It's Your Business: See if rules for your Monroe County property will change and comment.
Editor's note: The author of this column requested updates, which have been added.
Have you checked if your property’s proposed zoning and land use rules will change under the Monroe County Development Ordinance (CDO)? The Monroe County Planning Department has asked that comments to the current draft related to planned zoning changes to your property be submitted by Nov. 17 at https://monroecdo.com/. Your voice can play an important role in Monroe County’s efforts to revamp this pivotal ordinance, which shapes our community’s future.
Changes will impact Monroe County properties for years
The Monroe County zoning ordinance, subdivision control and zoning maps have not had a major update since 1997. Now, we have a unique opportunity to make decisions that will resonate for years to come.
How you (or future buyers) use your property may change
The CDO regulates what housing, business and other uses are allowed on properties across unincorporated areas of Monroe County, outside of Bloomington and Ellettsville. While the proposed updates aim to simplify regulations, some changes may bring unintended consequences. This can impact future plans for selling your property, as zoning changes can affect what future buyers can do with your parcel — whether for homes, home-based businesses, larger businesses or other uses.
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How you can check your property
Visit https://monroecdo.com/ and click on the draft zoning map, linked on the main page or under the maps section. Locate your property by entering your address or by clicking on the map. A popup will list the current and proposed zoning codes. To learn more about specific zoning codes and processes, refer to Module 2 of the draft CDO.
To provide feedback on proposed changes, complete the survey linked to your property or the survey on the homepage by Nov. 17. The public may still comment on any portion of the CDO up until the public hearing, to be scheduled in 2024. Prior to the public hearing, all county landowners will receive mailed notice notifying them of the date, time and place of the hearing. Need more information? Contact the Monroe County Planning Department at 812-349-2560 or PlanningOffice@co.monroe.in.us.
Updating the CDO is a major endeavor. We appreciate the significant work being done by Monroe County officials, planning, and plan commission through this process. While there are many good updates in the CDO, such as CDO simplification and streamlining, there are unintended consequences arising from CDO changes. Housing and employment will be affected.
Previous county zoning changes: County revises zoning ordinances for home-based businesses, general contractors
New housing could become more limited and costly
Monroe County residential-zoned land is slated to decrease under the CDO by over 9,300 acres. (Source: CDO Economic Development Focus Group). Some of the proposed reduction is due to areas of the county that are in a floodplain. Most of the other reduction is changing "residential" zoned land to "agricultural/rural residential," which still allows for housing. The BEDC's position is that this may challenges our community's efforts to provide more affordable housing, at a time in which housing is challenging for workers and employers alike. Limited land for housing can drive land prices up, while restrictions in the code can add to construction costs. Increases on home lot sizes can also lend to sprawl, by decreasing the efficiency of use for current land for housing.
Housing costs and availability remain a challenge, especially for single family homes. Monroe County’s September 2023 median year-to-date sales price for homes was $300,900, compared to $234,950 in Owen County and $180,500 in Lawrence County, according to data from the Indiana Association of Realtors. With Monroe County’s median household income at around $54,000 from 2017 to 2021, it’s important to ensure owning a home is not out of reach for our neighbors. (Income is based on the latest available data from the U.S. Census Bureau).
Workers, employers both lose due to lack of attainable housing
Our workforce is our strength, and we need to support it. By addressing housing challenges, we can reduce long commutes and environmental impacts. Monroe County’s largest employers report half of their employees commute in from outside the county. Commuting employees pay more in transit and time when moving outward to find attainable housing. Monroe County also loses the income taxes of these individuals, which are determined by their place of residence.
Land and buildings remain limited for employment growth
To foster quality jobs that pay good wages, we must support the space needs of our existing employers while working to attract future employers. We should seize the opportunities presented by trillions of dollars in federal and state funding for infrastructure and employment growth in key industries through the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act, Indiana READI, and other initiatives. We need sites that are ready to capture these opportunities. Diversifying our employment base is also critical for a strong future. Industries shift over time, as Monroe County has seen with the past departure of companies including RCA, Thomson Consumer Electronics and Otis Elevator Co. However, our community’s strength has always been innovating into what’s next.
Monroe County has the opportunity to proactively steer clear of the potential unintended consequences for housing and jobs through updates to the CDO, combined with other policies and efforts:
Vision: Create a vision for our future that harmonizes the needs of residents and employers while preserving our quality of place. Update the zoning map to identify areas within Monroe County where housing and employment can be concentrated for future needs and opportunities.
Housing: Retain and expand land of suitable sizes to meet a range of housing needs, especially for owner-occupied workforce housing. This will enable more of our neighbors to build wealth through homeownership, which benefits the broader community. Use current land for homes more efficiently while lowering costs and mitigating environmental impact by revising slope restrictions, right-of-ways and setbacks, by-right approvals, and minimum lot sizes affecting septic fields. Redistribute housing density that is lost to floodplains, so housing can be added elsewhere in the county where there is suitable land and access to infrastructure.
Employment: To foster the growth of local employers, designate sufficient land zoned for business and industry, to prepare for current and future employment opportunities in key sectors.
Infrastructure: Continuously enhance vital infrastructure like broadband, sewer, and water, as housing and employment expansion is best situated close to this infrastructure. This is not within the purview of the CDO, but other entities should address this to complement the CDO.
Development processes: Streamline, flow chart and communicate development processes to increase transparency, lower development costs and local government administrative burdens.
The CDO is an essential cornerstone for our community’s prosperity, opening doors to seize once-in-a-generation opportunities. By facilitating the growth of quality jobs, better wages, and affordable housing, it paves the way for Monroe County's bright future. The CDO is a tool for aligning land use, buildings, infrastructure and development processes that meet community needs.
In response to these concerns and in line with our commitment to the community, the Bloomington Economic Development Corp. (BEDC) is actively engaging with the CDO process. We recently convened a group of experts from the community, including engineers, utility providers, architects, surveyors and builders with the Bloomington Board of Realtors and the Building Association of South-Central Indiana. Their invaluable insights and close familiarity with CDO regulations are critical for mitigating unintended consequences and ensuring we have a community-oriented plan.
But you have a critical role to play as well. Check your own property, provide feedback, and follow https://monroecdo.com/ for updates. And stay educated. Follow the BEDC on LinkedIN or check the news section at bloomingtonedc.com for our developing recommendations on the CDO process.
Jennifer Pearl is president of Bloomington Economic Development Corp.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: UPDATED: Will rules for your property change? If so, comment
