By Kurt Christian 812-331-4350 | kchristian@heraldt.com | Jul 24, 2018
Dale Conard is no stranger to working on his family's farm, but Tuesday's first public discussion of how to redevelop the land that most recently housed Bloomington's east side Kmart was a far cry from reaping hay or driving livestock.
Conard, who is a son of the eponymous Mary Agnes Latimer, manages the former 12 acres of Latimer farmland at 3216 E. Third St. through Latimer Farm Real Estate LLC. Conard's not forgotten the time he clipped a silo on the property with the family tractor, but the land has since become a sea of concrete with vacant retail space at the center.
To renew the Latimer legacy, Conard has partnered with Lafayette-based Trinitas Ventures and the public to re-imagine the property as The District at Latimer Square.
"When you spend all the years that I did out there, the land becomes like a son or daughter," Conard said. "It's beyond my ability to imagine where we're going, but I think we've got a team that's not going to let an eyesore happen."
Around 50 members of the public told a team of architects, master planners and developers during Tuesday's interactive work session what they'd like to see included in the redevelopment. They sketched space for Bloomingfoods, mapped out public plazas and drew arrows to the sort of boutique movie theaters or senior living spaces they hope to see included in the developer's final plans.
Attendees wrote their wishes on sticky notes before pressing them to an idea board, their visions ranging from festival and performing art spaces, to a child care center, to a plaza for farmers' markets, to housing with porches, to water features and more.
"I just want it to be neat, clean and useful," Conard said. "I'm sure it's going to be something everybody in the community will be proud of."
Conard's other wish for the property is that it can eventually build toward a connection with the Latimer Woods property at 3200 E. Buick Cadillac Blvd., where years ago his family drove livestock through what's now a city-owned cluster of trees.
Ahead of the open house planning sessions, Hoffman Strategy Group conducted a market study of the daily trade worker population within 3 miles of the project to see what's viable on-site.
Daniel Sheridan, a partner with Hoffman Strategy Group, said the growing population of 43,000 daytime workers in that area could support 70,000 square feet of retail. The study indicated more than half of that commercial space would be well-suited as fast-casual or full-service restaurants.
There are also opportunities for wellness facilities, along with 90,000 square feet of office space that could support Indiana University Health's Regional Academic Health Center when it opens in 2020 on the Ind. 45/46 Bypass, just a few miles to the north.
Additionally, the market study showed the site would benefit from: a 110-unit hotel; a mix of about 50 owner-occupied townhomes or condominiums; and as many as 425 market-rate apartment units. Those apartments would not target students as much as they would accommodate trade workers who spend all 12 months of the year in the area, Sheridan said.
Sheridan said the real art is in how all of this fits together. The second and third days of the public workshop series continue Wednesday and Thursday at Binford Elementary School, as the public is invited to participate in discussing what the district's streets will feel like and the project's architectural themes.
"It's a lot more meaningful when we can see your faces and hear the voices behind your words," said Ryan Call, an associate principal and director at ELS architecture and urban design. "What we really want to do on the east side of town is create a sense of 'there.'"
Trohn Enright-Randolph, the Monroe County Plan Commission's representative on the city's plan commission, attended Tuesday's interactive work session. He said in addition to providing the city's planning department with an advance look at a major project, Trinitas Ventures' decision to guide the community conversation was a positive alternative to projects that are thrust upon the public.
"It was a successful outpouring of the public's interests and concerns," he said.
Meetings this week
Trinitas Ventures will host a series of public meetings this week at Binford Elementary School, 2300 E. Second St. The planning workshops and community conversations will source plans for the 12-acre site at 3216 E. Third St.
Wednesday
• 9-10 a.m.: Stakeholder Presentation of Three Alternate Plans
• 1-2 p.m.: Presentation to Stakeholders on Draft Preferred Plan
• 2-5 p.m.: Interactive Work Session: Brainstorming Public Space
Thursday
• 8:30-11:30 a.m.: Presentation to Stakeholders on Architectural Guidelines
• 12:30-5 p.m.: Interactive Work Session: Brainstorming Building Massing, Setbacks, Heights
• 5:30-7 p.m.: Evening Open House
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