Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County and county officials are partnering to build new income-restricted housing units south of Bloomington.
The Board of Commissioners announced plans for 70 new units between 4810 and 4820 South Old State 37 at a Wednesday meeting.
The county wants the homes built on roughly 11 acres of land south of city limits, between Clear Creek Elementary School and a Kroger on Bloomington’s south side. Thirty-two units will be paired Habitat homes, while the remaining 38 will be developed privately.
The plan also includes an on-site daycare with the potential to serve at least 32 children.
Habitat CEO Wendi Goodlett said the project would help address the community’s need for more affordable housing and childcare options.
“We don’t have enough units that are affordable for the people that work in our community,” she said. “I feel very strongly that if you work in Monroe County, you should be able to afford to live in Monroe County, and part of the barrier to that is just the lack of supply.”
Goodlett added childcare, too, is expensive and hard to come by, especially on and near the city’s south side.
The county plans to help pay for the project using about $3.5 million from American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funds. The county must decide how to use its remaining ARPA dollars by the end of this year, and the funds must be appropriated by the county council.
Goodlett said Habitat fundraising dollars would also be used for the project.
The county is also looking into establishing a residential Tax Increment Finance district and building a sidewalk along Old State Road 37 from the development to the nearby Kroger.
“Some of the property taxes realized from these units (would) then get put into a fund, to fund a capital project — for example, a sidewalk,” Goodlett said. “It doesn’t really impact Habitat or our families because it’s not an increase in taxes. They’re going to pay their taxes like they normally would; it’s just what the county does with those funds.”
Goodlett also said figuring out a sewage connection could be challenging but is necessary for the project.
The project requires approvals from the county plan commission and planning department before development can begin.
