A divided crowd turned out to Springfield City Council’s meeting last night to share views on plans for a Menards store and retail center in west Springfield.
In all, 25 individuals signed up to speak at the public hearing for a proposed zoning change of 40 acres at the western edge of town, with 13 expressing their support for the home-improvement chain’s plans and a dozen nearby residents standing opposed.
The zoning bill would rezone the property at 3705 W. Sunshine St. to a highway commercial district from a combination of suburban residential and general retail. Before the public hearing, council voted unanimously to join the zoning ordinance with a bill that would accept the dedication of public easements as the developer seeks to make street improvements north and west of the intersection at Sunshine Street and Zimmer Road.
Tyler Edwards, a spokesman for Eau Claire, Wis.-based Menard Inc., said the company plans to hire 200 people for the store and projects $30 million in taxable revenue in its first year of operation.
Edwards said the proposed zoning is consistent with the city’s comprehensive plan for land use, being just north of where Sunshine transitions to U.S. Highway 60, and he noted the development would be sensitive to neighbors by exceeding setback requirements. With setbacks of 25 to 40 feet required for the proposed zoning, Menards’ store would be 85 feet away from rights of way to the east, 120 feet away from neighbors’ properties to the north and 440 feet away from residents to the west, he said. With no direct street connection to neighbors to the north and west, Edwards said he’s been baffled by the opposition to the company’s plans.
On April 9, Springfield’s Planning & Zoning Commission voted 5-4 against recommending council’s approval of Menards’ plans after residents voiced traffic, nuisance and safety concerns. On March 9, council approved the annexation of the Menards property and 6 acres of Missouri Department of Transportation and Greene County rights of way in anticipation of the proposed zoning change.
“I don’t understand how we’ll have any impact on these people, because it is so far away and there will be no commercial traffic,” Edwards said.
Nearby resident Patricia Mobley said she was against the project because the store and planned retail center would bring traffic to streets such as Zimmer, aka Farm Road 129, that aren’t equipped to handle the extra load.
“All of this is an accident waiting to happen,” Mobley said. “I feel very strongly that the city must address traffic concerns before rezoning this property.”
Springfield Planning and Development Director Mary Lilly Smith said Menards agreed to pay for all road improvements related to the rezoning and those changes were designed to handle additional traffic.
Several residents expressed light and water-pollution concerns. Steve Edmondson pointed to a $2.5 million fine levied by the state of Wisconsin 10 years ago for Menards’ violations of state water pollution laws and then noted the property’s nearby proximity to Wilson’s Creek, which runs about a mile north and west of the property. Edmondson also said he feared Menards would pull jobs and revenue from other competitors.
Florence Edmondson, his mother, said the area doesn’t need more low-paying retail jobs.
“I feel like if Springfield needs to get business in, it needs to get industry in. It doesn’t need these box stores. We have enough of those,” she said, asking council to keep the current zoning in place.
Edwards declined to say whether Menards would pay its employees a living wage when Councilman Mike Schilling tried to nail down the company’s average pay.
Supporters from the business community included past Springfield Public Schools board President Jerry Harmison of law firm Harmison & Pearman PC and downtown property owner Scott Tillman.
Harmison cautioned the city could lose the private investment to another community.
“If all Springfield citizens are to have opportunities for economic prosperity, Springfield must be viewed as a business-friendly community. Your vote on this case will send a message to companies considering relocation to Missouri,” Harmison said.
In 2009, council approved a Highway 60 corridor plan, which identified the now-Menards property as a good location for potential retail, and Tillman said he’s been buying land with future development in mind.
“If you’re not going to follow the plan approved by council, then that kind of gives me heartburn about what I’m doing,” he said.
Council is slated to vote on the combined bills at its May 11 meeting. [[In-content Ad]]
Moseley’s Discount Office Products was purchased; Side Chick opened in Branson; and the Springfield franchise store of NoBaked Cookie Dough changed ownership.
