Joint Boards & Commissions Meeting: Housing Nexus, Comprehensive Plan, City Manager Evaluation - March 10, 2026
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Joint Boards & Commissions Meeting: Housing Nexus, Comprehensive Plan, City Manager Evaluation - March 10, 2026
Mayor Tim Bussey convened a first-ever joint meeting of the Bloomington City Council, Sustainability Commission, HRA, Planning Commission, and Port Authority on March 10, 2026. The meeting included presentations and discussions on three agenda items: an updated Housing Nexus Study and proposed amendments to the Opportunity Housing Ordinance (OHO), an overview of the Bloomington 2050 Comprehensive Plan process, and a report on the City Manager's performance evaluation.
Discussion Items
1.1 Housing Nexus Study & Opportunity Housing Ordinance (OHO) Adjustments
Consultants from Daedalus and BAE (Sean Bourgeois and Sherry Oku Rudnack) presented an updated Housing Nexus Study and financial feasibility analysis. Key findings included:
- Bloomington's housing market has shifted dramatically since 2014: high-income households ($150k+) rose from under 6.5% to nearly 25% of all households; median home values increased 20% from 2019 to 2024; rental units under $1,000/month fell from 48% to 10% of the market.
- The OHO has produced 621 affordable units at or below 60% AMI since adoption, but the city's policy goals target deeper affordability (50% and 30% AMI). Current feasible development does not pencil well under existing requirements due to rising costs and interest rates.
- Developers expressed general support for the OHO but cited cost volatility and parking code requirements as challenges. The parking stall reduction incentive was universally used.
- The Nexus study found that a 100-unit market-rate multifamily rental project justifies an inclusionary requirement of up to 17% of units for households up to 115% AMI (or 20 units per 100 market-rate units). For for-sale housing, the justifiable inclusionary percentage is 21%.
- Staff recommended: (1) raising the in-lieu fee from $9.60 to $12.00 per square foot (adjusting for inflation) rather than the fuller cost-recovery rate; (2) adding compliance tiers at 50% AMI and 30% AMI for rental housing, mirroring recent Minneapolis action; (3) for ownership housing, setting a uniform 9% of units at 115% AMI with an alternative tier of 4% at 80% AMI, and clarifying coverage for cooperatives.
Councilmember Nelson questioned the per-unit subsidy amounts and noted that only one project used the in-lieu fee. Councilmember D'Alessandro asked about voluntary opt-in programs. Commissioner Lunds asked about developer sentiment and the study's shelf life; consultants noted developers are cautiously optimistic and the study is expected to remain relevant for several years barring major shocks. Multiple commissioners expressed desire to maintain deep affordability goals, particularly at 30% AMI.
1.2 Bloomington 2050 Comprehensive Plan Update
Project manager Dakota Casting Day presented the process for updating the comprehensive plan, due to Metropolitan Council by December 31, 2028. Key points:
- The plan will include new required elements: climate adaptation/mitigation (extreme heat, localized flooding) and natural systems. Staff also proposed adding an Economic Development chapter, a separate Parks & Open Space chapter, and a Community Health & Services chapter.
- Community engagement will use a "collaborate" level and include a Community Advisory Committee (similar to the 2040 plan and Bloomington Tomorrow Together).
- Demographic highlights: population projected to reach 103,400 by 2050; median age 41; 20% under 18, 20% 65+; median household income $93,211; poverty rate 9.2% (up 37% in 10 years); school enrollment down 4.5% since 2014.
- Councilmember Loman suggested creating a standalone Equity and Inclusion chapter, citing examples from Vancouver, WA and Charlotte, NC. Commissioner Carter seconded the idea, noting equity often gets diluted when spread across chapters. Staff welcomed the input.
1.3 City Manager Performance Evaluation Report
Mayor Bussey reported that the City Council met in closed session on March 9, 2026 to conduct the four-month performance review of City Manager Zach Walker. Each council member rated Walker across eight categories. The council unanimously determined that Walker "fully meets expectations for initial review."
Key Outcomes
- The OHO amendments will proceed to further community engagement, with formal adoption anticipated after public hearings by the Planning Commission and City Council later in 2026.
- The Bloomington 2050 Comprehensive Plan process will begin with Phase 1 (big ideas and issue identification) in 2026, with staff aiming to integrate equity as a cross-cutting theme and potentially a standalone chapter.
- The City Council acknowledged Mr. Walker's performance as satisfactory and the item was completed.
- The joint meeting was adjourned en masse at the conclusion of the agenda.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening and welcome to our first ever mass group of councils boards commission meetings here in the council chamber. So very glad to have everybody here. Uh, I think I know just about everybody, those of you who I don't know, I'm Tim Bussey. The honor and the pleasure of serving as the mayor of the city of Bloomington. Glad to have everybody here. Um, and we've got this this is a new thing, as I said. It's a new thing. We're somewhat winging it. So we're gonna figure this out as we go, and we're gonna make sure that we do all the things as right as we need, so the lawyers don't get too nervous, and we will try and make this uh as smooth as possible. So what the first thing that we each need to do, each of our boards and commissions, whoever is the chair needs to call the meeting to order. So uh, I am going to officially call this meeting of the Bloomington City Council to order. And then I would look to the chair of the sustainability and chair of HRA. If you could everybody gets one mic, I get my own mic. But if everybody uh gets one mic, everybody gets one mic to share, if you could just um speak in the mic and call the meeting to order for your organization. I call this meeting a sustainability commission to order. I call this meeting of the HRA commission to order. Yeah, I'm counting two as well. Uh, Councilmember two. Uh so and then the second thing I would like to that we've got to uh uh figure out we've got to figure out exactly who has a quorum. So as we go through, uh if you could just raise your hands and we can get a count of everybody. City council members, raise your hand. I think I'm pretty sure yeah, we got a quorum of the city council. I see that. Uh Sustainability Commission, if you could raise your hands. HRA, if you could raise your hands. Looks like the HRA hits a quorum. And planning four. Did I miss anybody? Uh and then the port authority. We're short on the port authority. Okay. That's good to know. Uh, do we have anybody online on the port authority? So we still we have three on the port authority. Oh, okay. So we got two from the port authority. Thank you for that. Appreciate that. Now the last thing that I would like to do is just as we get into the meeting, and we uh just uh have the opportunity since we haven't done this before. Uh let's go around and just everybody if you could introduce yourself. Who you are, the where what you serve on, how long you've been on, and uh how thrilled you are the fact that it's gonna snow for the next five days now here in Minnesota. So maybe not that. Councilmember Rivas, we're gonna start over at your table. If you guys could fire up your microphone, pass it around, please stand up so everybody can see you and uh introduce yourself, please. Hello, my name is Blake Dolinger. I'm serving on the HRA 20 since 21. Hi, my name is Samira Issa. I'm also serving on the HRA. Victor Rivas, Councilmember. Hello.
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