Opinion: Blockbuster summer hinges on trio of downtown projects

Three projects – the former arena site, Heer’s Tower and Park Central Square – are poised to build on the excitement already generated by College Station, Jordan Valley Innovation Center and Wilhoit Plaza. All three will have major milestones this summer.

Arena site

Springfield City Council has outlined several goals for this project, but the main objectives are to:

• retain and attract high-paying jobs;

• decrease the city’s debt load through selling the property and securing greater utilization of the Jordan Valley Car Park; and

• enhance the use of the Expo Center.

Developing Class A office space for BKD LLP’s headquarters satisfies all three of these requirements, and the city has four experienced developers vying for the opportunity to build a signature facility to meet the needs of the eighth-largest accounting firm in the nation.

The developers, however, differ on the timing for hotel construction, the market demand for the number of rooms and the expected average daily rates. Multiple other sites between the Expo Center and Park Central Square also have been mentioned in the past year.

Given those variables, the city would be wise to pursue a master plan for the site with two phases – the first to construct a corporate office for BKD as quickly as possible and the second to locate a four-star hotel that would keep Springfield as a competitive choice for regional conventions.

This would be responsive to BKD’s concerns regarding timelines, while allowing the necessary due diligence to provide the hotel and Expo Center the greatest probability for success.

Heer’s Tower

Heer’s Tower is an architectural and cultural icon for downtown.

It’s already been the catalyst for the redevelopment of the Kresge building and the recruitment of the Springfield-Greene County Library to Park Central Square.

Heer’s will complement College Station’s infill development by linking it to Park Central East and South Avenue – both of which have experienced impressive revitalization but still have storefronts to fill.

Finally, Heer’s will spur new investment in the former Bank of America building and former Woolworth department store (last known as Mr. Furniture).

McGowan|Walsh, the development company that is buying and redeveloping Heer’s, already has demonstrated its expertise in historic renovation in St. Louis and other markets.

By finalizing the terms of the sale of the Heer’s Tower and starting the renovation, the city will tear down the wall that principal Kevin McGowan referred to between College Station and the Expo Center.

Park Central Square

Vision 20/20 created a culture of public involvement in establishing civic priorities and identifying key development projects. Jordan Valley Park is a prime example of collaborative planning in action.

Butler, Rosenbury and Partners Inc. will join Project for Public Spaces, a New York nonprofit that creates public spaces, to host a series of public sessions to solicit input from residents, businesses, property owners and anyone who has an interest in Park Central Square’s history and its future.

The purpose of this effort won’t be to uncover a gimmick or silver bullet for downtown’s redevelopment.

The intent will be to build on the history of the public square, to design enhancements that everyone can enjoy and to complement new businesses – such as providing more areas for sidewalk cafes, additional lighting and new sidewalks.

If all goes as planned, red-carpet ribbon cuttings are around the corner downtown.

Rusty Worley, executive director of Urban Districts Alliance, can be reached at rusty@itsalldowntown.com.