Council amends Galloway rezoning bill

The fate of a Galloway Village rezoning request has been further delayed to the Sept. 21 Springfield City Council meeting.

At last night’s meeting, council approved an amendment to the rezoning bill for the proposed mixed-use project called Treadway. It was followed by nearly an hour of public discussion, with most speaking out against the amendment and project.

The amendment, which was proposed Sept. 2 by developer Mitch Jenkins of Elevation Development Co., passed 7-2. Council members Mike Schilling and Craig Hosmer voted against the proposal. The decision means the rezoning bill is set for a likely final council vote Sept. 21.

Jenkins is seeking to rezone roughly 4 acres at 3535 S. Lone Pine Ave. for the development. Many Galloway Village residents have been critical of the project first introduced in 2018 that seeks to bring retail, office, restaurant space and two multifamily buildings to the area.

In the approved amendment, Elevation Development is decreasing the height limit to 56 feet from 60 feet for buildings that are more than 60 feet from the street. A planned underground parking garage also is being removed, with city staff noting the action reduces the amount of grading.

However, the amendment also reconfigures parking spaces for the development, requiring the removal of eight existing trees and the addition of a retaining wall not to exceed 8 feet, said city Director of Planning and Development Mary Lilly Smith.

During last night’s public hearing on the rezoning, a total of 16 residents spoke, with 13 opposed to the amendment and the project.

“The consistent problem with this development is the attempt to cram too much into too small of a space,” said resident Tom O’Connell. “A 4-foot reduction in height and removing eight more trees from the initial 279 is not a compromise and still does not belong in Galloway.”

Melanie Bach, president of the Galloway Village Neighborhood Association, said the amendment does nothing to address concerns of the total units and density of the project.

“It is absurd, almost obscene, the amount of the city’s time and money that has been wasted on this to be the end product that we’re presented with,” she said.

Resident Justin Skinner was among the few at the meeting defending the amendment and project at large.

“I believe the amendment is proof that the developer, Mitch Jenkins, has listened and will listen, and is able to adjust his plans accordingly,” he said.

Jenkins previously revised his plan by reducing the scale of the buildings along Lone Pine Avenue to two stories and the building height to a 45-foot maximum, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting.

The public hearing on the amendment was continued to the Sept. 21 council meeting, prior to the rezoning bill vote.