60-member task force wrestles with multifamily housing

The questions facing the community are many: How much do we need? Where should it be? What can existing infrastructure support, and what improvements might become necessary? How can we implement a more consistent and objective approach to the city’s rezoning process?

These are fair questions that should be considered. Before doing anything, objective data and information should be gathered and studied by a representative group of stakeholders in multifamily housing. Sufficient opportunity should be given for members of the industry and the public to work toward solutions to any concerns raised by that objective data. We should consider what the role of government in the issue should be – and what it should not be.

Unfortunately, the city stumbled out of the gate on this one. Last month, with no supporting data or evidence, and with no notice to city staff, citizens or the building community, city council proposed a surprise four-month moratorium on all multifamily and planned development rezoning cases. The moratorium would stay in place while the city’s rezoning process is reviewed for recommended changes.

The decision to pursue this extreme course came so fast that it never made it to a single public meeting agenda. Council members added it to their Sept. 5 agenda at the beginning of the meeting, with intent to adopt it at the end of the same meeting, around midnight.

At the urging of the Home Builders Association of Greater Springfield and other concerned members of the development community, council backed away from its original plan. Thoughtful and levelheaded voices of reason including councilmen Ralph Manley and Denny Whayne recognized that council was too far ahead of itself. An ill-conceived four-month blanket moratorium on apartments and planned developments was averted. Instead, apartment zoning cases in the next 120 days must be submitted as planned developments, until a citizen task force makes recommendations for updating the city’s apartment zoning system.

The charge of that newly formed citizen task force is to establish a clear, consistent and fair process for multifamily rezoning cases. The criteria for who serves on the task force was simple: Anybody who wants to be on the task force is on the task force. I wanted to be on the task force, so I qualified – along with more than 60 others representing various interests throughout the community.

The first meeting of the task force was held on Oct. 9. Predictably, there was little initial consensus. Members of the group all seemed to have their own ideas about the purpose of the task force. Some see no need for any change. Others see themselves as representing very specific neighborhood interests, using the opportunity to advocate for a broad anti-development agenda. The group is scheduled to meet every two weeks until Christmas – and longer if necessary.

I must admit that I have serious concerns about a volunteer task force that large making new rules for a complex and specialized process such as zoning. Its effectiveness remains to be seen, but I am hopeful that future meetings will bring better focus to the issue at hand.

What by now is clear is that some people already appear to have capriciously determined that too many apartments are being built in Springfield. The anti-development sentiments expressed in open City Council meetings are unmistakable. Do those who make such assertions offer any evidence as to their accuracy? Or of the negative impact that severe development restrictions would have on our local economy? Did they consider that multifamily vacancy rates are less than 8 percent citywide? Or the thousands of jobs that hang in the balance? Did they consider the market’s inherent ability to respond to our community’s demand for housing? Did they consider future housing prices for low-income families, minorities or seniors on fixed incomes? Clearly not. Any of those considerations would plainly demonstrate that we need more – not less – affordable housing.

The HBA of Greater Springfield vigorously defends housing affordability. In recent years we have enjoyed a productive working relationship with city leaders. City officials consistently repeat their goal of “no surprises” when working with the development community. Members of City Council have told HBA members that they appreciate the jobs and economic growth that come with home building. These council members also have shared their desire to maintain open lines of communication on issues that affect our industry.

As this task force works on this important issue in the weeks and months ahead, I am hopeful that we can return to that more constructive approach.

Matt Morrow is executive officer of the Home Builders Association of Greater Springfield. He can be reached at mmorrow@springfieldhba.com.