notice to affected businesses and a 45-day report to council describing the reasons.

Special projects manager Chaz Modinger presented the staff recommendation and supporting data. Modinger said staff observed a 57% increase in event activity and 16 more program days in 2025 but nevertheless measured an 8% decline in average daily visits, concluding that full street closures alone were not producing consistent corridor vibrancy. Modinger described five recurring challenges with the 2025 model: uneven economic impacts for different businesses, lack of permanent…