More demolition coming to former IU Health hospital site. What you need to know.

Boris Ladwig, The Herald-Times
·2 min read
A construction crew member directs traffic in front of one of the buildings to be demolished in preparation for the Hopewell South neighborhood along First Street on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024.
A construction crew member directs traffic in front of one of the buildings to be demolished in preparation for the Hopewell South neighborhood along First Street on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024.

Demolition work will begin Friday near the former IU Health hospital site to prepare for the creation of Bloomington’s new Hopewell neighborhood.

Here’s what you need to know.

When will demolition at the former IU Health hospital/Hopewell site begin?

Demolition work will begin at 7 a.m. Friday. Work will take place weekdays until 5:30 p.m.

Which buildings will be demolished?

The vacant buildings are mostly along the south side of First Street and include offices that were part of or related to IU Health, including the Home Care building at 719 W. First St., the medical arts building at 619 W. First St. and a warehouse at 607 W. First St.

Construction crews hired by the city will begin demolishing buildings (in red) along First Street on Friday to make way for redevelopment.
Construction crews hired by the city will begin demolishing buildings (in red) along First Street on Friday to make way for redevelopment.

How long will the demolition at the former hospital site last?

The city said the demolition work will last 16 to 20 weeks, so as late as the end of June.

What about noise?

This building on First Street will be demolished in preparation for the Hopewell South neighborhood along First Street. Deconstruction starts Friday.
This building on First Street will be demolished in preparation for the Hopewell South neighborhood along First Street. Deconstruction starts Friday.

The structures will be manually demolished by a team of two to four people to reduce noise, vibration and dust. The city said no explosives will be used and the work will adhere to the Bloomington noise ordinance.

Will the work affect traffic?

The city said construction traffic will come and go from West First Street “to minimize disruption to the neighborhood.

“No lane closures are currently planned,” the city said.

Who is the contractor and how much does the demolition cost?

Two of the buildings to be demolished as the city prepares to develop the Hopewell South neighborhood along First Street.
Two of the buildings to be demolished as the city prepares to develop the Hopewell South neighborhood along First Street.

Indianapolis-based Renascent is doing the work. You can call the company’s project manager, Anthony Larsen, at 317-457-0969. Desma Belsaas, assistant vice president of J.S. Held, is the project manager working on behalf of the city. Belsaas can be reached at 317-981-7257.

The Bloomington Redevelopment Commission awarded Renascent a contract, including a change order, of $365,152, according to Angela Van Rooy, interim communications director for Mayor Kerry Thomson.

What is Bloomington’s Hopewell neighborhood?

A plan for the city's Hopewell project.
A plan for the city's Hopewell project.

The city bought the former hospital site from IU Health for $6.5 million when the health system moved into a new facility on the city’s east side.

The city plans to turn the site and some nearby properties into a new neighborhood called Hopewell, which, the city hopes, will provide up to 1,000 housing units, from single-family homes to apartment complexes.

The former hospital site has only two remaining structures: the parking garage and the historic Kohr building, which served as the former hospital’s administrative offices.

Affordable housing: Bloomington Housing Authority partners with developer to turn Kohr into apartment complex

Chicago-based developer Brinshore, which is working with the Bloomington Housing Authority, plans to add a wing to the Kohr building to create 38 affordable apartments, including nine earmarked for formerly homeless people. A company executive said via email this week the company recently secured a critical piece of financing and hopes to break ground on the project this summer.

Boris Ladwig can be reached at bladwig@heraldt.com.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Demolition at former IU Health Bloomington site to last 4-5 months