Bloomington will decrease the minimum lot size for houses, require fewer parking spaces and make it simpler to get permits to build duplexes, despite vocal opposition from residents of a west Bloomington neighborhood.
After three public hearings at City Council meetings this year, the Bloomington council passed the measure 5 to 2.
Mayor Tim Busse said he was proud Bloomington is one of the first suburban cities to make these kinds of zoning changes, following cities like Richfield and Roseville.
"Cities look to Bloomington, they really do," Busse said.
Dozens of residents have spoken at city meetings this year in opposition to the change. Many did not like the idea of changes in their neighborhoods, where they prize the larger lots. Others were skeptical of city planners' statements that the changes could create less expensive homes in the years to come, because of the current high cost of construction.
Council Member Dwayne Lowman said he was skeptical too, but he said doing nothing would not make homes more affordable.
"I'm surprised this is the lever we think we should be pulling first," said Council Member Lona Dallessandro, who voted against the changes. She advocated a focus on construction of more homes and apartments affordable to low-income people. The controversy generated by the proposals was not worth what she predicted would be an incremental change in affordability, Dallessandro said.
Nick Johnson, a city planner, said the measures could help lower costs across the city in the long run, but that was not the only goal of zoning changes.
