HT Report: Developer seeks input on plans for former eastside Kmart site

By Kurt Christian 812-331-4350 | kchristian@heraldt.com | Jul 22, 2018

A development company is draping a blank canvas the size of six city blocks over the former Kmart property on Bloomington’s east side and inviting people to sketch its future.

Trinitas Ventures is hosting a three-day series of public workshops this week to help establish the look for the 12-acre project at 3216 E. Third St.

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Ideas for a new indoor go kart track or a Home Depot are welcome as have been suggested, but those options don’t begin to cover a property that’s about half the size of the current IU Health hospital site near downtown. Instead of a set of recommendations like the Urban Land Institute provided for that project, this process will culminate with an action plan later this week.

“It’s a much better, hands-on process than just having a developer throw something out there and seeing people react to it,” said Travis Vencel, executive vice president of development for Trinitas Ventures.

After running his own property management company and spending eight years on Bloomington’s plan commission, Vencel now works with Lafayette-based Trinitas Ventures and has a personal interest in creating a development with its own identity.

“It’s really hard to beat Bloomington, and I want to keep Bloomington in that same perspective that there’s no other place I’d rather live,” Vencel said. “I don’t want to mimic downtown, but I want a place that is just as fun or feasible to get to as downtown.”

The goal of the project, currently referred to as the District at Latimer Square, is to create a distinct feeling in those who visit and live there. The project’s potential is similar to one that’s been proposed in Fishers, called the Yard at Fishers District. Announced in 2016, the Yard is a $110 million culinary and entertainment project from developer Thompson Thrift that’s scheduled to bring restaurants, culinary spaces, a hotel, residential and retail space to the 17-acre property.

The upcoming public workshops bring residents into the early stages of the development’s planning process. Master developers, architects and engineers will field the community’s wishes, wants and desires as they take the project through several draft plans. Those experts will work with market requirements and the public’s input to determine what combination of different retail, residential, hospitality, office space and public features will work on the site.

“At the end, we think we can come forward with something that represents more than just a couple of stakeholders,” Vencel said. “I think this is setting the stage for everything on the east side.”

New-urbanism, mixed use and other development terms have been thrown around in recent years, Vencel said. He continued to say, even if the city isn’t consistent about what those themes look like or what the city wants, at least those involved in this project will be on the same page.

Trinitas Ventures will still need to get city approval and find the companies to bring restaurants, hotels or office space before it can bring the project to life.

Vencel pointed to the new hospital and academic complex at IU’s former golf range on the Ind. 45/46 Bypass as the reason why he thinks residential space and a hotel with restaurants will do well on the east side. Being from Bloomington, Vencel is aware of the reluctance some have when it comes to projects featuring potential student or market rate housing.

“Anything we can do to provide any type of housing will relieve the pressure,” Vencel said. “You can either do things here or do things way out on the peripheral, but it’s time to have a community discussion about it.”