Foot traffic on Commercial Street may increase sharply in the coming years — not just from visitors or tourists, but residents.
With the Springfield City Council’s approval of two housing developments, 114 units — including 42 affordable housing units and five new commercial spaces — will be added near and in the Commercial Street Historic District.
Both development plans brought about concerns and faced opposition from neighbors, Springfield Planning and Zoning commissioners and city council members. But with some of those concerns addressed, both developments ultimately received the go-ahead from the City Council on July 24.
City Council unanimously passes affordable housing development
The proposed affordable housing development at 411 W. Commercial St. on the northeast corner of the Grant Beach neighborhood, dubbed Sankofa, has generally been well received by council members and nearby residents, but its lack of any parking has been a “lightning rod.”
The Vecino Group, a national development firm with offices a short walk away from this very development on Commercial Street, sought a conditional use permit in order to develop the project.
The project — a 42-unit affordable housing development with five commercial spaces — is more than 41,000 square feet and four stories tall, sitting on 4.5 lots amounting to just shy of 0.3 acres. The development does not include any parking, which is not required under its COM-1 zoning designation in Springfield city codes.
Residents of the development would be required to use nearby public parking. The Springfield Department of Public Works plans to restripe and add 41 on-street public parking spaces near the project.
The project was awarded $4.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding from the Greene County Commission in October 2022.
The development was previously approved by the Springfield Landmarks Board in March, and city staff recommended approval of the application. However, the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended denial.
That opposition continued during the public hearing on the bill at the July 10 City Council meeting, when neighbors and council members expressed concern with the lack of parking, although some indicated that parking on Commercial Street is a “bigger issue” than a single development project would contribute to.
Amid the opposition, there was plenty of support for the project. Several speakers — including Commercial Street business owners — were in favor of the development, pointing out that it would provide workforce housing and promote walkability.
At that meeting, Councilmember Derek Lee was the most vocal about the need for the development to provide parking. Lee ultimately voted in favor of the conditional use permit, expressing appreciation for the city’s effort to create additional public parking spaces along Commercial Street.
“Most of the neighborhood is in favor of this development, and they’re very well aware of the parking issues that are on Commercial Street,” Lee said.
Councilmember Monica Horton also commended the city’s effort to add more parking, and pointed to the importance of the project for affordable housing and employment on Commercial Street. In expressing support for the development, Councilmember Brandon Jenson said that the concern of convenience of parking should not outweigh the need for affordable housing in Springfield.
Bruce Adib-Yazdi, the vice president of development at the Vecino Group, anticipates a groundbreaking on the project in early 2024.
Sankofa development prompts larger discussion on parking in Springfield
Several council members used the conversation as an opportunity to discuss the general issue of parking.
Councilmember Abe McGull said having to park half of a city block away from Commercial Street “isn’t a big inconvenience.”
“I don't know what it is about this city,” McGull said. “I've been in a lot of cities and everybody wants to park in front of the business where they’re going into, when there's plenty of parking spots everywhere.”
Jenson concurred with McGull, pointing to the high vacancy rates of the public parking lots south of Commercial Street as a means for parking.
“It can’t be the expectation that everybody’s going to be able to park immediately in front of the business they want to frequent,” Jenson said.
However, Jenson did indicate a desire to make the pedestrian connections from those parking lots safer, with improvements in lighting and other upgrades. He encouraged the developers to offer tenants public transit passes or look into improving nearby bus stops to help alleviate parking concerns.
Jenson said as Springfield grows, its roads and parking lots won’t be able to handle the additional traffic if residents continue to rely on cars. He anticipates parking to be a major concern amid the city’s upcoming comprehensive code update.
“I think parking is going to be a significant policy issue that both City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission are going to have to weigh in as our community continues to grow and as we look at redevelopment as the primary means of making that happen,” Jenson said
Despite early concerns, rezoning request receives unanimous approval
Unlike the affordable housing development directly along West Commercial Street, the 72-unit Midtown development at 1630 N. Jefferson Ave. and 1635 N. Benton Ave. required a rezoning.
Developer Titus Williams sought to rezone 2.3 acres of property from single-family residential, center city district and urban conservation district to a planned development. The land is currently home to two vacant buildings, including the former Klingner-Cope Family Funeral Home.
The development will have 72 multi-family dwelling units inside six apartment buildings, 85 off-street parking spaces — 70 of which would be in internal garages. The plan includes a 900-square foot “tot lot,” which will include a picnic area and a barbecue grill.
The rezoning application initially met with opposition, although primarily regarding its aesthetics, and met a tie vote in the Planning and Zoning Commission. After some changes to the plan addressing the aesthetics concerns, it returned to the Commission and got unanimous approval.
During its public hearing at the City Council meeting on July 10, a few outstanding concerns were raised. They include the maintenance of the property in the interim and the number of parking spaces it would provide. Even still, speakers expressed appreciation for the developer’s willingness to work with the neighborhood.
There was no opposition — or discussion — on the development at the July 24 meeting, when council members unanimously voted in favor of the rezoning.
Williams previously said that, best-case scenario, the development would be completed by the end of 2024.
