Heer's developer adds luxury condominiums

Developer Vaughn Prost’s new plans call for the top four floors, along with the highly recognizable water tower atop the building, to be converted into condominiums for sale. The spaces will start at 1,000 square feet at a cost of about $150,000. Michelle Cantrell of Carol Jones Realtors is the exclusive leasing agent for the condominiums.

City Economic Development Director Mary Lilly Smith said the change in plans was really a case of Prost creating supply to meet the demand.

“I think he just had a lot of people ask him about condos – we’ve had a lot of people ask us about condo space too,” she said. “He decided there were a lot more people asking him about that than were interested in office space, so why not?”

The amendment also extends Prost’s agreement with construction financier Great Southern Bank by six months to Feb. 17. The amendment allows the city and Prost to walk away from the deal cleanly if the required leases are not obtained by the new deadline.

Council will vote on the proposed changes at its Aug. 22 meeting.

Land grab

There’s a fight brewing between Springfield and neighboring Rogersville.

Springfield city staff had intended to be the first to annex property east of the city’s current limits.

But Rogersville was first to the punch, and now the race is on to gobble up the property along Highway 60 west of Highway 125.

Council approved a resolution announcing its intent to begin the annexation process for the 7.3-square-mile piece of land, part of which overlaps land recently added to the Rogersville urban service area.

At the meeting, City Manager Tom Finnie said the item was added to the council’s agenda because case law gives the advantage in annexation disputes to the town that begins the process first.

Unbeknownst to Finnie, however, Rogersville city officials had called an emergency meeting Aug. 5, to be held on Aug. 8, to pass a similar resolution.

The Rogersville meeting began at 5:30 p.m., with a vote coming soon thereafter. Springfield’s meeting didn’t start until 7 p.m., and a vote didn’t occur until after 9.

Finnie said he was surprised to find out about Rogersville’s meeting.

“Putting together an annexation proposal is a very complicated proposition,” Finnie said. “To put one together in a few hours is quite amazing.”

Springfield’s proposal calls for a public hearing to be held about the annexation issue Nov. 7 in council chambers. If the city decides to go forward with a city-initiated annexation, it would have to be decided in a public election involving citizens of both the city and the area to be annexed.

Rezoning request

Council also heard a rezoning request for a vacant building at 1232 E. Trafficway. Bill Davis, who bought the building four years ago, requested that council zone the land as a center city district due to a lack of available parking on the site and the center city zoning’s lack of parking requirements.

Staff recommended the request be denied, however, because the city’s comprehensive plan draws National Avenue as the eastern boundary of the center city area.

Davis plans to open Doe’s Eat Place, part of a small chain of steakhouses. He had originally requested a planned development for the area, but staff rejected the proposal, saying parking problems were not enough reason to give a project its own planned development.

“Center city (zoning) is the only thing we have left to try that hasn’t been totally rejected, and we’re going to see it through until we can’t go any further,” Davis said at the meeting.

Council sent the item back to the Planning & Zoning Commission.[[In-content Ad]]