Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bloomington council adopts annual UDO updates tightening design rules and protections for creeks
Summary
The Bloomington City Council unanimously adopted four annual Unified Development Ordinance amendments on May 21 that include technical corrections, design-standard changes (setbacks, tree/lighting approvals), stronger riparian buffers for Jackson and Clear Creek, and clarified rules for parking, signs and autonomous-vehicle fleet siting.
The Bloomington City Council unanimously approved four ordinances on May 21 that together update the city's Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) with technical corrections, design clarifications and new limits intended to protect streams and better guide development.
The package included Ordinance 20-25-11 (technical corrections), 20-25-12 (design standards and incentives), 20-25-13 (use-specific standards) and 20-25-14 (subdivision, administration and definitions). Jackie Scanlon, assistant director of planning and transportation, said, "This is our yearly update," and walked the council through corrections, clarifications and substantive edits made after Plan Commission review.
Why it matters: the changes affect where buildings and driveways can be placed, how riparian buffers are measured, and how certain new uses are regulated. Scanlon told the council the amendments add protection where Jackson Creek and Clear Creek are "more substantial and need more protection," increasing buffer widths at identified reaches and aligning code references between chapters.
Key changes - Technical fixes and reference corrections were adopted in 20-25-11 to tidy citations and address typos. Staff described these as housekeeping items. - Ordinance 20-25-12 (design standards) updated setback rules, clarified when front-building setbacks use underlying zoning district standards, adjusted how upper-floor transparency and step-backs are measured, and increased riparian buffer widths for specified reaches of Jackson Creek and Clear Creek to provide extra protection in larger stream segments. - Ordinance 20-25-13 (use-specific standards) removes a requirement for separate utility meters for some plex-style units to ease conversions, clarifies parking and driveway placement for larger multifamily developments, limits certain temporary-structure signage, and adds new rules around vehicle-fleet operations; the council also adopted a targeted amendment restricting autonomous-vehicle fleet operations in smaller mixed-use (MN) districts. - Ordinance 20-25-14 (subdivision and floodplain) includes clarifications on floodplain permitting exemptions, adds lot-line adjustment rules, disallows mowing in karst conservancy easements, and adds gravel and stone surfaces to the definition of impervious surface to prevent circumvention of green-space standards.
What council members asked: members probed buffer boundaries for Clear Creek branches and whether particular language would affect redevelopment near downtown. Eric Cruellick, development services manager, explained staff and the Environmental Commission focused additional buffer width on main branches where streams are daylighted and larger.
Next steps: The ordinances were adopted on roll call with unanimous votes. Staff said some issues (for example tree-approval roles and stormwater references) could return for further refinement in future annual updates.
