It’s 6:30 a.m. on a Tuesday morning. The sun is barely visible over the horizon and the sky is ablaze in swirls of orange and red cloud.
Two men stand in the chilled darkness directing a line of traffic, only visible as the reflective tape of their neon yellow vests catch the beams of oncoming headlights.
Work trucks stretch down the road as the pair wave their arms rapidly to and fro toward structures in the $22 million southeast Springfield development dubbed Farmers Park.
Cultivated by developer Matt O’Reilly and silent partners of Green Circle Projects LLC, the 156,000-square-foot mixed-use community will offer residential, retail and office space in an environmentally conscience setting. Currently, the 2144 E. Republic Road property is a flurry of activity as general contractor Killian Construction Co. aims to complete the project as the calendar rolls into 2014, slightly behind the original fall 2013 goal.
I’ve read – and written – articles outlining the project’s green features. The 58 apartment units are designed to meet Energy Star and Indoor AirPlus ratings by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the 42,000-square-foot office building is being built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver standards. But it wasn’t until my Oct. 29 visit during the Salute to Design and Construction kickoff mixer that I fully understood the value of O’Reilly’s concept – both his vision and monetarily.
O’Reilly spoke to the assembled group of more than 50 industry leaders and said something I wasn’t expecting to hear – developers can’t afford not to go green.
Farmers Park is being constructed in an Enhanced Enterprise Zone, which according to the Springfield Business Development Corp., “offers 50 percent real estate tax abatement for 10 years to any company creating jobs and making investments within the boundaries of the zone.” Because the office building will be LEED certified, it qualifies for an additional 25 percent property tax abatement.
“That’s a 75 percent saving just because we made a couple tweaks to the plan and went LEED,” O’Reilly told me during a later phone interview. “The financial incentive is a no-brainer.”
O’Reilly said initial plans for the office building already included many LEED qualifying elements, but upgrades were needed to areas such as the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.
A frequent shopper of the park’s Saturday-morning farmers market, I already was familiar with the unique culture surrounding the pavilion area, but a tour of the office building that day really showcased O’Reilly’s plans.
For example, walking onto the second floor of the office building it struck me as odd that there were not many walls up yet. A function of the construction process? Nope. The office was built with an open floor plan to encourage conversation and a sharing of creative talents among its residents. The floors also will share kitchen and bathroom spaces.
O’Reilly said the office buildingis about 20 percent leased, but he hopes to see that number rise to 50 percent by the new year. Future tenants include O’Reilly’s development company, Green Circle Projects.
On the retail side, about 80 percent already is leased with homegrown tenants, including new locations for 5 Pound Apparel, The Aviary Cafe and Creperie, Studio 417 and Metropolitan Grill’s new farm-to-table concept, Metropolitan Farmer.
Following the installation of the walk-in cooler that afternoon, the Metropolitan Farmer chef was on hand to chat with the group as we made our way through. Relocating from St. Louis for the job, Springfield-native and James Beard Award-winning chef Wes Johnson seems eager to take the reins. Johnson, along with his Austin, Texas-transplanted sous chef, plans to source the majority of ingredients from the market next door. Johnson said plans are on track to open the restaurant before Thanksgiving.
O’Reilly said Metro Farmer’s bar concept – Barley Wheat & Rye Social House on the fourth floor of the office building – hopes to open for holiday events and parties with a full opening slated for the coming year.
As the holidays approach, I’m reminded of my favorite childhood memories, which involve another kind of green – the Christmas tree. I can still recall the best gift I ever found under the tree growing up – a stuffed Winnie the Pooh doll. As I grew older, there were certainly more entertaining, expensive and electronic things to be found under the tree, but it was that doll that made my eyes light up and filled my heart with joy.
I see that same joy in O’Reilly as he talks about his project.
From the micro-orchard for children’s apple picking to the community gardens for park residents, I get the sense he truly cares about the work he’s doing.
Money can’t buy happiness, but saving a little green sure can bring a lot of joy.
Springfield Business Journal Features Editor Emily Letterman can be reached at eletterman@sbj.net.
