Council forwards south-side apartment project

Springfield City Council last night approved a rezoning proposal for 5 vacant acres north of Kickapoo High School to make way for an upscale apartment complex in spite of vocal opposition from neighbors.

The neighbors – five of which spoke against plans at an Oct. 26 public hearing – gathered sufficient signatures for a protest petition, which required six affirmative votes from council. However, the administrative body cleared that hurdle easily.

Council voted 8-1 in favor of the zoning change to a low-density multifamily district from a residential townhouse district. Councilman Craig Hosmer cast the lone no vote.

“It is my position that if this many neighbors are concerned about the location of this development, maybe we should either table this proposal or at least determine if this is something that is appropriate for that neighborhood,” Hosmer said before the vote. “When people buy their property, when they develop their property, when they invest in their property, for us to change the zoning seems a little bit unfair.”

Councilman Craig Fishel said widening Kimbrough Avenue south of Walnut Lawn Street to a full street from a half street, and changing plans to put a main entrance near that intersection should alleviate traffic concerns.

“Unfortunately, it won’t be as quiet as it was, but I think they’ve done an excellent job of rerouting the traffic, so it is to everybody’s advantage to go out on Walnut Lawn instead of cut through the neighborhood,” Fishel said.

Developers Luke Warmwater Construction Inc., which includes Jason Finley of Finley Homes LLC and silent partners, requested the zoning change.

Their plan is to build an 83-unit upscale apartment complex designed for professionals who want to live near the Medical Mile on South National Avenue. Rental rates for the gated community would range between $850 and $1,600 per month, Finley said during the public hearing.

In addition to traffic concerns, stormwater runoff was noted by neighbors as a problem that could be exacerbated by the development. At the meeting last night, Finley said widening Kimbrough would include gutters and ease flooding.