Center City Scenes: City needs reinstatement of redevelopment review team

This quote is from the report “Older Area Development Problems in Springfield, Missouri” adopted by City Council on Sept. 20, 1993. Now, 15 years later, similar concerns are surfacing in the development community.

With more than $170 million in construction projects in center city, the stakes are high for everyone involved. Developers and lending institutions could save thousands of dollars in interest and legal fees; the city could receive sales and property taxes faster; and the surrounding property owners and residents could have an enhanced quality of life with adjacent development.

A recent Discover Downtown trip to Kansas City featured a session on development facilitation and coordination for the new Power and Light District. It was estimated that due to enhanced communication and processes, the project’s first phase was accelerated by 12 to 18 months – not inconsequential for an eight-block, $850 million mixed-use activity center.

The city of Springfield’s 1993 report made five primary recommendations, including establishment of a redevelopment review team. “(The committee) will consist of key city staff that will meet regularly to discuss projects with property owners (and prospective property owners) and their representatives (designer, Realtor, banker, etc.). Everyone who will make decisions regarding the project will have the opportunity to understand the requirements and incentives, discuss concerns and participate.”

The redevelopment review team was an effective tool in the mid to late 1990s and should be reinstituted with its original concepts in order to leverage significant public and private partnerships.

The Urban Districts Alliance should – and will – do more to help energize this process. It can help with facilitation and administrative tasks to allow the city’s Department of Building Development Services to focus on plan review and communication.

Private developers on the Discover Downtown trip expressed a willingness to pay additional permit fees in exchange for a process the redevelopment review team provided that resulted in more timely feedback from departments (including building inspectors) in the early phases of the project.

The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce also is a valuable resource to bring together development perspectives from across the community to identify ways to streamline the process.

With these forms of private partnerships, the city should expand its commitment to development by lifting its hiring freeze in Building Development Services. Staff members already are planning to organize a training session for developers and designers this fall to review all of its processes and timelines with the goals of facilitating timely and complete submissions, addressing key obstacles and expediting approval and permitting.

Thankfully, there’s no need to recreate the wheel. The city can enhance a program already formally adopted by City Council by bringing more people and resources to the table. Just like in 1993 – we can do better.

Rusty Worley, executive director of Urban Districts Alliance, can be reached at rusty@itsalldowntown.com.