Most people associate Bloomington, Minn., with the Mall of America, which means they’ll associate it with giant parking lots stuffed with avid shoppers.
However, Bloomington has been planning to develop its South Loop District since the 1980s, cultivating a vision to replace the extensive parking lots with a neighborhood full of apartments, hotels, dining and even “green” places to visit. There are four light rail transit sites in the South Loop, making the area easily accessible to those planning to frequent it.
Looking at the South Loop today, it’s difficult to see it as a neighborhood designed to facilitate community living. Right now, its six-lane streets value drivers above pedestrians.
Considering all the attractions and hotels located in the area, I worry that luxury development will cause the South Loop to become yet another one of Minnesota’s many unaffordable neighborhoods.
Planners need to take extensive steps to develop more affordable living spaces in the South Loop, especially for people who work in the Mall of America itself. Bloomington estimates that 65 percent of its growth over the next 50 years will take place in the South Loop.
Landlords in the area should not inflate living prices in an effort to generate even more revenue — the South Loop already creates enough money for Bloomington, and I expect businesses there will make up for lower rental rates.
I believe the South Loop development plan would provide some much-needed green to Bloomington — yet it’s important to monitor development in the area in order to make sure that people of all backgrounds can afford to take advantage of the area’s new amenities.
Keelia Moeller welcomes comments at [email protected].
