Bloomington leaders are defining “single room occupancy” in an attempt to add housing options.
City council amended the Unified Development Ordinance, or UDO, last week so that a homeowner may rent a maximum of three bedrooms with two adults or fewer in each bedroom.
Development Services Manager Eric Greulich said this helps to regulate residents renting a bedroom while sharing common space in single-family districts.
“One of our concerns with this was making sure that we’re not just enabling a situation where landlords or other owners are just getting more people in a building and not accomplishing what we’re looking for,” he said.
Discussion centered on if two adults plus any children would be too many people in one bedroom even though limiting to one adult could discourage couples.
The ordinance expands a 150-foot buffer around an approved Single Room Occupancy (SRO) limiting any new SRO for two years to curb an influx of approvals.
The SRO building must also be in general similar shape, size, and design to existing homes on the same block.
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Resident Wendy Bricht said the plan seems to be dangerous for vulnerable neighborhoods.
“They’re already falling now and I would really like to see more consideration being given to the availability of resident-owned affordable older housing,” Bricht said.
Council voted 7-2 for approval though said the ordinance still needs more work.
