In 2019, the City of Bloomington and the Historic Preservation Commission initiated a process to update its Community Preservation Plan, first adopted in 2004. To help underwrite preparation of the new Preservation Plan, the Historic Preservation Commission received a Certified Local Government Grant from the Historic Preservation Division of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and hired The Lakota Group, a preservation planning firm based in Chicago, to help create the plan.
Central objectives of the Community Preservation Plan update include:
With this Community Preservation Plan, the community desires to build on past successes while recognizing that additional efforts are needed to identify priority areas for preservation, reinvestment, and economic development and to shape and enhance the City’s character.
The process for creating a Community Preservation Plan is comprised of two phases:
PHASE 1: State of the City (Fall 2019 – Fall 2020)
The first phase analysis included a comprehensive review of the City’s historic resource surveys, local historic designations and National Register listings, the existing preservation ordinance, plans and studies, economic data and incentive programs, and other plans and reports.
The first phase of the planning process also included meeting with the Steering Committee and holding listening sessions with local focus groups, stakeholders and City of Bloomington staff.
Click here to read the State of the City report.
PHASE 2: Community Preservation Plan (Winter 2020 – Summer 2020)
During the second phase Lakota completed the Community Preservation Plan and generated a range of implementation actions and programs to help implement the opportunities and recommendations presented in the Plan. The final plan is a collaborative effort together with City leaders, the Steering Committee, Historic Preservation Commission, preservation advocates, property/business owners, and residents.
Click here to read the Community Preservation Plan.
For more information about the historic preservation in Bloomington, Illinois, visit the City’s website.
Thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts during the planning process! We appreciate your time and valuable feedback. Check out Bloomington’s Community Preservation Plan to see how your feedback informed the document!
We bring creative solutions that inspire action and result in beautiful, people-driven places. Our firm has 25 years of experience in urban design, planning, landscape architecture, and historic preservation. Our mission is to create plans that build connections between people, their environments, and their history. This is reflected in our name – Lakota, the Native American word for Allies.