Walnut Creek development comes to a halt

After listening to heated debate over the proposed Walnut Creek development, Springfield City Council tabled the bill April 18.

Walnut Creek, Planned Development District No. 271 Amended, would have converted more than 39 acres at Weaver Road and Campbell Avenue into a multi-use development, including highway commercial, retail, loft, apartment and townhouse uses.

But after four people spoke on behalf of the owner, Griswald Enterprises LLC, and the developer, Landmark Building and Developing Co. LLC, 10 community members – most from nearby Wellington Hills subdivision – voiced their opposition to the proposal.

Many residents oppose increased traffic on what they say is an already dangerous Weaver Road.

Charles Dishinger, whose house is immediately west of the development, said the increased water flow due to the development’s impervious surface area would significantly decrease his property value. While recognizing that water runoff would increase, Walnut Creek architect Brent Stevens of H Design Group said detention basins should be capable of handling the increased flow.

Karyn Phillips, principal of Wilson’s Creek 5–6 Elementary School under construction at 4035 W. Weaver Road, said she is concerned about the increased number of students that would accompany the development and how those students would get to school. Neither Cherokee Middle School nor Kickapoo High School offers bus service.

After more than three hours of discussion, council approved Councilman John Wylie’s motion to table the bill. Wylie said the pertinent issues had not been thoroughly addressed.

Walnut Creek’s development coordinator, Steve Bowen of Global Realty, said the owners will work with the neighbors to come up with an agreeable solution.

“We’re going to work with the neighbors – that’s our intent,” he said. “We’re definitely not going to ignore what their concerns are, but we’ve got to balance that out with the development.”

Also on the agenda:

• Council approved the new Enhanced Enterprise Zone.

The zone, covering more than 68 square miles in Greene County – manufacturing, mining, warehousing and distribution, wholesale trade and processing material recovery businesses – a 50-percent, 10-year abatement on their property taxes for any improvements that they make to their businesses.

Companies that create 50 or more full-time jobs, except retail and eating establishments, also are eligible for the incentives. The new enterprise zone encompasses the cities of Springfield and Battlefield.

The original enterprise zone, which expired at the end of 2004, assisted in more than $458 million in new investment and helped to create more than 6,300 jobs in Springfield, according to the city.

• The proposed Joint Venture Landfill Gas to Energy Project also was approved. The project, a combined effort of City Utilities and the city, would capture methane gas produced at the city’s landfill to run generators to provide supplemental energy for the city’s power grid. The gases currently are burned off as they are created. The new generators would be able to create about 3.2 megawatts of electricity, slightly more than 1 percent of the energy that would be created by the 275-megawatt, coal-fired power plant CU officials unsuccessfully proposed last year.

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