A new fire department center in south Bloomington and the long-awaited new convention center are one step closer to completion after the city Board of Zoning Appeals approved seven total variances for the projects Thursday.
The board grants final approval to variances, or deviations, from the city’s Unified Development Ordinance, Bloomington’s land use regulation code.
Fire department training and logistics center
The Bloomington Fire Department is looking to set up a comprehensive training and logistics center at 3230 S. Walnut St., a move for which Deputy Chief Max Litwin said “time is of the essence.”
That’s because the fire department is leasing its logistic and training center in a building in southwest Bloomington that was put on the market — meaning they could essentially be kicked out of the property at any moment.
The new center will have offices, dorms and a classroom in its east wing, which does comply with city requirements. But the west wing, a large garage that can house backup fire trucks and equipment to decontaminate gear, needed variance approval for its architecture.
Litwin said at the meeting that decontamination will improve safety for the department, especially in clearing off carcinogenic materials.
Fire Chief Roger Kerr said in an email to the Indiana Daily Student that the center is on schedule to open by the end of this year. Costs are expected to be around $6.5 million.
The center could also be converted into another station for the department, if necessary. The board granted unanimous approval to its variance.
Convention Center
The Capital Improvement Board asked for approval for a catalog of variances related to the new Monroe County Convention Center, including the building’s exterior, a large-width driveway for semitrucks and its street trees.
To accommodate delivery trucks, the CIB requested approval for a 44-foot-wide driveway, well exceeding requirements. The new driveway would also be 10 feet from another driveway south of it, not meeting the city’s code.
The board approved the variances unanimously, another step forward for the years-long project. The CIB said construction of the center, located on West Third Street across from the current convention center, could start in June. It could be completed as soon as January 2027.
The CIB is still working on a name for the center and is expected to submit one for approval in March.
