RDC opens two competitive proposals for College Square redevelopment

The Bloomington City Redevelopment Commission on July 20 opened sealed proposals for redevelopment of the College Square site and said it will perform a detailed review before recommending next steps.

Staff read two primary offers received in the order they were submitted. One proposal, from a Concord Hospitality-led team with TWG Development and Ratio Design, describes a two-part approach centered on a roughly 160-room, full-service hotel with amenities to support convention-center activity and a complementary mixed-use residential component that would include replacement of significantly affordable below-market-rate units. A second proposal from Dora Hospitality and the Louderback Group would deliver a 135-room boutique, upscale hotel on the south portion of the block and an approximately 100-unit market-rate apartment community on the north portion, connected by a landscaped promenade intended to activate pedestrian flow from College Avenue to the B-Line Trail.

"I have not opened any of these yet, so I'm gonna unlock this folder," the director said while reading the submissions, indicating staff had not yet performed substantive evaluations. Commissioners and staff noted audio problems for some remote participants during the reading and paused to confirm audibility before continuing. Staff said the submission summaries did not include full financial details and that a deeper analysis of each offer nd the non-price factors that often influence selection re needed before public presentation and discussion.

Next steps: staff will conduct a deep dive into each proposal, produce a summary for commissioners, and publicly present the analysis before any selection or action. The RDC took the openings under advisement and did not take public comment on the proposals at this meeting.