Jared Enterprises seeks blight designation, CID for Brentwood Center

At the Springfield City Council meeting last night, nine speakers commented on Jared Enterprises’ 89-page proposal that would establish Brentwood Center and the surrounding area as a community improvement district and designate a portion of the property as blighted.

The area extends along the east side of South Glenstone Avenue between Edgewood Street and Battlefield Road, encompassing the Brentwood North and South shopping centers. Jared Enterprises seeks to impose 1 percent sales and use taxes over a 25-year span to help fund $13.4 million in improvements to the shopping center across from Battlefield Mall. Jared Enterprises would be reimbursed through the CID revenues.

Councilman Craig Fishel noticed there were no city comments on the bill.

“What is the city’s position on recommending or not?” he said.  

Sarah Kerner, interim economic development director, told council members the city did not take an official position after the Land Clearance and Redevelopment Authority recommended a blight designation on Nov. 1.

“Basically, we did not find sufficient evidence to support a finding of blight,” she said. “From what we got, we just didn’t feel that we could go forward with a recommendation.”

Six of seven speakers, including developer Curtis Jared, who voiced support of the blight designation are directly linked on the project. The outlier to the group was tenant Lauren Hake, who owns The Market in Brentwood Center and rented there the past 11 years. She said the CID and rehabilitation of the property will stimulate growth, noting the shopping center is only at half capacity right now. She said the development would result in more tenants, sales and sales taxes for the city.

The blight report from Jared Enterprises noted defective or inadequate street layouts; heavy congestion and inadequate access to the property; poor pedestrian connections and dilapidated curbing; deteriorated walkways, parking areas and back alleys; fire danger and low-hanging electrical wiring; illegal dumping and vandalism; and outdated or improper lighting.

The two speakers against the CID and blight designation included one concerned resident, Tim Havens.

“To call this blighted is absurd and ridiculous,” he said before stating that blighting is intended for development in needy areas and some developers have been seeking to take advantage of what was created to help the city.

One tenant of the property also spoke out.

“To call this property blighted is a gross misstatement of the term as I understand it,” said Paul Hardin, owner of Miracle Ear Hearing Centers at 2670 S. Glenstone. “In my opinion, to put the costs of making those changes on the backs of my customers and myself in a very competitive hearing aid market here in Springfield is just unconscionable.”

Council will vote on the issue at its Jan. 9 meeting.