Ozark progresses in Finley River-area development

Ozark’s Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority will submit its RFP to the Ozark Board of Aldermen during its Dec. 4 meeting, where it will go to a vote. If immediately approved, the RFPs could be mailed by Dec. 8, according to Steve Childers, Ozark’s director of planning and development.

City officials plan to hold a special meeting to present the plan and RFP to interested developers and to answer any questions.

A date has not been set for that meeting, Childers said.

The Finley River Neighborhood Development District comprises 47 blighted acres between downtown and the river. The LCRA has hired Gross & Associates of Republic to act as financial consultant to the redevelopment project.

Childers said there are multiple phases of RFPs. An earlier RFP solicited a consultant to design the area and create a plan, which Springfield firm Hagerman New Urbanism completed in July. This RFP seeks developers to execute the firm’s plan.

This phase contains four different blocks of property within the plan, Childers said.