Council approves annexation request

Springfield City Council voted 7-2 to approve a voluntary annexation request for nearly six acres at Sunshine Street and Blackman Road. The owner, Christian Church of Mid-America Inc., also has a request in the works to rezone the property for general retail use.

Councilwoman Cindy Rushefsky voted against the annexation, saying she didn’t see any specific benefit for the city from annexing the property.

“I’m hearing about the general benefit (of annexation) – if we build a retail property, which is what is envisioned here, we would get additional sales tax,” she said at the meeting. “The annexation itself doesn’t present any real advantages for the city.”

Rushefsky noted that more than 1,100 acres have been added to the city since the beginning of 2005, “with certainly the potential for need for additional services in those areas, at a time when we are being pressed to fulfill the needs of the community that we already have.”

She also expressed concern that the proposed rezoning is opposed by many neighbors; the tract is surrounded on three sides by single-family homes.

Councilwoman Mary Collette, however, voted for the annexation because, she said, council cannot protect the property if it’s not part of the city. Mayor Tom Carlson echoed those sentiments.

“The developer is taking its own risk in bringing (this annexation) forward,” he said. “We may or may not rezone the property, and I feel no obligation whatsoever other than to give it full consideration later on when the zoning matter comes before us.”

Council is expected to consider the rezoning request at its Dec. 17 meeting.

See SBJ’s Nov. 26 issue for more from the council meeting.