P&Z opposes vacating road for new building

The Springfield Planning & Zoning Commission voted unanimously not to support vacating an easement in a two-block section of road just south of Chestnut Expressway.

The road considered for vacation is the 700-800 block of West Chestnut Street, which is bounded to the east by Grant Avenue and to the west by Chestnut Expressway, which curves southward from its route alongside the subject road to form the street’s terminus.

The applicant to vacate the public street was the Craig Steensland Family Trust, which owns more than 66% of the property within the addresses. The applicant’s intention was to consolidate the properties and redevelop the area by constructing a new building on the south side of West Chestnut Street. The area is zoned light industrial commercial.

In exchange for closing the road to public access, the applicant planned to offer a replacement cross-access easement to provide access to businesses, as well as utility and stormwater easements.

All business addresses in the parcels would be changed to Grant Avenue addresses, as there would be no access to them off of Chestnut Expressway, according to the staff report on the measure.

The section of West Chestnut Street covered by the proposal ends in the Top Deck building materials store, a wholesale and retail sales and logistics center for the company that builds decks and patios in the region, and it also serves D.H. Pace Co. Inc./Overhead Door Co. of Springfield. Representatives of both companies spoke out against vacating the road.

David Lundstrom of Great River Engineering represented the applicant, and he noted the cross-access easement being offered would stay with the property in the event of future sale and would be kept clear for access. He also said the applicant would help with costs of address changing up to $1,500 for expenses like letterhead and business cards.

Lundstrom also said the site plan submitted has been revised to move the proposed preengineered metal building to the west end of the site. The road vacation was recommended by city staff, he said.

Jason Rickard, describing himself as the developer, said the property owner is trying to keep all parties as happy as possible while improving the area.

“If you’ve been down to the area, the streets are tore up, the sidewalks are tore up – it’s getting blighted,” he said. “The property behind it is overgrown. It just doesn’t look good, and bringing a new building to this area would really improve the area.”

He said the building would bring new life to an area that is becoming downtrodden.

“I think it’s a really good project for this area,” he said, adding that the plan would bring in two new businesses. He did not specify which businesses were envisioned for the site.

Clayton Noble of D.H. Pace/Overhead Door said his company was adamantly opposed to the vacation, in part because construction plans by the requester, the Craig Steensland Family Trust, would impact the turning radius allowed for trucks serving his company. They are typically 53-foot trucks, and the turning radius provided in the construction plans would accommodate a 48-foot truck, he said. He said the company would also be losing parking lots that are part of its lease agreement.

Brian Kutter, corporate real estate manager with D.H. Pace/Overhead Door, said the proposed site plan would take up 82 square feet of that company’s 280-square-foot parking lot, which would be in default of the lease that is in place. He also described current truck traffic that uses the area that would be lost.

Jason Dampier of Top Deck also described his company as definitely opposed to the project, which he said would be financially detrimental to his company.

“It is not just $1,500 in business cards,” he said. “The whole goal of the company was to have that street to be able to access materials.”

He described 49,000-pound trucks bringing in lumber, steel, composite decking and accessories almost daily.

“In order for us to have our vendors that we have, there has to be a safe way to get in there; there has to be a safe way to unload,” Dampier said. “If I can’t have that truck come in, then I can’t get that material, which means we can’t turn around and sell that material, which basically makes Top Deck worthless.”

Commissioner Eric Pauly suggested there may be additional solutions that have not been explored for the site, while Commissioner Christopher Souliere said the vacation did not appear to be necessary to accommodate the desired building.

The 7-0 failure of the measure reflected the absence of member David Jacquez and one current vacancy on the commission, which typically has nine members.