City Beat: Council eyes addition at Pickwick & Cherry commercial area

Changes are in the works for a Rountree neighborhood taproom and beer garden, though Curtis Marshall, co-owner of Tie & Timber Beer Co., said the company is not ready to make an announcement just yet.

At its Sept. 23 meeting, Springfield City Council considered an amendment to the Rountree Urban Conservation District to allow a variance in allowable minimum ground floor elevations to 4 feet from the current maximum of 6 inches, provided the building has pedestrian amenities, which are part of the Tie & Timber plans.

As part of the council proceedings, Senior City Planner Michael Sparlin showed a rendering of a building planned at the site. It revealed that an existing building owned by Tie & Timber and that is currently being used for storage would be razed and replaced with a two-story structure where customers would be served.

Sparlin said the Rountree neighborhood plan identifies strategies to make the commercial area of Cherry Street and Pickwick Avenue safe and pedestrian friendly.

Sparlin said the beer garden would be located behind the building in what he described as a bowl, or a lower elevation. The construction of a lower level of the building would raise the first level above the six inches required.

Councilmember Abe McGull said as the commercial area of the neighborhood grows, the city should be mindful of the increased foot and vehicle traffic.

“As we begin to see the expansion of Cherry and Pickwick, which is economic development in that area, I hope we are thinking about expanding the traffic calming devices we use in that location because that is expanding the footprint,” he said.

He noted that the Rountree Neighborhood Association welcomes the growth of economic development.

Councilmember Derek Lee questioned whether the city should weigh in on such a granular issue, as doing so can slow projects down.

“The regulations in this particular area, we just have so many of them,” Lee said. “To me, it’s overregulated. The city of Springfield shouldn’t be involved in telling people where to put their finished floor elevation, in my opinion.”

Councilmember Matthew Simpson offered Marshall an opportunity to describe his plans for Tie & Timber.

Marshall declined, both at the meeting and in a follow-up phone call from Springfield Business Journal.

“I’d really not like to at this time, but it’s going to be a lot of fun – it’s going to be a fun project,” he said at the meeting.

A building permit filed with the city in November 2023 lists the project architect as Michael Hampton of Arkifex Studios LLC. The permit is for demolition of the existing building and new construction of a three-story bar and restaurant.

Council is scheduled to vote on the variance on Oct. 7.

Low-income housing
A $525,000 loan from the Comprehensive Housing Assistance Program administered by the Department of Planning and Development was approved for Maplewood Villas Phase II at 3905 W. Maple St.

The move required council to authorize an exception to the city’s established CHAP boundary, which the proposed development falls outside of, as it is located west of West Bypass.

CHAP provides loans for affordable housing construction and rehabilitation and is funded by Community Development Block Grant and Home Investment Partnership Program funds.

The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit project, proposed by The Kitchen Inc., will have 32 units for households age 55 and over and eight of those units reserved for formerly homeless veterans.

Annexations
The city is beginning to move on annexations of properties outside of the city limits where owners have signed consent-to-annexation documents – some many years ago – in exchange for connection to city services.

Council had a hearing on a proposal to annex 22 acres of private property into the city, with a vote set for Oct. 7. The territory includes seven properties in four areas.

“For all of these properties that are contained in this bill this evening, the current owner of the property is the same owner that signed the irrevocable consent to annex,” said Alana Owen, principal city planner.

The properties are generally located at 3000 W. Republic Road, near a Walmart Neighborhood Market and a CVS pharmacy; 5539 S. Campbell Ave. in the aera of the Community Blood Center of the Ozarks; 3911 E. State Highway D/Sunshine St., near a mini-golf business and a senior multifamily housing unit; and 3335 W. Sunshine St. near the planned Target store.

The properties are all non-residential except for one multifamily residential property and almost an acre of Greene County right-of-way.

Owen said the proposed annexations conform with the recommendations of Springfield’s comprehensive plan, Forward SGF, which states the city should prioritize annexation of areas with existing consents on file.

“It also looks at properties that are revenue-generating and located along those major economic corridors or the areas that are expected to have economic growth,” she said.

Annexation also prioritizes areas with existing city infrastructure and access to police and fire coverage.

Owen said the city began with properties where the ownership is unchanged since the signing of the consent documents.

“In the future, you will see that we will broaden out those areas and look to annex more of the properties around these particular areas that we do have those existing agreements on as well,” she said.

Councilmember Craig Hosmer said there is a financial benefit to property owners whose property is annexed into the city through elimination of utility surcharges for outlying areas and entitlement to regular city services. Owen noted in most cases, property taxes are lower as well.

Owen said there are about 560 consent-to-annex permissions on file around the city.

Rezonings
Several rezoning proposals also came before council. Public hearings were held, and all will be voted on at council’s Oct. 7 meeting.

A redesignation of a recently annexed 2.7 acres at 3801 W. Sunshine St. to highway commercial from general commercial was requested by McCurry Plaza LLC, which intends to establish a new commercial development.

The development would be just west of West Bypass and across Sunshine Street from Walmart Supercenter. A new Target store is also currently under development on the other side of West Bypass.

A rezoning requested by Frisco Building LLC at 3253 E. Chestnut Expressway seeks the designation of highway commercial from heavy manufacturing.

There are no longer uses at the 8-acre parcel related to heavy manufacturing, and the highway commercial district will allow uses like a restaurant that serves the public, according to the explanation of the bill.

Council considered a request by Lester E. Cox Medical Centers for the rezoning of 12 acres at 3525 E. Battlefield Road to government and institutional from general retail.

CoxHealth plans future development of the site, according to the explanation of the bill presented to council, but its exact plan was not disclosed during the meeting or in support materials. A CoxHealth spokesperson told SBJ via email that no specific project is planned.

“In general, the new zoning is less restrictive, and that flexibility could be beneficial as we care for our growing community in the future,” said Cary Nabors, manager of public relations.

Another rezoning being considered is for 1.6 acres of property generally located in the 1300 block of East Florida Street. The move to residential townhouse district from general manufacturing was requested by William and Andrea Mosely, who would like to build new residential duplexes and possibly some single-family housing on the existing lots.

Other action items

• Council approved $11 million in projects and programs for the city’s quarter-cent Capital Improvement Sales Tax and eighth-cent Transportation Sales Tax. Revenue from the voter-approved taxes is estimated at $63 million for the CIST through 2028 and $32 million for the TST through 2029. Council approved 14 CIST and 13 TST projects, including sidewalk work, signage and road markings, traffic calming measures, center city development, reforestation and landscaping, bridge repair and replacement, walkability initiatives and more.
• An $895 million budget was approved for City Utilities of Springfield, as were boosts in natural gas rates for customers of 2.5% on Oct. 1, 2025, and 3.9% increases the two following years. A 20% reduction in transit rates – from $1.25 to $1 for regular adult bus fares – was also approved.
• The city has nearly $84,000 left in its Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery/American Rescue Plan Act funds, and council discussed allocating it all to the Springfield-Greene County Library District for renovations to the Midtown Carnegie Branch Library. Council is scheduled to vote on the matter on Oct. 7.
• Council is also considering the purchase of property at 817 N. Boonville Ave. owned by Tyrone L. Conklin for $110,000. The building, located across the street from the Busch Municipal Building, was previously the site of Conklin Bail Bonds. Finance Director David Holtmann said the building would serve as storage or office space for buildings relocating during renovation projects. “The city has targeted the properties on the west side of the 800 block of North Boonville for future expansion of the government plaza,” Holtmann said. A vote will be held Oct. 7.