Multifamily housing group presents recommendations

At a July 17 luncheon, Springfield City Council members heard a presentation from Springfield planners Ann Razer and Bob Hosmer on behalf of the Multi-Family Development Task Force.

The task force, led by 15 core members, was formed in August to consider changes to the city’s multifamily zoning regulations because council members were concerned that too many high-density developments were being approved. The number of multifamily unit permits has increased every year since 2003 – from 375 then to nearly 1,000 in 2006.

In September, council approved a 120-day administrative delay on multifamily rezoning and renewed the delay in December and again in April.

In its 27-page report, the task force recommends a new point-system matrix for rezoning requests. Developers would earn points for five criteria: neighborhood compatibility, land-use accessibility, connectivity analysis, road network evaluation and design guidelines. A higher point total would allow a development to have more housing units.

Most council members were happy with the proposal, including Councilman Ralph Manley.

“One of the reasons that council wanted this study was that when you get high density, it’s sometimes without regards to what neighbors thought, ability to handle extra traffic, (or capacity of) utilities or sewer lines,” Manley said. “All of those things come into play with this (proposal).”

Bonus points also would be available if a development is near an area with commercial activity, provides a bus shelter and turnout, attains Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification or contains affordable housing.

Director of Planning and Development Ralph Rognstad said that while the plan may need some tweaking, it should help make the zoning process more predictable for both developers and staff.

“There are some things developers don’t have control over, such as location,” Rognstad said. “But then they have control over design and can make up for it there.”

City staff will consider changes to the proposal before sending it to council, which hopes to have a plan in place before the current administrative zoning delay ends in August.

Collective bargaining

Council also heard an update from City Attorney Dan Wichmer on collective bargaining issues with city employee unions, such as firefighters and service workers.

The issue stems from a May decision by the Missouri Supreme Court in a case between the Independence teachers’ union and the Independence School District.

The court ruled that the teachers had the right to bargain collectively, despite the fact that public employees are prohibited from going on strike.

Wichmer said the ruling affirmed the city’s right to reject any proposal reached during bargaining and to set its own wages and working conditions.

The problem arose because the Independence schools didn’t state that information correctly in their agreement with the teachers, leading to the teachers’ lawsuit when the schools attempted to change the terms of the agreement.

Wichmer said that while this ruling may not have immediate impact on cities, it could lead to further issues.

“I think it’s the first salvo in what will probably be a fight over what rights (city) employees have,” Wichmer said. “They can’t strike, but they have to have some sort of mechanism to enforce their collective bargaining.”[[In-content Ad]]