Bloomington mother says city ‘strung us along’ amid plans for $100 million community center

In August of 2024, Elizabeth Cambronne says she and her husband received a letter from a real estate consulting firm which informed them that the City of Bloomington was interested in purchasing their home to create parking space for a new $100 million community center.

Cambronne and her husband have seven children and live near Penn Avenue South and West 98th Street in central Bloomington. Their home was first purchased by Cambronne’s grandfather in 1952 and has hosted family gatherings for decades.

The Cambronne family, who had been remodeling their home for months, met with the real estate firm and discussed eminent domain law and their rights. In short, the family decided to cooperate with the process as they believed living next to the planned community center would be chaotic if it did not have an adjoining parking space.

At present, the Creekside Community Center occupies the site where the new center will be constructed. The City of Bloomington intends to replace that center with the much larger Community Health and Wellness Center (CHWC).

In November of 2023, Bloomington voters approved a ballot question that imposed a 20-year sales tax to fund construction of the $100 million CHWC. The center will be four times the size of the previous community center and include gymnasiums, office space, party rooms, a kids club, a family aquatics center, and more.

After deciding to cooperate with the process, the Cambronnes said they did not hear anything until January of this year when they received a letter telling them they needed to schedule an appraisal of their home within a week. The family arranged for the appraisal and asked the city for the results so they could begin planning their expected move.

“We were denied access to the results,” said Elizabeth in a Facebook post. “The city claimed they owned the information since they paid for the appraisal.”

Following this, the Cambronnes said their information began appearing in public meeting agendas and social media groups. According to Elizabeth, residents upset by the exorbitant cost of the CHWC accused the family of “selling out” for participating in the process.

“Eventually, we got what we had asked for: a timeline,” said Elizabeth. “A letter from the city said they planned to sign a purchase agreement in the spring, begin our move in the summer, and demolish the house in the fall.”

The mother of seven said the decision to move was bittersweet, and informing the children about the move was difficult. Despite this, the family began packing.

“Then, without warning, an email arrived one Friday afternoon: the city was no longer pursuing the purchase. No explanation. No apology,” said Elizabeth.

Where will the CHWC parking lot be built?

“For months, the city had strung us along, leading us to believe that they would buy our home to accommodate parking for the new CHWC,” said Elizabeth. “But when they backed out, we wondered: Where is everyone going to park now? We learned that the city had other plans, and those plans would transform our quiet, family-friendly neighborhood into something unrecognizable.”

According to draft plans from this month, the city plans to pave over the area’s only park to accommodate the parking lot. Elizabeth says that proposed parking lot violates city zoning ordinances, will result in her residential street filling up with cars, and cause a surge in traffic to the area.

“Where will our children play without the fields, a quiet street, or sidewalks? Where will friends and family park when they visit? How will we navigate constant traffic, noise, and glaring lights pouring into our front door and bedroom windows? The safe, serene street we chose for our family—where kids could ride bikes and neighbors could stroll—would vanish,” said Elizabeth.

The mother of seven said she has brought her concerns to the city but was dismissed. She said the plans for the CHWC will be finalized at an August meeting of the city council.

“We are sharing this because we want residents to know their tax dollars may not be used as expected, residential zoning protections are at risk, and the mayor and council can override commissions and experts. In this election year who you vote for matters,” said Elizabeth.

Three of Bloomington’s six city council seats are up for election this November.

With little time left before a final decision, Cambronne said the project is being rushed “before anyone can hold the city accountable.” She is sharing her story on Facebook through the “Save Newton Neighborhood” page.

The City of Bloomington responds

The city told Alpha News that “no formal offers were made” to purchase homes adjacent to the CHWC site.

“In the earlier stages of the Community Health and Wellness Center project, the City reached out to adjacent property owners to determine if they’d be willing to sell their properties as a possible option. During the design process for the planned Community Health and Wellness Center, the size of the facility was reduced. Therefore, additional land was not required as part of the construction of the project,” said the city.

Additionally, Bloomington said the proposed parking for the CHWC does not violate code and the city has completed a parking study which showed the proposed lot has more than enough spaces to accommodate the community center.

Elizabeth disagrees with the city’s perspective.

“The City of Bloomington is undermining the ordinances put into place to preserve the safety and well-being of our residential neighborhood,” said Elizabeth. “For eight months, the city left us in uncertainty, suggesting they might purchase our home without follow-through. Now, they are choosing to send over 1,500 cars daily on our quiet street, threatening the peaceful and safe environment, where I chose years before, to raise my family.

“What was once [a] quiet street with open fields for recreation has been under siege for the past year and faces permanent loss,” she added.

On Thursday, Elizabeth and several other residents spoke at a planning commission meeting to further express their concerns with the project.

 

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