Normal is taking a first look at two zoning changes that could open up small residential work in its older neighborhoods: allowing accessory dwelling units, and loosening the rules that keep owners from fully repairing or rebuilding housing that doesn't fit current zoning (via WGLT).
The town council heard both ideas at a special session before its regular meeting on Monday, Nov. 2. Nothing was voted on; staff wanted early direction before drafting final language.
Nonconforming housing is anything legally built under older zoning that wouldn't be allowed today, such as a duplex in a single-family district. In Normal, owners of those buildings can't enlarge them, can't rebuild after major damage, and can't take on repairs that cost more than 50% of the property's fair cash market value.
The proposal would drop that 50% cap as long as the building keeps the same footprint, the same number of units and the same height. Associate planner Tessa Ferraro told the council the current standards are "very restrictive," noting that the long-standing goal had been to phase such uses out.
Mercy Davison, the town's director of planning and zoning, summed up the shift in an interview with WMBD: "Rather than trying to eliminate them over time, we feel like it's better to let people invest in them."
The second proposal would allow ADUs, which Normal doesn't permit today. An ADU is a smaller second home on the same lot with its own kitchen, bathroom and sleeping space, either attached to the main house or detached.
Under the draft, ADUs would be allowed on land zoned R1, R2 and R3, but not in multifamily buildings. The owner would have to live on the property, and the unit would be capped at under 800 square feet or less than half the size of the main house, whichever is smaller.
That reach matters: about three-quarters of Normal's residential zoning is R1 single-family, with R2 at 7% and R3, mostly student housing, at 16%. Davison pointed to shrinking household sizes, especially among renters, as a poor fit for a stock dominated by large single-family homes.
Nobody at town hall is predicting a building boom. Davison called it an incremental step that won't reshape many neighborhoods. Bloomington already has a similar ADU ordinance, and only one ADU has been built there. Mayor Chris Koos told WGLT's Sound Ideas he's heard "a lot of chatter" but no active interest. "We've looked at other communities that have had ADU ordinances in place and frankly there hasn't been much activity," he said.
ADUs have been on the town's list for a while; Normal's 2026-2029 strategic plan names "Preparing policy positions on Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)" as staff work. A statewide ADU bill has not passed the General Assembly.
Next comes public input, then a Planning Commission recommendation before the proposals return to the council. Koos said he expects the planning commission to take them up in December and new zoning rules to be in place by the end of the year. No hearing date had been posted as of Nov. 6.
Also Monday, the council approved a business licensing cleanup that drops outdated requirements, and unanimously told staff to prepare the 2026 tax levy ordinance. The estimated town rate would fall to $0.9312 per $100 of assessed value from $1.0461; the owner of a $280,000 home would see a $54 decrease, according to WGLT. A levy vote is expected in December.
Why it matters for Contractors
For small builders and remodelers in Bloomington-Normal, the nonconforming change is likely the one that pays off first. Owners of older duplexes and small multiunit buildings in single-family areas have had little reason to sink real money into them, because a big repair job could trip the 50% cap. If that limit goes away for like-for-like work, expect more calls for major rehabs, fire and storm rebuilds, and full system replacements on those properties. Those are jobs a small shop can handle, and the work stays inside the existing footprint.
ADUs are a longer bet. The owner-occupancy rule and the size cap keep projects small, and Bloomington's single unit is a fair warning against planning on a wave of backyard cottages. Still, the shop that knows the rules and can price a detached unit or conversion with confidence will get the call when one comes along. Watch the Planning Commission agenda in December. That's where the final language will show up, and where builders can weigh in if the size or occupancy limits look unworkable.