Bloomington’s Fourth Street Garage may be demolished and replaced with a new facility after all.
The latest change comes after engineers estimated repairing the garage would cost $300,000 more than originally thought.
Demolishing and rebuilding the facility is expected to cost as much as $19.5 million. It would include first floor retail space and solar panels along with additional parking spaces.
City Council Presiden Dave Rollo says there’s a need for more parking downtown and is gauging the support of other council members before bringing the measure to a vote.
"The rebuild of the garage also includes more capacity and we have established a height limit which is something we did not have before," Rollo says.
If the measure passes the council, the garage will be paid for with bonds.
The garage has been closed since January. City officials said previously the reparied facility would be back open in early August, before IU students return for classes.
The city is also moving forward with plans to build a new parking garage in the trades district. The city council approved the project in December, and a selection committee recently chose Indianapolis-based CSO Architects as the design firm.
