City Beat: Neighbors concerned about Abbey expansion

A proposal to rezone 18.6 acres for a 33-unit apartment building drew complaints from neighbors during the Aug. 4 Springfield City Council meeting. Among their concerns were increased stormwater flooding, noise, traffic and lower property values.

TLC Properties seeks council approval to move forward with the additional facility at The Abbey Apartments, 1530 E. Erie St.

During the public hearing for the zoning change, three neighbors who reside in homes just downhill from the 331-unit south-side apartments voiced their opposition. However, a representative of the developer said the additional building – estimated to cost around $2.5 million – shouldn’t make drainage problems any worse, and a city stormwater engineer said a key uphill drainage issue now has been addressed.

At the meeting, resident Bill Morris said a storm around 14 years ago flooded 2 feet of water into his basement, and he had to take out a loan to make improvements. The city has since addressed drainage issues in the area, but Morris said low ground on East Walnut Lawn, south of The Abbey, is still prone to flooding.

“A pond will still form sometimes, flooding the street and flooding vehicles that try to pass. This will happen during heavy rains. During moderate to heavy rains, a river of water comes down from The Abbey toward my driveway and east into the drainage ditch,” Morris said. “If flooding continues to be an issue in my neighborhood, sooner or later, (Federal Emergency Management Agency) is going to remap us and put us in a flood zone. Putting another large building there, it just seems would create more flooding problems for the neighborhood.”

Nearby residents believe the building would increase traffic and decrease privacy. Resident Leon Earwood said TLC Executive Director Sam M. Coryell addressed some neighbor concerns, such as modifying the original plans for a four-story structure to a three-story building, but Earwood said the apartment expansion would reduce property values in the area.

“I believe if the situation was reversed and the neighborhood was doing things to reduce the value of Mr. Coryell’s property, he would not be pleased. The neighborhood should be given the same consideration,” Earwood said.

Resident Janet Wall said neighbors already live in fear of the next major flood, and TLC’s proposed building would not alleviate those concerns.

“The elevation of The Abbey’s grounds is considerably higher than to the south, and water drains downhill,” Wall said. “One comment from one of the commissioners at one of the meetings, and I’m paraphrasing, is that it was important for Mr. Coryell to maximize on his financial investment for his greatest return, but how about the greatest return for the dozens of homeowners still afflicted by water in and around their homes? We speak from experience.”

Rodney Colson, stormwater engineer for the city of Springfield, told council he visited the apartments about three weeks ago after a rain event and saw obstructions preventing water flow to the regional detention area west of the apartments.

After becoming aware of the problem, Colson said TLC management removed the blockages.

Brett Stevens, project architect for H Design Group LLC and representative of the developer at the Aug. 4 meeting, said TLC would work to minimize flooding in the area. According to city codes, Stevens said the new structure couldn’t make flooding worse downhill.

“Any new stormwater off this building, as you know, would not drain off into the neighborhood,” he said at the meeting. “We can’t make anything worse, and if anything, we’ll make it better.”

In all, the structure would add 33 units to the complex, bringing its total to 364, according to Stevens. The current planned development only allows for up to 350 units. The bill’s second reading and vote is scheduled for council’s Aug. 18 meeting.

Cell reception
During its Aug. 4 meeting, council held a public hearing on a bill allowing City Utilities to contract with wireless service providers and use utility poles to fill coverage gaps for their customers via small-cell transmitting technology.

Todd Murren, director of CU’s SpringNet Broadband, represented the public utility at the meeting. Murren said he’s been in talks with Springfield Building Development Services Director Chris Straw for years about how they could best meet a community and business need to improve wireless service without putting a burden on residential neighborhoods.
 
Straw introduced the bill and Murren answered a series of questions about possible new poles, which could be built up to 50 feet – some 15 feet higher than traditional poles.

“Small cell is the next, natural progression for wireless technology,” Murren said. “Typically, they’d been seen in multiple-dwelling units where there’s a high concentration of cellphone users or where there’s heavy usage.

“We have had pole attachment obligations since the 1970s with cable TV, with the phone company; this is simply that technology and those industries morphing into something new.”

Murren said CU would construct and maintain the poles with money generated through leasing space to telecommunications companies.

He said the larger poles could hold equipment from multiple companies, but it the revenue didn’t cover the costs, the projects is a no go.

After the meeting, Murren told Springfield Business Journal it was too soon to estimate how much revenue CU could generate from leasing pole space.

Councilman Craig Hosmer and Councilwoman Cindy Rushefsky expressed concerns about the impact the new poles could have on neighbors.

“I’d be more comfortable if we could do something like this on a test basis,” Hosmer said, adding both health and visual obstruction concerns could be issues for residents. “In my neighborhood, in Rountree, you could have some neighbors coming unglued.”

Councilman Jeff Seifried said there is a demand for improved service on Springfield’s north side.

“You don’t have to put these in Rountree, but you can put them in north Springfield because we need more bandwidth,” Seifried said.

Council is scheduled to vote on the issue Aug. 18.[[In-content Ad]]