City looks to reconfigure College Station parking, extend CID

Council heard several items affecting the center-city area. Along with the city’s latest move in the redevelopment of the Heer’s building, changes also were considered for the College Station development.

Parking reconfiguration

Council heard first reading on a bill that alters College Station’s master redevelopment agreement.

The biggest change is to the parking deck on the south part of the development. The new agreement makes the 361-space parking deck rectangular in shape rather than an L-shaped structure. The smaller footprint leaves a new tract of developable land at the corner of Campbell Avenue and McDaniel Street.

“What we’ve determined is that an L is inefficient,” said Springfield Economic Development Director Mary Lilly Smith, noting that the new configuration would run the parking deck north-south along Market Street.

CID extension

The downtown Capital Improvement District was also on the agenda. The district, first formed in 1999, originally was established for seven years. Council, however, had first reading on a petition from the district’s property owners that would extend the district for an additional 10 years.

The petition also makes two significant changes to the downtown CID, which was created to provide marketing and public property maintenance to center city. One petition eliminates the use of front footage as a method for special tax assessment. The other puts in place a quarter-cent sales tax for purchases made from businesses in the district.

Downtown arena

Another downtown issue concerns the previously proposed downtown arena.

Council considered a memorandum of understanding with Missouri State University to allow for community use of the Hammons Student Center on the Missouri State campus, contingent on the completion of construction of the school’s new JQH Arena.

The bill effectively nixes plans for a new arena next to the Springfield Expo Center, according to City Manager Bob Cumley.

“For what we have in mind – smaller athletic events, smaller concerts, tournaments – we think it will be very appropriate,” Cumley said. “It makes a lot of sense for the community.”

He said that the city is open to development ideas for the land next to the expo center, adding that the city will eventually put out requests for proposals, though there is no time frame for that action.

Also on the agenda:

• Council unanimously approved the Master Multichannel Video Providers’ Franchise ordinance.

The ordinance allows new potential cable providers to negotiate a build-out schedule with the city and sets the schedule if providers are unable to reach an agreement.

AT&T, the only potential customer to approach council, expressed opposition to the agreement. The phone company said the bill is too restrictive and gives the incumbent cable company, Mediacom, an advantage.

• Council also approved a second City Utilities property to be added to the Springfield-Greene County Parks system. Valley Water Mill, currently leased by Watershed Committee of the Ozarks, will be sub-leased to the parks department as one of four metropolitan community parks under development.

Parks Department Director Jodie Adams said the 122 acres will be used as park space and for an equestrian facility. A groundbreaking is scheduled for Nov. 9.

Airport terminal construction moves ahead of schedule

The Springfield-Branson National Airport’s $119 million terminal project appears to be ahead of schedule, Aviation Director Gary Cyr told City Council members during an Oct. 17 luncheon. The new completion date is fall 2008, in time for the holiday travel season, Cyr said during his progress report to the city.

“This is no surprise to our staff,” Cyr said of the new construction schedule. “We all know what we have ahead of us in the next couple of years. That’s the timetable that we’re shooting for, and with the previous successes we’ve had, we feel confident about that.”

The reason for the rapid pace: Bids on the initial site preparation work came in below estimates, allowing bids for the second phase of construction to go out ahead of schedule.

Bids for construction on the main terminal, Cyr added, could go out as early as mid-November.

West Des Moines, Iowa-based McAninch Corp. is developing a drainage system and other infrastructure in the $7.1 million Phase I.

Cyr said 80 percent of the site grading is complete and crews expect to begin pouring concrete before year-end.