Bloomington, Indiana – The Bloomington Board of Public Works has approved guidelines for the 2026 downtown outdoor dining season, formally setting the direction for how Kirkwood Avenue will operate in the coming year. The decision, which was announced on February 24, was based on staff recommendations and a review process set out in city law.
With the approved plan, Kirkwood Avenue will stay open to cars that use a shared-street arrangement. Cars, bikes, and pedestrians will still be able to move along the corridor together. Restaurants may also put parklets in the parking spaces right in front of their establishments.
The new plan replaces last year’s complete street closure with a system that is meant to balance access, safety, and business activity.
Kirkwood is a public right-of-way that many people utilize, including residents, delivery drivers, transit operators, and emergency responders. Outdoor dining along the road started as a temporary expedient during the pandemic. Over time, the city developed the idea into a seasonal program governed by ordinance.
The Bloomington Common Council sets the rules for how the city works, Public Works does an annual operational assessment, and the City Engineer might suggest that the work continue, change, or stop depending on the situation. In the end, the Board of Public Works decides on seasonal authorization during a public hearing.
In 2025, the corridor worked on a full closure model. Big planned festivities attracted a lot of people. But outside of those occasions, things were less consistent, especially on weekdays and during off-peak hours. Five of the more than 25 eateries on Kirkwood took part in outdoor street activation last year. There were mixed opinions from businesses, with some restaurants against keeping the full closure.
City personnel looked at how well the corridor was working, how many people were using it, and how well it was running in terms of things like supply routes, emergency access, sanitation logistics, accessibility issues, and staffing needs.
Officials said that a 24-hour closure must work well all the time, not just during busy times. Based on performance statistics and feedback from the community, the staff suggested going back to a shared-street arrangement with allowed parklets. The Board agreed with the suggestion.
The 2026 initiative includes new design and accessibility criteria for parklets, ongoing funding for big festivals, and targeted small-scale events in partnership with businesses. The city will also gather information all year long in order to get ready for the full Kirkwood Corridor Study that is scheduled for 2027. The study will look at long-term safety, transportation function, and economic development issues in the larger downtown network.
As required by ordinance, the program will remain subject to annual review.
