Developer scraps plans for The Reserve at Medical Mile in favor of new design

[Editor's note: Updated 12:48 p.m., June 17 with more information.]

Developers who had been planning an apartment building called The Reserve at Medical Mile have announced a change in course, following the certification of a referendum petition filed by neighbors of the development property.

The neighbors had raised concerns about a sharp transition between the multifamily and single-family parcels, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting.

In an email, Nathan Reynolds of BiBi Oaks LLC said the new plan is to move forward under the property’s longstanding planned development zoning – not the new planned development designation approved by Springfield City Council in May – with a new residential community named 33 Maryland.

“With the referendum petition now certified, our development team and investment partners have made the decision not to pursue a public vote on the previously approved rezoning,” Reynolds stated in a news release. “While we continue to appreciate the effort that went into the public process and stand behind the merits of the original proposal, we believe the best path forward is to focus our energy on delivering a great project for Springfield rather than spending months or years navigating additional uncertainty and delay.”

He added that the team intends to move forward under the property's existing zoning.

“The revised plan will feature approximately 160 residential units organized around a signature courtyard amenity campus, including a resort-style pool, clubhouse and fitness center, pickleball courts, dog park, gathering spaces, premium landscaping and thoughtfully designed architecture intended to complement one of Springfield’s most important corridors,” Reynolds stated on behalf of the team in the announcement that was sent to SBJ this morning.

Reynolds said in an interview that the BiBi Oaks team began planning for 33 Maryland when they learned that neighbors were gathering signatures for a referendum petition. That petition was certified June 11 by City Clerk Anita Cotter and is on the agenda to be discussed by Springfield City Council at its meeting June 22. The petition sought to overturn the planned development zoning approved by council May 4 for The Reserve at Medical Mile.

In a statement to SBJ, neighbors of the development site questioned the developers’ understanding of city code. Resident James Head wrote the statement and said the charter suspended the city ordinance the moment the referendum petition was certified.

Head said what happens next is up to City Council, which is required by the charter to vote on repeal within 30 days or send the repeal question to Springfield voters. The process is not up to the developers to redirect, he said.

“Mr. Reynolds has said he deeply respects our right to participate in the referendum process – yet his announcement this morning stated that his team had ‘decided not to pursue a public vote,’” Head wrote in the statement. “With respect, that decision was never theirs to make. Springfield's City Charter gives that decision to City Council first, and if they decline to repeal, to Springfield voters.”

The original proposal for the vacant 7.6-acre parcel at 3302 S. Maryland Ave., located near the intersection of South National Avenue and Walnut Lawn Street, just south of the Mercy Smith Glynn Callaway facility, was a four-story multifamily apartment building with 198 units. 

Based on feedback from owners of property in the adjacent High Meadow East neighborhood, located west of Maryland Avenue, developers revised their plan, reducing the number of units to 182 from 198 and reducing the height of a portion of the building to three stories instead of four.

In the revised plan approved by council, the building location was also shifted farther east, away from the single-family neighborhood, in the revised plan.

The neighborhood statement said the city’s legal process is actively in play, and a detailed plan has not yet been presented. A planned development zoning designation requires a city-approved plan, the statement said.

“We're calling on the city to tell us plainly what can and cannot happen on this site during the suspension period,” the neighborhood statement said.

The statement from neighborhood residents describes their own position as constructive throughout the process, proposing a land swap to put the development in a more appropriate location and suggesting an inclusive park on the site to serve the surrounding community.

“We said repeatedly that we'd welcome duplexes, townhomes or row houses on this site – the missing-middle housing that Forward SGF says Springfield needs most urgently,” the statement said. “Nobody took us up on it. That's a real missed opportunity for this city.”

Neighbor concerns remain, the statement said, citing a need for an independent traffic study and an assessment of emergency corridor risk at the Walnut Lawn roundabout. The statement estimated an additional 1,300 daily vehicle trips in a neighborhood that is already the site of a dangerous intersection.

Reynolds said in the developers’ announcement that the development team remains committed to Springfield.

“The easiest thing for our team to do would have been to move on to another project or another community,” he said. “We chose not to. We chose to continue investing in Springfield. We chose to continue creating housing. We chose to continue believing in the future of this city.”

Lower height
In an interview this morning, Reynolds reiterated that he and the two other, unnamed BiBi Oaks investors – one local and the other from out of town – want to build homes in the Queen City.

BiBi Oaks registered articles of organization with Missouri Secretary of State in February 2022 under registered agent Kory Stubblefield of Stubblefield Law LLC. Articles of organization for 33 Maryland Development LLC were filed June 2 by registered agent J. Craig Preston of O’Reilly & Preston LLC.

Reynolds said the lower height of the project is intended to respond to neighbors’ concerns about the transition between the multifamily development and their single-family homes.

“We hope the neighbors are excited about the height that it is going to be now,” he said. “It’s going to be more spread out, so we’re not going to get quite the green space that we wanted, but we can architecturally do the landscaping where we can kind of make up for the look.”

It was important to the development team not to have an industrial-looking project when the goal is to create homes.

“We want something that feels like a home with landscaping and greenery,” he said. “It’s kind of a landscaping math problem, but we’ll get it done.”

Reynolds said he did not comment much in the media about the previous incarnation of the project.

“We wanted to see where everything was headed,” he said. “My mind always goes in the spirit of cooperation. I don’t think making any comments before now would have helped the situation any as far as getting towards a resolution.”

But Reynolds predicted the neighbors would be excited to see the revised project.

“We’re going to add pickleball, a dog park and a pool,” he said. “There are certain things that really bring a project together, and those are kind of my key elements I always try to put into a project if it’s feasible.”

Reynolds previously developed SilverLeaf Apartments LLC at 4069 W. Republic Road with business partners, but he said he sold the property in December.

He said he has personal plans to buy 3 acres locally and raise his family for years to come.

“It’s a challenge to build here sometimes,” he said. “It can be a puzzle, but it’s worth putting together to get it done.”

Cooperation
Asked if Springfield is a developer-friendly city, Reynolds said that was a great question.

“It’s all about intent at the end of the day,” he said. “The intentions of the city are to be both neighborhood- and developer-friendly and bring them together to cooperate, and that’s what I showed we were trying to do and doing.”

He added that he is not someone who thinks a lot about politics.

“It feels tough at times, but I’m sure it feels tough for the neighborhoods, too,” he said.

Reynolds added that despite the disagreement surrounding plans for The Reserve at Medical Mile, he does not see development as an us-against-them situation.

“Like a feeling of cooperation,” he said. “At the end of the day, I have to plea my case sometimes, I realize, and it’s important to listen to both parties. There were good points the neighbors said and that I said, and we have to come together to make a logical decision. Of course, it’s a home, so that’s always an emotional decision as well.”

Reynolds declined to disclose projected development expenses, offering to provide more information at a later date when financial details were clear. He also declined to say whether the new development would be more expensive than the previous incarnation.

He stressed that he is eager to continue listening to neighborhood residents.

“At the end of the day, we’re just trying to put a good project out there,” he said. “They have a right to their opinion, and we’ll listen to it if it’s valid. We’re willing to work together, and we’ll listen to everyone.”

He added that his team’s goal is to do good work.

“We just want to put a great product out there including home options for Springfield, which they need right now,” he said.

The neighborhood statement said more than 1,500 Springfield voters signed the referendum petition.

“What they told us, over and over, is that they believe Springfield's planning process should serve its residents before it serves its developers, and they're not confident it does,” the neighborhood statement said. “We think that’s worth paying attention to, and we trust that the repeal/referendum process will move forward. Springfield voters should have their say.”