Council green-lights northeast Springfield development over neighbor objections 

A need for additional housing in the city of Springfield was cited by City Council members who voted in favor of rezoning for a contested multimillion-dollar development slated to bring 510 units to 48 acres in the city’s northeast corner. 

Even so, some council members expressed reservations about sprawl as they voted 8-1 last night to change the current zoning designation for the recently annexed property to a planned development from a Greene County agricultural designation. Councilmember Craig Hosmer was the sole holdout in the vote. 

Plans for the development call for 46 single-family homes and villas, eight duplexes, seven townhomes and 10 three-story apartment buildings at the intersection of East Division Street and LeCompte Road. 

The yet-unnamed development is being proposed by East Division Development LLC. Springfield-based Napredak Builders LLC is heading up the project with funding by California-based private equity firm Canyon View Capital Inc., according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting. 

Numerous community members attended the Oct. 20 public hearing on the council bill for the development, with 31 speakers, most opposed to the plans. 

Speakers from nearby single-family neighborhoods – including Cooper Estates, which was represented by legal counsel at the hearing – were particularly concerned about the project’s density. 

Last night’s discussion, though ending in approval of the rezoning request, expanded into a different concern: urban sprawl. 

Councilmember Brandon Jenson said this concern is larger than the development being discussed. 

“The comprehensive plan is very clear that we should prioritize and guide the market to infill and redevelopment versus greenfield development on the edge of town that continues to take up prime agricultural and farmland,” Jenson said. 

Jenson read from Chapter 7, the “Housing and Neighborhoods” chapter, of the Forward SGF comprehensive plan, adopted by the city in 2022. It says, “The location of higher-density residential development should be targeted to enhance and support existing transit and economic centers rather than drawing activity and investment away towards new centers.” 

Each major development approved by council on the city’s periphery works against that goal, he said. 

“We are signaling to the development community that they should continue to prioritize investing in outward growth rather than densification within our city,” he said. 

Jenson said the city’s current incentive structure does not prioritize infill and redevelopment. 

“Sprawl will be detrimental to the long-term financial and environmental health of our community and our region,” he said. “At some point, we’re going to have to draw a line in the sand.” 

Nevertheless, Jenson said he would be voting in favor of the proposal because of the need for housing in the city, as identified in its 2023 housing study, which said there was a deficit of 14,000 total housing units in Springfield. 

Hosmer, on the other hand, said he would be voting against the measure. 

He said the property was annexed into the city with the idea that it would be for traditional residential neighborhoods, and that does not describe the proposed development. 

“We’ve got empty buildings all over the city of Springfield – vacant lots all over the city of Springfield – that you can build multifamily housing in, and it would fit in; it would be close to services,” Hosmer said. “And yet what we’re doing is we’re taking farmland on the outskirts of the city of Springfield and building apartment complexes. No city planner looking at this objectively would say that’s a good idea – nobody.” 

Hosmer said the city – rather than developers – must be in charge of planning. 

“We let developers plan our city,” he said. “We spot-zone. We give a zoning because a developer tells us we should, rather than us as a city planning our city.” 

Hosmer said council frequently talks about its desire to emulate other cities, like Bentonville, Arkansas, for their quality of place. 

“If you don’t start planning sometime where you stick to your plan, you’re never going to have the city you want to have,” Hosmer said. “You get the city you work for.” 

Councilmember Bruce Adib-Yazdi expressed agreement with both of his fellow members. 

“We do have to plan our city better to generate a strategic growth plan that accomplishes what we want, both financially and quality-of-life style, which includes a lot of things that have to come together sort of simultaneously,” he said. 

Like Jenson, Adib-Yazdi said his “yes” vote would be predicated on the city’s housing deficit at both the low to moderate end and the upper end of its income levels, as revealed in the 2023 housing study. 

Councilmember Abe McGull offered no reluctance to approve the rezoning. McGull pointed to the economic benefit that is likely to come from the development. 

“It is our duty to protect the rights of those who are investing millions of dollars in our city,” he said. “When I hear that it’s a $100 million project, I can’t help but think about all the carpenters, plumbers and local electricians that will be employed for the next six to 10 years in this project, which is a phase-in project.” 

The staff report submitted at this rezoning stage of the development does not include the cost of the development. SBJ previously reported that the developer has offered to pay the city $1.2 million for intersection improvements at LeCompte and Division. 

McGull added that the success of the city is directly proportionate to the expansion of its economy. 

“As I’ve always said, it’s always good to maximize your potential and monetize your success,” he said. “I will be voting for this measure because it enhances the bottom line for this city. It expands the availability of housing and plays an integral part of advancing our community.” 

He added that the developers deserve council’s appreciation. 

“This is a good measure, and generally where I come from, when someone says, ‘I’m going to build a project in your city and it’s going to hire plumbers, electricians and carpenters for the next six to 10 years and I’m going to invest $100 million in your city, generally, where I come from, we say, ‘Thank you.’” 

Councilmember Heather Hardinger spoke up to clarify that last night’s vote was limited to the rezoning request. A preliminary plat would come at a future date. 

“There will be further technical review, of course, and then continued opportunities for public input,” she said. 

She added that meaningful progress has taken place behind the scenes between the developer and neighborhood representatives, and it is her hope that the progress they made together would be reflected in the final plan. 

Hardinger, too, said she found it hard to say no to housing developments in Springfield, and the project as proposed would fill some gaps.