The Bloomington City Council approved new co-living housing standards Monday night, creating regulations for an emerging housing option designed to increase affordability in the city.

The ordinance establishes requirements for co-living arrangements where multiple individuals lease private rooms while sharing kitchens and common spaces. The new standards include a minimum private room size of 70 square feet, one kitchen per floor, and parking requirements of 0.5 spaces per co-living unit. The regulations also mandate dedicated bicycle parking and compliance with building, fire and stormwater management codes.

The council also modified the city's definition of "family" to allow up to six unrelated adults to share a home, an increase from the previous limit of four people. Co-living developments will be permitted in higher-density residential and commercial districts under the new framework.

Mayor Tim Busse said the housing type could attract older residents seeking communal living arrangements as well as mobile professionals and younger workers. The standards aim to create more affordable housing options while protecting neighborhood character and quality of life.

Separately, Busse announced three new businesses opened in Bloomington during the past week. Mount Olivet Rolling Acres opened a youth crisis home for ages 12-18 on April 26, Relaxing Healthy Center launched wellness services with an attached Northern Kitchen restaurant, and Wilderness Inquiry celebrated its first permanent location with a ribbon cutting April 29.