Hub of the City: Projects lend momentum to downtown

There is unlimited potential in downtown Springfield, and it’s all coming together right now.

That’s the assessment of Rusty Worley, executive director of the Downtown Springfield Association, as he considers the many projects that are now coalescing around the city’s center.

There’s the Grant Avenue Parkway project, providing multimodal connection from Sunshine Street north to Jordan Valley Park, with housing and other developments already popping up or planned along its course.

There’s the Renew Jordan Creek project, restoring a buried waterway to the surface with anticipated recreational and commercial development in the area.

And there are three major greenway trail projects, funded through a $25 million federal grant and converging in the IDEA Commons area, centered on Boonville Avenue downtown.

“One of the things that downtown has historically been very good at is being the laboratory of trying new things,” Worley said.

Worley said the city needs to think differently about housing. Now that the student housing boom has left that population well situated, opportunities are available for developers to meet market-rate, workforce and senior housing needs, he said. He cited the 12-unit Wheelers Lofts at 401 South Ave., popular among empty-nesters.

“There’d be opportunities to look at expanding that model for those active seniors that want to be near restaurants and breweries,” he said.

Some developers are excited to rise to the challenge of downtown.

Businessperson Shawn Turner, through his company Turner OZ Fund LLC, recently purchased a 20,000-square-foot historic commercial building at 320 W. Walnut St. and is renovating it for upstairs apartments and first-floor commercial use. He previously told Springfield Business Journal he’s utilizing incentives offered through the building’s location in a designated opportunity zone.

Turner appreciates the sturdy construction of the building, with ropes and weights to operate the windows and with hand-hewn beams throughout.

“That stuff is a work of art,” he said.

The 16 units should be available by this summer.

Worley said there is also an opportunity to innovate in the area of alternative transportation to help facilitate housing for entry-level workers in center city. It’s practically a no-brainer, according to Worley, because of the City Utilities bus transit center downtown – ideal for those who want to rely less on a car or who don’t have one.

Worley said his office has been contacted by people with the idea of an east-west trolley to link the stadium area on St. Louis Street in the east to Mother’s Brewing Co. in the west. Similarly, a trolley might be an option to service the north-south route of Grant Avenue Parkway.

That could prove beneficial in recent years. An area that has been identified for expansion is just west of the Hammons Field baseball stadium, where United Soccer Leagues LLC is investigating the possibility of erecting a new professional stadium.

Worley also envisions bike stations, with the option to rent a bike at Bass Pro Shops or downtown, offering new points of connection across the downtown area.

“Just like we used historic tax credits to get developers to think differently and mitigate some of the risks, we can do that with transportation, too,” Worley said.

Challenges
While the city’s comprehensive plan targets the elimination of surface parking lots downtown, some potential investors see a lack of available parking as a challenge.

A 2023 parking study found there to be plenty of spaces downtown, with 64% available spots noted during peak usage, according to past SBJ reporting.

Caleb Moreno, who brokers property downtown through his company Moreno Group Commercial Realty, said parking has been an ongoing challenge noted by his firm.

“There are a lot of opportunities downtown for office space and medical, but one of the downfalls has definitely been limited parking,” he said. “Our advisers have meetings, and there’s interest, but streetside parking and limited free parking are challenges for prospective buyers.”

Crime, and the perception of crime, is also a sticking point, as is the presence of transient and unsheltered people downtown, which can make potential buyers balk, Moreno said.

“Springfield needs to get the homeless problem taken care of,” he said. “It’s going to take many minds to get that challenge mitigated a bit.”

Moreno said Springfield does a great job overall and is finally starting to see some growth and fix some of its problems.

“We do have buildings ready to be restored, and there is interest in downtown,” he said. “We can’t hide some of the issues. We’ve got to fix them and make things better for the next generation.”

A part-time resident of New York City, Turner is undaunted by the perception of crime downtown, or by the perceived lack of parking.

“It’s whatever you’re used to,” he said. “Walking’s not an issue for me. I understand it is for other people. If you’re not used to it, it’s hard to see the positive.”

That said, Turner noted there’s a general perception that walking a few blocks to parking is inconvenient.

“Not many people are willing to roll the dice and speculate on people changing their minds,” he said.

Turner’s regular offices are at 328 South Ave., and he said he has never had a problem with crime there.

“I’ve never had anything stolen – never had anything broken into,” he said.

Like Turner, Tyler Hellweg, principal architect at Arkifex Studios LLC, is also embracing downtown as a site for a future business. Hellweg is part of a development group developing a live entertainment venue in an Olive Street building near College Station Theaters and Blue Room Comedy Club – downtown’s entertainment district.

The venue will offer multidisciplinary performances for crowds of 1,800-1,900 people.

Likewise, committing to center city is important to Brandon Dake, an owner at Dake Wells Architecture, which recently completed the purchase of a historic building in the innovation district on Boonville Avenue.

“When we started our practice, we felt like we needed to commit to the center of the city, where the downtown action is,” he said. “It felt like investing in downtown was the right choice for us.”

Dake said in architecture school, future professionals learn about the patterns of urban development.

“A city starts in the middle and grows in concentric rings over time,” he said.

At some point, the ring gets large enough that investment energy reverts to the center, he said.

Springfield’s momentum has returned to the center, Dake said.

“Now we need more synergy,” he said. “We need people to take a stand and do their part to improve the city.”

Myriad incentives
Amanda Ohlensehlen, director of the city of Springfield’s Department of Workforce and Economic Vitality, said Forward SGF, the city’s 20-year comprehensive plan, offers a strong vision for the city’s center.

“The downtown section of the plan is a really great guideline for what we can see as far as revitalizing our urban core and really ensuring its strength and vitality into the future,” she said. “Downtown is very important to the overall success of Springfield.”

Forward SGF calls for streetscape improvements to the urban core, private gathering spaces for socializing and events, increased outdoor dining spaces, reconceptualization of the city square and improvements to branding and wayfinding.

“Having a really strong center city really helps us solidify our identity,” Ohlensehlen said. “Having a strong identity downtown from the standpoint of residents and visitors is an important component of what we can look to in the future.”

Like Worley, Ohlensehlen sees development opportunities throughout center city.

“Downtown oftentimes is the heartbeat of a community,” she said. “Having vibrancy and really helping to lift up and encourage our entrepreneurship community and small businesses, while finding new ways to help connect small businesses to the resources they need, is an important component of what we do in Workforce and Economic Vitality.”

The department has a website that lists economic development incentives that are available, for downtown and throughout the city. Parts of downtown are identified as a federal opportunity zone, Ohlensehlen said, which opens the area up to even more options for funding.

Some incentives listed include special taxing districts, property tax abatements, tax increment financing and the city’s small business loan program.

“Our team welcomes any inquiries,” she said. “We can help walk people through what those opportunities look like.”