The Bloomington City Council is facing a decision that will determine whether it sticks to its vision of the city's future — or yields to intense opposition over new zoning laws for the Penn American District, an area that includes the Southtown Shopping Center.

The rezoning would steer future development in the district toward "new urbanism" features like sidewalks, a street grid, taller buildings and a mix of retail, housing and office use.

The proposal has divided the city government. In September, the Planning Commission voted unanimously against the new zoning code. But in November, the Housing and Redevelopment Authority voted unanimously in favor of it.

That leaves the decision squarely up to the City Council, which will hold a public hearing on the proposal at its Monday meeting.

The council and city staff have been subjected to a full-court lobbying press by commercial property owners in the area. Officials of Southtown owner Kraus-Anderson Realty have testified repeatedly against the rezoning, saying it would destroy a successful shopping center that's more than 99 percent leased. Representatives of Lupient Automotive Group and Luther Cos., which own auto dealerships in the area, also have strongly opposed the proposal.

Kraus-Anderson has been represented by the Bloomington law firm Larkin, Hoffman, Daly & Lindgren, which recently commissioned a study of the proposed rezoning and its impact on Southtown. The study, by the retail consultant McComb Group, concludes that the proposed changes would be "detrimental to the physical, business, and financial operation and redevelopment of Southtown Center and related properties."

Mapping out a vision

On the other side are the city's planning staff — and the City Council itself, by virtue of its past actions. The proposed rezoning is the culmination of a long process that yielded a plan to guide future development in the Penn American District. That plan was adopted by the council in January. Glen Markegard, Bloomington's planning manager, said the rezoning is needed to carry out the goals of the long-range plan.

"It would be unusual to establish a vision for an area, but not tailor zoning standards to match that vision," Markegard said. "The proposed zoning reflects the council's vision for the district: attractive redevelopment and streetscapes, walkable streets, new transit opportunities and a wider range of uses to serve as an amenity for the surrounding area."

Markegard also pointed out that existing developments, such as Southtown, can remain unchanged for as long as their owners want them to. The new zoning requirements would only take effect when there's new construction or a significant redevelopment of an existing property.

"The landowners determine when property redevelops," Markegard said.

A question of timing?

Council Member Cynthia Bemis Abrams said she doesn't expect the council to back away from its long-term vision, but suggested that it might take shape over time. For example, she said, it could make sense to have the new zoning laws kick in only when funding and plans are firmly locked in for the proposed Orange Line bus rapid transit connection through the area.

"What you'd hear, if you were to go back through 10 years of City Council minutes, is broad support of the vision itself, the notion that the Penn American plan has great merit," Bemis Abrams said. "Then you get into the details of when certain first steps should be taken.

"It's my desire to see those conversations work in such a way that all the stakeholders at the table have an opportunity to figure out when that first step is."

John Reinan • 612-673-7402