Bloomington, IN Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Density Bonus Law (2026)
Key Facts
- Tier 1 height bonus
- 1 floor, up to 12 feet
- Tier 2 height bonus
- 2 floors, up to 24 feet
- Tier 2 impervious surface bonus
- +10 percentage points
- Tier 2 landscape reduction
- -10 percentage points
- Baseline compared against
- Section 20.04.020 dimensional standards
- Fee waiver
- Plan Commission and BZA fees waived
Summary
Bloomington's Unified Development Ordinance lets a residential project that qualifies as Tier 1 or Tier 2 affordable housing build higher than its zoning district's baseline height limit: one extra floor, up to twelve feet, for Tier 1, or two extra floors, up to twenty-four feet, for Tier 2, plus a ten-percent bump in impervious surface coverage for Tier 2 projects.
(B)Primary Structure Height. ... ii.Tier 1 Projects. Projects that meet the tier 1 affordability standards may increase the primary structure height by one floor of building height, not to exceed twelve feet, beyond the maximum primary structure height established for the zoning district where the project is located, as identified in Section 20.04.020 (Dimensional Standards).iii.Tier 2 Projects. Projects that meet the Tier 2 affordability standards may increase the primary structure height by two floors of building height, not to exceed twenty-four feet, beyond the maximum primary structure height established for the zoning district where the project is located, as identified in Section 20.04.020 (Dimensional Standards). Projects that meet the Tier 2 affordability standards may increase the maximum impervious surface coverage allowance by ten percent, and may decrease the landscape area by ten percent.
Full Breakdown
020. 110(c) can add one floor of building height, capped at twelve feet, above the maximum primary structure height its zoning district otherwise allows. A project that clears the deeper tier 2 affordability standards can add two floors, capped at twenty-four feet, above that same district maximum, and Tier 2 projects also receive a ten-percentage-point increase in the maximum impervious surface coverage allowance and a matching ten-percentage-point reduction in the minimum landscape area they must provide, freeing up more of the lot for building footprint.
A separate sustainable development bonus in the same section stacks an additional floor, again capped at twelve feet, on top of either affordable housing tier, though the added floor under that stacking bonus is limited to half the building's footprint and must step back at least ten feet from the floors below. 070(d)(5) wherever the site abuts an R1, R2, R3 or R4 district, and that transition standard overrides the height incentive if the two conflict. 110(b)(3) allows the site plan portion of the application to be processed as a minor rather than major site plan, unless the project sits next to an R1 through R4 district or holds more than fifty dwelling units.
Violations & Fines
A project that builds to the Tier 1 or Tier 2 bonus height without recording the income-restriction agreement Section 20.04.110(c)(6) requires, or that exceeds the height allowed once the Section 20.04.070(d)(5) neighborhood transition standard is applied, is out of compliance with Section 20.04.110, and the City can withhold the certificate of zoning compliance or occupancy recommendation under Section 20.04.110(b)(3)(E) until the project demonstrates it actually meets the affordability standards the bonus was granted for.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much taller can an affordable housing project be built in Bloomington?
Does the height bonus apply next to single-family neighborhoods?
What else does a Tier 2 project get besides extra height?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bloomington
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