IU-Health Hospital in Bloomington recently built a new facility on the east side of the city, which left a prime redevelopment opportunity near downtown and the newly opened Switchyard Park. A great opportunity existed to connect the popular B-line Trail as one of the first phases of the redevelopment. We were engaged to assist with furthering the City's vision as a pedestrian and bike friendly greenway combined with a linear park experience punctuated with public amenities and stormwater features.
In 2020, the City of Bloomington began re-envisioning the future of the former IU Health Hospital site comprised of 24 acres in the heart of the community and just south of downtown Bloomington. Through the completion of a comprehensive master plan in early 2021, the City recognized the site’s opportunity for providing mixed-use redevelopment with a variety of affordable housing options. This would strengthen existing neighborhoods, encourage private investment, and create a new destination within the community. Later that same year, the City commissioned a design team led by REA and a team of consultants to lead the implementation of the first phase of the project, now known as Hopewell.
Hopewell’s first phase includes the remediation of environmental contamination, the establishment of development-ready lots, and the creation of public infrastructure that includes major utilities, streets, and public spaces to support future, private development. The community desired a street network that would extend from the surrounding neighborhoods into the redeveloped site, creating compatible lot sizes and potential building site in scale with the neighborhood and providing a walkable, connected area.
A primary component of the first phase is the implementation of the new University Street and an adjacent public green space. University Street is designed as a flexible, multi-functional roadway that accommodates multi-modal travel with direct connections to the City’s popular B-Line Trail. The design also seamlessly integrates the new street and the adjacent plaza and green space through a curbless environmental and a consistent materials palette to visually brand the district. The public green space utilizes the site’s natural topography to create a stormwater recharge basin, pedestrian bridge, and play element. The eastern block includes a small performance stage and gathering lawn, public plaza, open air pavilion, outdoor game tables, and a variety of flexible seating options. Significant new trees and landscape plantings will be added to provide shade and provide intimate spaces within the larger development.
Phase 1 construction started in the Summer of 2023 led by REA's construction inspectors. We also have begun working with a multidisciplinary team to design and prepare construction documents of Hopewell's 2nd Street and Jackson Street.