City Beat: Council approves south-side subdivision rezoning

Jan Fisk: Downtown revitalization was a key pillar of work on council.

Phyllis Ferguson: Zone I's infrastructure has improved in recent years.

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Springfield City Council unanimously approved a rezoning request for a subdivision development on the far south side during its April 19 meeting.

The site is approximately 10 acres located on West Plainview Road near the intersection with South Campbell Avenue a few miles south of James River Freeway. The bill rezones the property as single-family residential from a county suburban residence district.

Mary Lilly Smith, city director of planning and development, said the city annexed the property in June 2020 and a bill was put forward at the time to rezone it as low-density residential, allowing 11 dwelling units per acre, which failed.

At the time of the first bill, council and city staff heard resident comments in opposition of the planned multifamily complex based on concerns of property values diminishing, traffic on Plainview Road increasing and student counts growing in the nearby schools, according to past reporting.

No speakers were present in opposition for the new bill reading on April 5, but council received two written comments in opposition from residents who live nearby.

Residential single-family zoning allows for seven dwelling units per acre compared with the four units per acre allowed by the county zone.

The rezoning application was submitted by developer Titus Williams of Prosperiti Partners LLC, under property owner Burning Tree Consulting LLC.

Williams said the planned development will have between 38 and 40 homes available for rent. He said crews will spend the rest of the year preparing the site for construction.

The original plan for the site was multifamily housing, Williams said, which caused opposition from the neighborhood.

“We went back to low-density multifamily, and they still wanted us to pursue single-family homes rather than multifamily,” Williams said.

According to city documents, the subdivision will be called Ward Branch.

Conditional use
At 204 W. Plainview Road, a conditional use permit was approved to allow a car wash to reopen within the general retail district. The site is the location of Ye Olde Buggy Bath self-service car wash, which has been closed for about three years.

At its April 5 meeting, Smith told council the property previously had a required conditional use permit, but conditional use permits are not resumed when a property is abandoned for a period of 12 consecutive months.

The applicant, property owner Wehr-Fourt LLC, will resume car wash operations and no changes are planned for the property other than those needed to make the car wash operational again, according to city documents.

Transition of power
Council also said goodbye to two members and welcomed newly elected members during its meeting.

Council members Phyllis Ferguson and Jan Fisk served their final meeting April 19 after both chose not to seek reelection earlier this month.

Mayor Ken McClure presented Ferguson and Fisk with plaques commemorating their time on council, as well as keys to the city.

“As my term comes to an end, I’m very proud of what our city has accomplished during the nine years I’ve served on council,” Fisk said. “There are so many projects I’ve been very proud to support these past years.”

Fisk cited supporting the Rountree neighborhood, revitalization of downtown buildings and attraction of business, such as Hy-Vee.

Heather Hardinger, director of workforce and economic development consulting projects at the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning, was sworn into Fisk’s General Seat A. She received 41% of the vote over opponents Randy Allen, Alexander Aton and Justin Burnett.

Ferguson gave her thanks to the rest of council and city staff for their cooperation and hard work over her six years on council. Ferguson held a focus on blighted properties in Springfield and particularly in Zone 1, and she praised the progress the northwest zone has made on infrastructure upgrades, a job center and the upcoming Fire Station 4 on College Street.

“We’ve worked long and hard on improving our beloved historic neighborhoods and to be equal participants at this city’s table,” Ferguson said.

Springfield voters elected Halo Massage and Wellness owner Angela Romine to fill Ferguson’s Council Zone 1 seat. Romine received 54% of the vote on April 6 over challenger Isabelle Jimenez Walker, a real estate broker and owner of Eagle Management & Realty LLC.

Two incumbent members were reelected April 6 and sworn into new terms. Matthew Simpson, director of research, strategic planning and grant development at Ozarks Technical Community College, maintained council’s Zone 4 seat, and attorney Craig Hosmer remains in General Seat B.

McClure also was sworn into a new term as mayor after securing reelection with 65.7% of the vote over challenger Marcus Aton, a local marketing professional.

Council also recognized the retirement of Smith. She announced her retirement in March, and after nearly four decades on staff, she’ll work her last day on April 30.