Mercy opts against land purchase south of city 

Mercy Springfield Communities has decided not to pursue the purchase of 27 acres of agricultural land to the city’s south. 

At the Jan. 23 Springfield City Council meeting, Councilmember Matthew Simpson withdrew his sponsorship of a bill that would have annexed 27 acres south of the city along U.S. Highway 65 and rezoned it for government and institutional use from its Greene County agricultural zoning designation. Simpson’s withdrawal was at the request of Mercy. 

At the Dec. 12 council meeting, council approved a resolution declaring the city’s intent to annex the property, located at 6621 S. Innovation Ave., as a contingency of a land purchase by Mercy. Planning and Development Director Susan Istenes told Springfield Business Journal that Mercy was under contract to purchase the property, but the acquisition was contingent upon council’s agreement to annex and rezone the parcel. 

At the time, spokesperson Sonya Kullmann said the health system had no definitive plans for the parcel but wanted to be able to meet needs of the growing population in that area, which is already served by Mercy Orthopedic Hospital Springfield. 

“As needs change, Mercy wants to be able to bring more services close to home for people in that area,” Kullmann said at the time. 

Kullmann told SBJ yesterday that Mercy had decided not to purchase the property. She did not offer further explanation. 

The property is owned by Kenneth L. and Helen Stoddard, et al., according to Planning and Development staff.