A year and a half after Springfield voters resoundingly rejected Elevation Enterprises’ development proposal in Galloway Village, three of the four properties denied a rezoning could soon be under new ownership.
The properties at 3535, 3527 and 3521 S. Lone Pine Ave., across from Sequiota Park, are all under contract, according to Caleb Moreno, president of Moreno Group Commercial Realty. The three parcels, totaling 1.38 acres, contain a total of five buildings, including the former Sequiota Bike Shop.
The Moreno Group listed the three properties together with a $1.7 million sale price. Moreno said the properties have been listed for 30-50 days and have been under contract for about a week, though he emphasized that the properties have not been sold, and a lengthy “due diligence” phase remains.
The largest of the four lots included in Elevation Enterprises’ failed development proposal, at 3503 S. Lone Pine Ave. does not appear to be for sale. Greene County Assessor's Office records still name the company as the owner of the four parcels.
Background of the rezoning case
In November 2022, after a contentious campaign, Springfield voters overwhelmingly denied Elevation Enterprises’ request to rezone the four properties to a planned development, for a mixed-use project with loft apartments and commercial space.
The property at 3535 S. Lone Pine Ave. is zoned general retail, while the two other parcels it is under contract with are zoned limited business, according to Springfield’s zoning map. The 2.75-acre lot at 3503 S. Lone Pine Ave. is zoned single-family residential.
The zoning case made the ballot after Galloway residents filed a protest petition in response to the Springfield City Council’s 7-1 approval of the rezoning.
After a Greene County Circuit Judge initially ruled in favor of Elevation Enterprises in a lawsuit the company filed to stop to rezoning case from going before voters, the Southern District Court of Appeals sided with neighbors and opined that the issue wouldn’t be ripe until after voters rejected the City Council’s approval of the rezoning in an election.
Once ripe, Elevation Enterprises and/or the City of Springfield could challenge the appeals court ruling and request the zoning matter to go before the Missouri Supreme Court, according to previous reporting, though no such action has been taken.
Mitchell Jenkins, owner of Elevation Enterprises, did not respond to a request for comment by publication deadline for this story.
