City Beat: Council members voice concern about urban sprawl but OK rural development

All but one member of Springfield City Council voted in favor of rezoning for a contested multimillion-dollar development slated to bring 510 housing units to 48 acres in the city’s northeast corner.

At council’s Nov. 3 meeting, a need for additional housing in the city was cited by some of the members who voted 8-1 in favor of the rezoning, even as some expressed reservations about urban sprawl. Councilmember Craig Hosmer cast the sole “no” vote.

The vote reclassifies recently annexed property to a planned development from a Greene County agricultural designation.

Plans for the development call for 46 single-family homes and villas, eight duplexes, seven townhomes and 10 three-story apartment buildings at the intersection of East Division Street and Le Compte Road.

The yet-unnamed development is being proposed by East Division Development LLC. Springfield-based Napredak Builders LLC is heading up the project with funding by California-based private equity firm Canyon View Capital Inc.

At council’s Oct. 20 public hearing on the rezoning bill, 31 speakers – some from neighboring single-family housing districts like Cooper Estates – stepped up to the microphone, with most opposed to the plans, mostly on the basis of the project’s density.

Prior to the Nov. 3 vote, council discussion expanded into a different concern: urban sprawl.

Councilmember Brandon Jenson said this concern was larger than the development being discussed.

“The comprehensive plan is very clear that we should prioritize and guide the market to infill and redevelopment versus greenfield development on the edge of town that continues to take up prime agricultural and farmland,” Jenson said.

Jenson read from Chapter 7, the “Housing and Neighborhoods” chapter, of the Forward SGF comprehensive plan, adopted by the city in 2022. It says, “The location of higher-density residential development should be targeted to enhance and support existing transit and economic centers rather than drawing activity and investment away towards new centers.”

Each major development approved by council on the city’s periphery works against that goal, he said.

“We are signaling to the development community that they should continue to prioritize investing in outward growth rather than densification within our city,” he said.

Jenson said the city’s current incentive structure does not prioritize infill and redevelopment.

“Sprawl will be detrimental to the long-term financial and environmental health of our community and our region,” he said. “At some point, we’re going to have to draw a line in the sand.”

Nevertheless, Jenson said he would be voting in favor of the proposal because of the need for housing in the city. The city’s 2023 housing study found there was a deficit of almost 14,000 total housing units in Springfield.

Hosmer, on the other hand, said he would be voting against the measure.

He said the property was annexed into the city with the idea that it would be for traditional residential neighborhoods, and that does not describe the proposed development.

“We’ve got empty buildings all over the city of Springfield – vacant lots all over the city of Springfield – that you can build multifamily housing in, and it would fit in; it would be close to services,” Hosmer said. “And yet what we’re doing is we’re taking farmland on the outskirts of the city of Springfield and building apartment complexes. No city planner looking at this objectively would say that’s a good idea – nobody.”

Hosmer said the city – rather than developers – must be in charge of planning.

“We let developers plan our city,” he said. “We spot-zone. We give a zoning because a developer tells us we should, rather than us as a city planning our city.”

Hosmer said council frequently talks about its desire to emulate other cities, like Bentonville, Arkansas, for their quality of place.

“If you don’t start planning sometime where you stick to your plan, you’re never going to have the city you want to have,” Hosmer said. “You get the city you work for.”

Councilmember Abe McGull offered no reluctance to approve the rezoning. He pointed to the economic benefit that is likely to come from the development.

“It is our duty to protect the rights of those who are investing millions of dollars in our city,” McGull said. “When I hear that it’s a $100 million project, I can’t help but think about all the carpenters, plumbers and local electricians that will be employed for the next six to 10 years in this project, which is a phase-in project.”

The staff report submitted at this rezoning stage of the development does not include the cost of the development. SBJ previously reported that the developer has offered to pay the city $1.2 million for intersection improvements at Le Compte and Division.

Councilmember Heather Hardinger spoke up to clarify that the vote was limited to the rezoning request. A preliminary plat would come at a future date.

“There will be further technical review, of course, and then continued opportunities for public input,” she said.

She added that meaningful progress has taken place behind the scenes between the developer and neighborhood representatives, and it is her hope that the progress they made together would be reflected in the final plan.

Sunshine Towne Center
The site of a future second Target store was a bear to work with, to hear developer Tom Walker of Springfield West Partners LLC tell it.

“Just to give you a frame of reference, I’ve built projects four times this size, much more complex,” he said. “We built a water tower in Ozark, which is the worst thing I’ve ever done in my life – but this project was just off-the-charts difficult to develop because of the flooding, the water, the drainage.”

The Target and other commercial developments are either in place or taking shape in Sunshine Towne Center, a 23-acre site at the southeast intersection of Sunshine Street and West Bypass.

The developer was seeking an amendment to its 27-year community improvement district agreement to cover approximately $780,000 in public improvements beyond the scope of the original agreement, according to a report by Amanda Ohlensehlen, who directs the city’s Department of Workforce and Economic Vitality.

The bill also included an amendment by Councilmember Callie Carroll to replace a member on the CID’s independent board of directors to meet requirements for the makeup of the four-member body. Carroll’s amendment replaces Tyler Creach with Andrew John Chavez, to join the other three board members, Curtis Jared, David Havens and Kerry Rovig. The amendment pushed the vote to another public hearing on Nov. 17, with a vote set to follow.

Walker told council the site was difficult to develop, but its problems have been resolved.

“We’re past all that,” he said. “We think we’ve solved some significant problems out there with flooding, and we’re actually very proud of the product that we’ve put together.”

Walker said demand has been “off the charts” by retailers interested in commercial space on the site.

“I walked through the store today and was blown away,” he said. “I’ve built more than 50 big boxes in my career, and this is by far the most beautiful store I’ve ever seen in my 40-year career.”

Walker said his company worked hard with due diligence and cost estimates. It received approval, was issued permits and began construction.

“We started construction, and City Utilities informed us that the way we had thought we were going to be able to tap the sewer and the water lines, they never approved those,” he said. “I was like, I beg to differ with you – but that’s irrespective of that.”

Jamie Presley, manager of communications for City Utilities of Springfield, told SBJ by email that CU teams worked closely with the developer and on-site contractor to move the project forward efficiently. As construction advanced, CU’s engineering team identified challenges that needed to be addressed.

“In collaboration with the on-site contractor, our engineers developed and updated design that serves the development from the east side – providing a more reliable sustainable and cost-effective long-term solution,” Presley said.

She added that CU can address the water portion of the development, but the sewer connection referenced by Walker is the city’s.

The CID, which does not include the Target portion of the site, implements a 1% sales and use tax on goods within the district to generate an estimated $2.2 million of reimbursable project costs for interior streets and utility infrastructure, according to past SBJ reporting.

Other action items

• Three zoning measures were given first readings and public hearings, with votes set for Nov. 17. Paul Mueller Co. is seeking the rezoning of a quarter acre at 426 N. Warren Ave. to limited business from residential townhouse for the purpose of replacing an existing single-family home with a parking lot. Morris Loan & Investment Corp. wants to rezone 3 acres at 2565 N. Kansas Expressway to highway commercial from general retail for outdoor storage. And Deckard & Ward LLC is asking to rezone just under an acre at 2404 E. Sunshine St. to general retail from a planned development to redevelop it for commercial or retail use.
• A first reading and public hearing were held on an agreement among the city and the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission and TransCore ITS LLC to develop, implement and maintain hardware and software for the city’s traffic management center at a cost not to exceed $115,000.