FAQs

Access to stable, affordable housing helps individuals and families build a strong foundation for their lives. Research has linked stable, affordable housing to better household health, improved educational outcomes, and greater opportunities for upward economic mobility.

For Bloomington, expanding access to affordable housing can also help ensure that people who work, live, and contribute to the community can afford to remain here. As housing costs have increased and incomes have not kept pace for everyone, creating housing affordable to a range of incomes is an important part of supporting a stable, inclusive community.

The cost of developing new housing has increased in recent years. Higher construction costs, higher interest rates, relatively flat rental rates, and higher investor return expectations can make it difficult for new projects to financially support affordable units, particularly units affordable to households at 30–50% of AMI.

The City sets minimum standards for new development, including requirements related to parking, building setbacks, open space, and other aspects of site and building design. These standards help shape how new development fits into the community and serves residents, but they can also increase the cost of construction or limit how efficiently a site can be developed.

The OHO includes incentives that can lessen the burden of some of these standards, helping make housing development more financially feasible. In turn, these incentives can support the creation of more affordable housing.

Opportunity Housing units are located within developments throughout Bloomington. Information about which developments include Opporunity Housing units can be found near the end of the All Things Housing report linked to this page, and we are working to include a GIS tool highlighting these properties. 

We'd also encourage those seeking affordable housing in Bloomington to visit HousingLink for a comprehensive list of existing units.