Committee ready to select Jordan Valley gateway designer

The plaza would be situated on three acres at the northwest corner of National Avenue and East Trafficway, where a former quarry has been filled with dirt and rock removed from other construction sites around town.

The gateway plaza concept was the result of an extensive public input process that asked citizens to share their ideas for redeveloping the quarry site. This summer, the city sent out a request for qualifications to more than 60 design firms throughout the country. Eleven responded by the Aug. 20 deadline, said consultant Fred May with May & Associates.

A subcommittee comprising members of the Jordan Valley Advisory Committee, Springfield-Greene County Park Board, Sister Cities Advisory Board and Springfield Regional Arts Council has since narrowed the field to four firms.

The short list:

• Creative Ink Architects, Springfield;

• Butler, Rosenbury & Partners Inc., Springfield;

• Patti Banks Associates, Kansas City; and

• GreenWorks PC, Portland, Ore.

Subcommittee members interviewed representatives from all four firms earlier this month, and the panel is now in the final stretch of the selection process, May said.

“I think the key criteria they’re looking at is experience in projects that might be similar to the quarry project and experience in dealing with property that’s been filled,” he said. “They’re trying to use some quantifiable types of criteria, but they also have to look at subjective feelings about the firm and would it be a good fit for Springfield.”

Local contenders BRP and Creative Ink are well-known firms that are actively involved in downtown projects.

BRP is leading the redesign of Park Central Square and is the architect for the College Station theater and retail complex just west of the square. Creative Ink collaborated with Buxton-Kubik-Dodd Inc. to design the $5.9 million State Crime Lab being built just west of the Benton Avenue viaduct bridge.

Patti Banks Associates and GreenWorks each have completed a number of urban design and landscape architecture projects.

Mike Abbaté, one of three principals at GreenWorks, said the 17-employee firm has worked on urban parks and U.S. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified buildings. GreenWorks partnered with a German artist to design the award-winning Tanner Springs Park in Portland’s Pearl District, and the firm is working on seven park sites in Washington and Oregon to commemorate the Lewis and Clark expedition bicentennial.

Abbaté said the quarry site’s topography is somewhat intriguing from a design standpoint.

“You kind of rise up, which means that visually that’s a very prominent corner, and creating some kind of landmark or visual amenity would capture people’s attention,” he said. “There’s a tremendous potential for this being a very special urban place.”

Steve Rhoads, one of four principals with Patti Banks Associates, is likewise excited about the opportunity to design Jordan Valley Park’s gateway plaza, but he declined to discuss specifics about his firm’s vision for the quarry site.

Patti Banks Associates works primarily in the Midwest, and the 20-employee firm’s résumé includes Berkley Riverfront Park on Kansas City’s north side and a gateway feature in Kansas City, Kan., Rhoads said.

“We think that downtown Springfield is doing a lot of great things and that’s kind of what sparked our interest in it,” he said. “We’re just happy to be involved in the process.”

City Redevelopment Director Mike MacPherson said the subcommittee will recommend a firm to the Jordan Valley Advisory Committee, which would then vote on the recommendation. A project manager on city staff would then work with the firm to draw up a scope of service and draft contract for City Council approval, MacPherson said.

According to the RFQ, design work should begin in mid-November and wrap up by March 1. The only design stipulation is for a portion dedicated to Springfield’s sister cities, Tlaquepaque, Mexico, and Isesaki, Japan.

City officials are still exploring funding sources to pay for the design and construction of the plaza. One possibility is about $2 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that was previously appropriated for a multipurpose arena between the Springfield Exposition Center and Jordan Valley Car Park – a project that has since been scrapped in favor of a four-star hotel. Officials, however, cautioned that the fate of that funding is unknown.

Quarry Changes

What: Subcommittee is evaluating four design firms for Jordan Valley Park gateway plaza project.

So what: Selected firm will design unique entryway on park’s eastern end by early next year.

What’s next: City will work with firm to define project’s scope and identify funding sources.