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City of Bloomington Moves to Remove Barriers to Housing, Jobs, and Local Investment with Changes to Development Review and Permitting

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~ Bloomington, IN - The City of Bloomington has taken a proactive step towards improving its project review and permitting practices by commissioning a comprehensive audit from American Structurepoint, a full-service architecture and engineering firm. The audit aimed to identify areas for improvement in how plans are submitted and permits are obtained for home, business, and construction projects.

After thorough examination through stakeholder sessions, review of completed and active applications, and conversations with employees from various departments involved in the process, the audit has now been completed. Participants included design professionals, local business owners, small-project applicants, developers, builders, and contractors.

Mayor Kerry Thomson expressed her commitment to advancing housing and economic development by addressing every opportunity for improvement. She stated that the effects of permitting have been impacting the city's ability to thrive. "Permitting shapes whether a family can build a home, whether a local business can open or expand, and whether employers can attract people who are also able to live here," said Mayor Thomson. "A strong permitting process ensures a clear and dependable process for creating a built environment that protects the standards our community has set."

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The recommended changes outlined in the audit report aim to make City requirements easier to understand, provide applicants with a single coordinated response, offer tools and support to City staff, and create a more reliable path from application to decision. It is important to note that these changes do not alter what may be built or where projects may be located; those decisions will continue to be governed by Bloomington's adopted plans, codes, public hearings, and legal requirements.

Some of the key recommendations include making fuller use of the Electronic Permitting and Licensing system already being updated by the City's Information & Technology Services Department; having departments involved in reviewing the same application conduct their reviews simultaneously; focusing review comments on code compliance; setting expectations for review timelines; clarifying staff roles; strengthening training; assigning responsibility for applications from intake through decision; and creating shared checklists for applicants to understand the requirements.

The report also highlights longer-term considerations for creating a more centralized and coordinated permitting experience, which will be evaluated after the City implements and assesses improvements to its existing systems.

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The City has appointed Lynn Coyne as the Interim Director of the Planning and Transportation Department, following the departure of Director David Hittle on July 10. Hittle has accepted a position with the City of Charlotte, North Carolina. Coyne will lead the planning and implementation of the audit recommendations across various departments, including Planning and Transportation, Utilities, Engineering, Information & Technology Services. If confirmed by the Plan Commission, Coyne will begin serving in July 2026.

Coyne expressed her gratitude for being given the opportunity to turn these recommendations into practical improvements. She stated that this would be a shared effort and looks forward to working closely with City of Bloomington Utilities Director Katherine Zaiger and her team to make the process more dependable for everyone who uses it.

The final audit report and its recommendations are now available on bloomington.in.gov. The City is committed to implementing these changes to create a more efficient and reliable permitting process that supports housing, businesses, and community investments in Bloomington.

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