City receives 4 proposals for downtown development

Requests for proposals and statements of qualifications were due back to the Jordan Valley Park TIF Commission by 3 p.m. yesterday. The commission solicited the proposals after plans for a downtown arena on the site were scrapped.

The four interested groups:

• BKD LLP would build in two phases. The first phase would include new headquarters and a Springfield practice operations building with additional commercial/retail space. Phase II would have an additional building for mixed-use development.

• Springfield-Greene County Park Board and Springfield R-XII Public Schools proposed to build a joint administrative center with shared conference rooms, a large auditorium and central reception area.

• John Q. Hammons pitched a five-story Class A office building with first-floor retail space.

• HCW Evergreen LLC proposed a Hilton or Embassy Suites hotel with meeting space, residential condominiums, a restaurant, a swimming pool and office space.

The four parties are invited to make presentations on their proposals 1:30–3:30 p.m. Monday at a special TIF commission meeting in the fourth-floor conference room at the Busch Building. The commission will make its decision at a March 5 meeting.