Hy-Vee plans come under fire at council

Nearby residents came out in force at last night’s Springfield City Council meeting against a proposal that would change zoning on 11 acres at the 2100 block of East Sunshine Street to general retail from single-family residential. The opposition was countered by several businesspeople, who spoke in favor of approving the move to allow Des Moines, Iowa-based Hy-Vee Inc. to build its second Springfield grocery store at the location.

The proposal would rezone the vacant wooded land owned by Jewell Schweitzer, who is negotiating to sell the property to Hy-Vee. If the zoning request is approved, Hy-Vee officials at the meeting said the company would build an 85,000-square-foot grocery store. In total, company representatives said they have planned a roughly $12.7 million capital investment that would include hiring 100 full-time workers and nearly 300 part-time workers.

During the public hearing, 33 speakers addressed council, including 21 that opposed the plans. Opponents, many of whom indicated they lived on East Washita Street, immediately south of the proposed store, said a Hy-Vee would bring traffic and safety concerns, as well as threaten property values.

“The magnitude of this feels invasive to us,” said Kevin Snyder, a nearby resident.

According to Springfield Planning and Development Director Ralph Rognstad, the proposed store would face west, with entrances on Sunshine Street. He said the south side of the building would be roughly 30 yards away from the nearest property lines on East Washita.

“This is a hulking structure,” resident Judith Garson said, further asking council members, “How much property value would you be willing to give up?”

Peter Hosch, assistant vice president of real estate for Hy-Vee, said the company was willing to work with the city and neighbors to be respectful of the 60-year-old neighborhood while still securing the zoning change. He said Hy-Vee has agreed to erect a 6-foot-tall fence between the store and neighbors to the south, increase the buffer zone and work to save existing trees on the property, a concern of several neighbors.

“We are ready to invest in the community,” Hosch said.

Not all neighbors were upset by the plans.

Don Bracy, a developer who said he owned the 276-unit Columns IV apartment complex on South Luster Avenue, just north of the proposed Hy-Vee site, said the installation of a stop light at Luster and Sunshine would benefit the more than 500 residents who live on the dead-end street.

“Our residents would relish the stoplight,” Bracy said, adding he was encouraged to learn that Hy-Vee was an employee-owned company that was not seeking development incentives with the store project.

Springfield attorney Craig Lowther, who represents the owners of the Commerce Terrace office complex just east of the proposed Hy-Vee, said he thought the grocery chain was making efforts to be a good neighbor.

“This is being built off of a major arterial. No traffic would be allowed on Washita; they’ve increased the buffer zone; they indicated they would put up a fence. … This is Sunshine Street. They are not asking to build in the neighborhood,” Lowther said.

Rob Dixon, vice president of business assistance for the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, said if council did not approve the rezoning, it would send a message to companies that Springfield is not a business-friendly community, a notion supported by Stephanie Stenger Montgomery of developer Ron Stenger Cos.

“This is a bigger issue that has a bigger impact on the community,” Montgomery told council members, speaking as a member of the development community. She said developers seek consistency and they ought to be able to count on the direction of city staff as they conform to rules designed to protect neighbors.

On Oct. 4, the Planning and Zoning Commission passed the rezoning plan to council with a 5-2 vote. Council is expected to vote on the measure at its Nov. 5 meeting.