Council approves petition for new CID downtown

Springfield City Council Oct. 15 approved the petition to create the Convention and Entertainment Com-munity Improvement District, in which the city and developer John Q. Hammons and his wife Juanita are the only property owners.

In the same action it approved a budget amendment for fiscal 2001-2002 in the amount of $54,000 representing the city's payments in lieu of taxes for the CID.

Meanwhile, council decided that boarded-up buildings and major changes to the Land Development Code require further study.

The proposed ordinance to address the long-standing problem of boarded up buildings in the city was sent to council's plans and policies committee by motion of Mayor Tom Carlson.

The bill proposing significant changes to the Land Development Code was tabled indefinitely after a motion by Councilman John Wylie. He asked that a study session be scheduled.

Boarded-up buildings

Boarded-up buildings have been a frustrating concern to city residents and neighborhood associations for years. Several neighborhood association members addressed the issue before council.

In December, council had a chance to see the problem firsthand during a tour of several neighborhoods, which prompted the request to beef up the Dangerous Building Code and the administration and enforcement of codes.

After council directed city staff to prepare an ordinance, several cities were contacted for information about how they handle the situation.

The bill before council proposes that building owners must apply for a $200 renewable permit and must allow a city inspection before boarding up buildings, according to Nick Heatherly, director of Building Development Services for the city.

The permit would be valid for 180 days, at which time it might be renewed for an additional $200, accompanied by a new inspection to make sure the building is safe and secure.

If an owner fails to follow the law, the building could be declared a dangerous structure, and the city could use eminent domain to deal with the building.

Existing boarded-up buildings will have to comply with the regulations and are grandfathered in only until 180 days after the ordinance goes into effect.

Carlson suggested that a $200 permit wasn't high enough. Another suggestion was that a time limit be set for how long a building can be boarded-up.

Rezoning

A bill to rezone about 3.3 acres at 2136 E. Kearney from a general manufacturing district to a highway commercial district was approved for the John L. Morris Trust.

Another bill, to rezone about 14.6 acres on the west side of the 3800 block of South Mentor Avenue from a single family residential district to a planning development district, failed. The request was proposed by Sequiota Investment Inc. The Planning and Zoning Commis-sion had recommended that the zoning change be denied.

About 2.74 acres on the east side of the 2800-2900 block of South National Avenue was changed from an office and single-family residential district to a planned development district. The re-quest was by SNI Properties, LLC.

One acre of land at 1310 S. Glenstone Ave. was rezoned from a general retail district to a highway commercial district at the request of Dale W. Thompson Sr.

Dearborn Development Inc. and Mod-ern Tractor and Supply Company re-ceived approval for an amendment to a planned development district for about 9.26 acres on the west side of the 3800 block of South Kansas Expressway.

Additional first readings

Voluntary annexation of 170.2 acres of private property and 19.25 acres of public right of way in the northeast quadrant of I-44 and U.S. 65 was read as a bill which starts the procedure to develop the Legacy of Flight project.

Another bill concerned parking on Central Street from National to Campbell. The bill authorizes the city's share of an $18,400 parking study by Butler, Rosenbury & Partners. Other contributors to the study will be Drury University and the Springfield R-XII School District.

City Utilities, the Springfield-Greene County Library and the Greene County Commission all indicated that their parking needs are adequate, so they wouldn't contribute to the cost of the study.

Another first-reading bill would allow City Manager Tom Finnie to apply for and accept an Environmental Protection Agency grant from the Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Fund.