BZA denies request to convert corner commercial unit to apartment at 3rd & Grant

The Bloomington Board of Zoning Appeals voted to deny a petition to convert a small ground-floor commercial/leasing space on the southwest corner of 3rd and Grant streets into a two-bedroom apartment.

Staff told the board the space was designed as ground-floor commercial when the building was approved and that downtown design goals emphasize active uses at street level for pedestrian vitality. The code allows ground-floor dwelling units only if they are set back at least 20 feet from the front facade; staff said the proposed conversion would not meet the use-and-value findings and that the strict application of the UDO did not result in a property-specific practical difficulty.

Tim Coefer of Studio 3 Design and other petitioner representatives argued the space has been vacant for years despite multiple marketing efforts and that physical features — including a median that now prevents a direct left turn and permit-only parking on Grant — materially limit the space’s viability as commercial. Coefer said the corner area has a fence and a raised rail that effectively creates separation from the sidewalk, and he said converting the 1,000-square-foot space to residential would fill long-term vacancy without harming adjacent properties.

Board members questioned the petitioner and staff about precise setback distances (the face of the building is roughly 18 feet from the curb at the corner) and about whether the owner could reallocate on-site parking or pursue changes to on-street parking rules. Members repeatedly said they were sympathetic to vacancy and access issues but that the variance criteria for allowing a ground-floor dwelling unit were not met.

A motion to deny the variance carried and the petition to convert the corner commercial unit into a dwelling was denied. Staff advised the petitioner about alternative paths, including redesigning the space for compliant tenant‑serving nonresidential uses, requesting administrative flexibility from the planning director in limited cases of partial renovation, or pursuing a UDO amendment through the planning commission and city council.