Community Health and Wellness Center

Yes, the new community health and wellness center is part of a voter-approved citywide referendum that went through extensive community outreach and engagement and ultimately, was approved by Bloomington voters in November 2023.   

The location of the new center was voted on in 2023 by City Council and included in the referendum education campaign and language. Bloomington residents had many opportunities to share their opinions about the project with City staff and the City Council at 19 public engagement events and numerous City Council meetings before the voters weighed in on whether they wanted a new community health and wellness center on the current Creekside Community Center site at 9801 Penn Ave. 

No formal offers were made to property owners. In the earlier stages of the Community Health and Wellness Center project, the City evaluated possible voluntary sales of properties. The City’s consultant reached out to some property owners on Newton and Morgan avenues to gauge their interest in selling their properties. During the design process for the planned community health and wellness center, the size of the facility was reduced. Therefore, additional land was not required as part of the construction of the project. 

The proposed parking for the community health and wellness center does not violate City Code. There will be sufficient parking. The City undertook a parking study to determine the number of parking spaces needed for the community health and wellness center. Parking demand for the redevelopment was estimated based on similar nearby sites and the ITE Parking Generation Manual. The results showed that the number of proposed on-site parking spaces slightly exceeds what is needed for the building. The reduction of off-street parking when supported by a parking study is explicitly permitted as part of a planned development. (see § 21.301.06(e)(5))  

The site plan for the community health and wellness center focuses on a connection to nature and natural areas. Those natural elements include a green parking plan with natural stormwater basins and native plants and trees serving as natural parking medians. Additionally, Nine Mile Creek/Harrison Park Picinic grounds is a 0.5 mile walk from the facility’s location. Civic Plaza (greenspace and amphitheater) is a 0.4 mile walk and Moir Park is a 0.7 mile walk.   

Bloomington prides itself in the amount of green space it has to offer residents, the national median for percentage of a city used for parks is 15%. Bloomington is around 36% of city land used for parks and green spaces. 

The City will build a new Community Health and Wellness Center to replace the Bloomington Public Health and Creekside Community Center buildings, which were built in the 1960s and are too small and outdated to serve the growing and evolving needs of residents.

A new Community Health and Wellness Center will strengthen access to health and wellness programs for our diverse region. The new facility will more effectively support public health services including immunizations, nutrition education, pregnancy and parenting education, older adult health resources and more.

Further, the new center will provide flexible gathering spaces and activities for community members of all ages and backgrounds, including older adults, families and those with disabilities.

The Community Health and Wellness Center would support a wide range of recreational, fitness and health activities. Since it would be significantly larger than the current Creekside and Public Health buildings combined, more recreational amenities could be added. Possible amenities include gymnasiums, a walking track, pool, indoor playground, multi-purpose rooms, and exercise spaces. There will be a significant amount of public engagement to inform the design and use of the facility.

Creekside Community Center, 9801 Penn Avenue South, closed May 30, 2025 to prepare for demolition to make way for the new Community Health and Wellness Center (CHWC). 95% of Creekside’s current programming will be housed on an interim basis either at Bloomington Center for the Arts, 1800 W. Old Shakopee Road, or Logan Lodge, 9930 Logan Avenue South, featuring four unique programming spaces.

Continuing programs include but are not limited to card groups, fitness classes, needleworking, crafting programs, music groups, special events and educational seminars. These programs will transition to the new CHWC when it opens in 2027, alongside expanded offerings for older adults and new amenities.

For the remaining programs and activities requiring alternate arrangements, staff continue to identify and work through creative and engaging solutions, including:

• Woodshop: Through an exciting partnership, Creekside woodshop users will have access to the woodshop facilities at the City of Eden Prairie’s Senior Center. The City of Bloomington will cover orientation and the first three months of use ($60 value) for those who participated at Creekside’s woodshop January 1 - June 1, 2025. After this period, standard fees apply.

• Boutique: Working closely with senior leaders and volunteers, staff are creating new retail opportunities through movable kiosks and display cases at Civic Plaza and special events such as the Bloomington Farmers Market. These innovative solutions will continue at the new CHWC.

• Lapidary: Acknowledging the importance of this unique craft, the City staff are actively exploring temporary locations and partnerships to keep the program thriving. A 2025 building analysis at Bloomington Center for the Arts will help determine a viable and permanent location.

• Billiards & Table Tennis: The CHWC architectural team is assessing how to incorporate table games into the new facility. In the meantime, the City is working with community partners, including Bloomington Public Schools, to provide engaging alternative spaces for players. Table Tennis will take place at Substance Church-Southside Campus gym at 6820 Auto Club Rd. through a partnership and rental agreement with the City.

• Food: In addition to programs for older adults, Creekside is home to the monthly Fare For All sale featuring name-brand food items at up to 40 percent off retail prices. City staff are investigating relocation options for the sale which is open to all with no income restrictions.

It will depend on the type of activity. Most city-run community centers have a mix of monthly and annual membership fees as well as daily and weekly passes for use of their fitness centers, pools and gymnasiums. To ensure accessibility, fees may include a sliding fee scale and variable pricing for programs depending upon a customer’s ability to pay. Generally, all of the fees in community centers go toward the cost of operations.

The CHWC project team provided 24 community engagement and public update opportunities between May 2024 and August 2025 in collaboration with the City’s Community Outreach and Engagement Division.

It is expected that the operating cost will be higher than the current Creekside and Public Health facilities since the new Community Health and Wellness Center will be three times larger than the existing buildings. To help plan for this, the project team is working with a consultant to build a detailed financial model (called a pro forma) that shows how much revenue will be needed to offset operating expenses. In 2024, the City asked residents what amenities the community desires in a Community Health and Wellness Center. This public input has shaped the design of the building and those refined amenities are now being used to estimate operating costs and better understand the value and benefits the new facility will provide to the community.

A feasibility study helps determine whether ideas for a new project are possible and make sense. PROS Consulting will conduct a feasibility study for the City to help us imagine what a new Community Health and Wellness Center will look like. They will gather input through meetings, surveys, and other methods to find out what residents want and need in the new center. They will also look for potential partners who might help make the center a success.

This preliminary study will kick off the community engagement process for facility design and will be updated as we move through additional community engagement and the design process in 2024 and 2025.

Here’s what the City and PROS Consulting will do during the feasibility study:

• We will analyze information about the people in the area, what other similar places are offering, how much money the center might make, and how many people might use the center.

• We will listen to what people in the community think. We'll gather opinions from residents, people who might use the center, leaders, and others through meetings, online comments and surveys. We will provide multiple opportunities for people to share their thoughts.

• We will identify the main programs and activities the center will offer.

• We will identify space requirements for core programs using the information we've gathered.

• We will produce a preliminary operational and financial plan to identify how the center will operate day to day. The plan will provide direction on operational standards, facility costs, hours of operation, maintenance, staffing levels, technology and customer service requirements, and potential partners.

• We will produce a preliminary pricing plan that explores how much to charge for programs and services, how to use the space efficiently, and overall financial planning.

The Community Health and Wellness Center project is pursuing a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification to surpass basic certification requirements by incorporating enhanced energy management, water efficiency strategies and sustainable materials, demonstrating commitment to environmental stewardship.  The proposed CHWC plans do include solar panels.

Bloomington Public Health (blm.mn/public-health) provides health services to a population of nearly 180,000 residents across Bloomington, Richfield and Edina. Additionally, Public Health serves people who work in and visit these communities. This tri-city relationship has been in place for 48 years, since 1977.

Public Health administers and implements programs and services to address these foundational public health responsibilities:

• Communicable disease control

• Chronic disease and injury prevention

• Environmental public health

• Maternal, child and family health

• Access to and linkage with clinical care

Staff serve everyone in the community with an emphasis on underserved populations. This includes individuals with less resources and those with functional or access needs. It also includes populations who have historically experienced health disparities due to structural racism, including immigrants and refugees, and individuals from our Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. For example, 86% of the clients of the Bloomington Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program in 2022 were from BIPOC communities.

Public Health remains committed to promoting, protecting and improving the health of all, with a focus on reducing health disparities and advancing racial equity.

No. Public health works on the prevention side of health; aiming to protect and improve the health of residents. Bloomington Public Health is not a traditional health care clinic in that it doesn’t treat acute illnesses or see sick individuals, and does not have a licensed physician on-site.

The services and work that happen from the Bloomington Public Health Center include: 

• Administration and operations – accounting, billing, grants and contracts coordination, communications, and more. 

• WIC (Women, Infants and Children) Supplemental Nutrition services such as height and weight checks, hemoglobin tests, and nutrition education. 

• Routine immunizations. Individuals are screened before their immunization; if they aren’t feeling well, staff reschedule their appointment.

• Health education, such as pregnancy and prenatal classes for Family Health clients. 

Bloomington Public Health is run by a team of motivated public health nurses, community health workers, public health professionals and support staff who promote its services and connect residents to community resources to support their overall health and well-being.

Yes. Ideally, some outdoor park elements will be included as part of the Community Health and Wellness Center campus.