Opinion: Springfield urban living grows each year

Almost 25,000 employees work within one mile of Park Central Square, an area in which six of the city’s top 10 major employers have operations, according to the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce. In the Springfield metropolitan statistical area, one in three employees work within three miles of downtown.

Hammons Field, Jordan Valley Park, live theaters, art galleries and more than 40 restaurants make center city a playful destination for a couple on a date or for the entire family. First Fridays and new events such as Taste of Springfield (Oct. 6 on the square) make downtown the place to see and be seen.

However, while work and play are much more high profile, the number of people choosing urban living is on the rise.

Who lives in center city?

In the updated urban housing study by Southwest Valuation (scheduled to be released on Oct. 3), the number of loft apartments and condominiums in downtown and Commercial Street has increased to 299 in 2007 from 45 in 2002. This represents approximately 500 more residents in the past five years. The study estimates the number of units will increase by another 550 during the next five years – which could bring the residential population to more than 1,500 by 2012.

The majority (72 percent) of residents are under the age of 30.

One notable loft-dwelling couple is Dan and Nicole Chilton, Springfield Business Journal’s Entrepreneurs of the Year, who live above their Moxie Cinema.

Chilton said their excursions occasionally take them across town to pick up theater supplies, for instance.

A growing number of residents is over 40 years old (11 percent). Bob and Vi Pilkington renovated the former Tack Shack building at 315 W. Commercial St. for their All-Seasons Chem-Dry business and six lofts, including their own. They worked in Springfield and lived in Marshfield for 12 years.

“We wanted to fulfill our dream of living and working at the same location,” Bob Pilkington said. “The biggest challenge for us empty nesters is not eating out every night.”

Rising condos

Condominiums only represent less than 5 percent of the current urban housing units. That number will change quickly, however, as two new projects usher in options for home ownership.

Craig Wagoner is developing Lofts at Jordan Creek at the southwest corner of National Avenue and Chestnut Expressway. The former warehouse and paint ball site will feature 20 lofts with a price range from $136,000 to $261,250.

Developer Matt Miller recently announced plans for Six23 Condos LLC with 38 condominiums on West Walnut, just south of the Monarch Art Factory. Prices also will start at $135,000. This represents the largest condo project to date for downtown and will join College Station as the early infill projects for the west side.

The urban housing study estimates that 30 percent of the 550 new housing units during the next five years will be condominiums, based on research in other regional markets.

This may be the time to consider living in the center of it all.

Rusty Worley, executive director of Urban Districts Alliance, can be reached at rusty@itsalldowntown.com.[[In-content Ad]]