City Beat: Two developers seek City Council approval

$2 million residential development, loft apartments among projects proposed

by Eric Olson

SBJ Reporter

eolson@sbj.net

Two first-reading bills at Springfield City Council's Feb. 9 meeting sought approval for new developments.

Home builder Mike Dobbs of Dobbs Homes Ltd. has plans to construct a duplex and planned subdivision in the 2200-2300 blocks of East Catalpa Street.

Dobbs is requesting rezoning of 14.8 acres there from a single-family residential district to a residential townhouse district.

Dobbs is planning a 30-lot planned community called Enchanted Forest on the north side of Catalpa and duplex homes on the south side. It is a $2 million project, he said.

Lots at Enchanted Forest would cost between $29,000 and $33,000, with homes in the $150,000 to $250,000 range. Dobbs said he plans on selling some lots to other builders, but architectural restrictions will apply.

Dobbs has not determined the number of duplexes to be built; city code allows up to 11 units per acre in a townhouse district, though six or seven units are typical.

Dobbs co-owns the land with members of the O'Reilly family under Catalpa Real Estate Co. LLC, he said.

Catalpa Real Estate Co. had the property under contract for two years before closing on it a few months ago, Dobbs said. The hold-up was that the heirs of the estate that owned it reside overseas.

Single-family zoning on the north, east and west sides, and heavy manufacturing on the south side, across railroad tracks, border the property.

Stipulations for Dobbs' development are additional 30-foot rights of way from the centerlines on Catalpa and Barnes streets; a 30-foot right-of-way triangle at the corner of Catalpa and Barnes; and a plan to solve the storm drainage flooding problem from this property onto Catalpa and Barnes. Those requirements must be met within a year of passage, the bill said.

Dobbs told council he has such plans. Dobbs originally approached council last summer, but the rezoning was null and void because a stormwater plan was not presented.

Dobbs is waiting for rezoning before he can go through with plans. The Planning & Zoning Commission recommends approval.

"It's a matter of procedure," Dobbs said.

Council will vote Feb. 23.

Downtown lofts

In center city, Paige E. Mulhollan Co. has plans to convert 331 E. Water St. into loft apartments.

Paige E. Mulhollan Co. is requesting the property, formerly Mulhollan Furniture Store, be rezoned from a heavy manufacturing district to a center city district. It is located at the northwest corner of Water and Jefferson, within Jordan Valley Park, and was last used by the Springfield R-12 School District. It is currently vacant.

City staff said loft apartments in this property are consistent with the Center City Plan Element of the city's comprehensive plan, which "encourages the utilization of vacant building space for housing in the downtown area (to) help create round-the-clock activity and should be a top priority."

Staff recommends approval, but with provisions for bike racks, and careful consideration of the placement of waste dumpsters, mailboxes and HVAC equipment.

City Council designated the Mulhollan Furniture building a local historical structure in 1986. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.