Apartment building proposed along city’s Medical Mile

Last edited 8:28 a.m., March 18, 2026 [Editor's note: A name has been corrected.]

A four-story multifamily development called The Reserve at Medical Mile was recommended March 12 by the Springfield Planning & Zoning Commission.

A new planned development proposed for the project on 7.6 acres by applicant Bibi Oaks LLC is next scheduled to go before Springfield City Council with the first of two readings April 6.

The property is part of a 22-acre previously zoned planned development approved in 1990, with a portion of it updated to single-family residential in citywide rezoning in 1995, according to the staff report on the proposal. The property is defined as an institutional and employment center place type.

The project to add workforce housing at 3302 S. Maryland Ave. was boosted by a 5-2 vote of the commission. Two members, David Jacquez and Eric Pauly, voted against it while citing traffic and density concerns. Absent from the meeting and vote were Commissioners Randall Doennig and Layne Hunton.

Those concerns and others were also raised by four residents of the adjacent neighborhood as they spoke out against the development in the public hearing portion of the meeting.

The property is at the northeast corner of the intersection of Walnut Lawn Street and Maryland Avenue, where a traffic roundabout is located. Single-family residential housing is located to the west of Maryland Avenue. On the east side of the property are the Central Bank and Central Trust South National Avenue banking center and Mercy Corporate Health & Wellness. The CoxHealth medical campus and its Meyer Orthopedic & Surgical Hospital are located south of the property, which Nathan Reynolds, representing Bibi Oaks, described as currently a vacant asphalt lot.The U-shaped building is designed to offer 198 dwelling units, with up to 202 possible, that are mostly one-bedroom apartments with a handful of two- and three-bedroom units. It would have 313 parking spaces, 36 of those within garages.

Three amenities are included in the planned development proposal: a pool, a community and fitness area, and a dog park.

The zoning designation that is in place allows only a two-story building on the site, and the proposal approved by P&Z allows four. Pauly, in objecting to the development, said that if the developer were to bring it down to three stories, as suggested by nearby residents in the Feb. 19 neighborhood meeting, it would have a much better chance of proceeding.

Reynolds, a real estate agent and one of the developers of the proposed apartment building, said he is sensitive to the situation of the neighborhood, but he believes the end product will be a good one.

He added that the current zoning designation allows for a four-story inpatient or outpatient medical building, which would yield 10 times as much traffic as the apartment building. Pauly said he was not sure if he agreed with Reynolds’ assessment.

Jacquez also objected to the development, noting his main concern was traffic, particularly in the area of the existing roundabout. He added that he would like to see a traffic study prior to rezoning the property. City staff noted that a traffic study is not a requirement at the rezoning stage of the development, though that is a possibility as the project advances.

James Head, a resident of nearby High Meadow Estates, said during the public hearing that residents are already struggling with the cumulative effects of growth. While the staff report states that traffic is not expected to be significantly impacted by the proposed development, Head said the city’s project report shows 1,300 trips per day are anticipated, and the claim that there would be no significant impact does not stand up to scrutiny. Head urged commissioners to request a formal traffic study before proceeding, although they later voted at the meeting without acquiescing to that request.

Arlene Chriswell also spoke up with concerns about the project, citing an impact on neighbors’ quality of life with a building that would be taller than others in the immediate area. Chriswell said that the building would be a jump up, rather than the step up from single-family residential that the Forward SGF comprehensive plan suggests.

Christopher Brown raised the concern that the roundabout near the property may be nearing its capacity, and that is a problem that should be dealt with proactively. He, too, requested a traffic study before the commission vote.

Another safety concern, wind eddies for medical helicopters, was raised by Abbigale Haralson, who said pilots may have to redirect their course, costing time and potentially lives.

Project architect Brian Kubik of Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective said the building would be 155 feet from the nearby neighborhood, and a 30-foot buffer zone will include existing mature trees with more landscaping to be added.

Kubik also said the developer has offered to build a wooden privacy fence along the length of the perimeter and to provide gates at each neighboring property to allow access through the development.