Plan Commission sends contested North Dunn Street subdivision to second hearing after hours of public concern

The Bloomington Plan Commission on June 8 sent a North Dunn Street subdivision proposal to a second hearing on July 13 after residents spent more than an hour voicing concerns about flooding, traffic and environmental impacts.

The developer’s plan would create 11 residential lots near the Matlock Heights neighborhood. Resident Deidra Sheets criticized proposals to remove trees and reduce permeable surfaces, saying such changes and reliance on homeowner maintenance of an upstream detention pond ignore neighborhood flooding realities. "The plan to significantly reduce permeable surfaces, remove trees ... and leave it up to the homeowners to manage a detention pond ... is to participate into in a fiction," Sheets said.

Resident Robin Halpin Young told commissioners the city appeared to be prioritizing growth and density over neighborhood safety and experience. Another resident, Julie Williams, described repeated property damage and the financial burden on neighbors: "This is the expense that neighbors have been struggling with ... it's tens of thousands of dollars."

After testimony and discussion, commissioners voted to continue the petition to a second hearing where stormwater management, environmental impacts and utility concerns will receive further review.

Next step: Plan Commission will review stormwater and utility information at the July 13 hearing.