Bloomington’s Redevelopment Commission has approved an additional $3.8 million in funding to build a tech center in the city’s Trades District.
The extra Tax Increment Finance funding will cover construction bids, which came in higher than expected, according to John Fernandez, the senior Vice President for innovation and strategic partnership at The Mill, which is managing the project.
Fernandez said the final product will be worth the additional cost.
Read more: Use of former CRED funds for downtown Tech Center approved by city council
“I'm not going to apologize for the costs, because they are what they are,” Fernandez said. “We deserve to have a really nice building in the Trades District as that catalyst that'll set a bar for what we want to see, and the kind of development we want in the City of Bloomington.”
The project’s total budget stands at about $12.7 million. About $9.2 million of that is from local funding sources, while the remaining $3.5 million comes from a U.S. Economic Development Administration grant.
Under the terms of the grant, the City must break ground on the building by Oct. 12. The EDA must approve the City’s plans for the project.
Read more: Boutique hotel with restaurant, bar proposed for Trades District
Redevelopment Commission member Randy Cassady said he dislikes the project’s tight timeline and additional cost but supported it, nonetheless.
“We are basically at the point of, we either approve it, we stay status quo and we’re not able to continue to move forward as a community with what we’re looking for.
Officials say the tech center will help expand the labor force and improve hourly wages in the City’s private sector.
The tech center will be 22,000 square feet and sit at the Trades District’s southeast corner. It will consist mostly of office space for technology companies.
