Construction work on Bloomington’s downtown Trades District is likely to begin next week.
That information was revealed at a ceremonial groundbreaking for the building held Thursday.
The event was a symbolic gesture — as work on the land has not yet begun — and a celebration of the work completed on the project.
Read more: Additional $3.8 million for tech center OK’d by Redevelopment Commission
It was attended by local government officials, private sector leaders and members of the community.
John Fernandez is the Vice President for innovation and strategic partnership at The Mill, which is managing the project. He was one of several speakers at the event.
“Bloomington doesn't have a lot of office space — purpose-built office space,” Fernandez said. “And this is going to be the first really nice new office space in the city for quite some time.”
Read more: Use of former CRED funds for downtown Tech Center approved by city council
Fernandez said the 22,000 square foot building will house about 13,000 leasable office spaces. It will be located at the Trades District’s southeast corner.
The roughly $12.7 project is part of a broader economic development initiative centered around the Trades District.
Fernandez said the tech center is meant to attract growing companies, generate new jobs and strengthen Bloomington’s tech sector in the process.
Read more: Boutique hotel with restaurant, bar proposed for Trades District
“Having this kind of new facility is really going to give us the ability to build more momentum, get more companies growing that are mature (and) that can contribute to the ecosystem (and) help other startups become more successful,” Fernandez said.
Fernandez said some companies have expressed interest in leasing space, but none have been selected yet.
Construction is expected to take about 14 months. The building will open by January 2025, according to Fernandez.
