OPINION |
by Dawn Mosley-Young, Springfield
University Heights is a neighborhood in Springfield that is known for its historic homes and central location. The kind of neighborhood people drive through to see during spring, fall and winter holidays. I did that for years until purchasing a home on Stanford Street almost 7 years ago.
It has always been a special place to live, but during the pandemic, it was the perfect place to be. Neighbors looked out for each other and exchanged items with one another as needed. Porch visits and doggy meetups were common and one neighbor, a renowned banjo player, would jam with fellow musicians in the driveway for everyone to enjoy. Kids will play in the yards and run up and down the street to connect with each other while neighbors look on and look out for them.
In recent years, traffic studies have been conducted on Portland Street due to higher traffic counts and speeding cars. City Utilities has worked to help abate the water runoff that plagues the area when we get a “100-year flood” every 6 months or so. Until the BK&M (developers Be Kind & Merciful) people came along, those were the only two concerns for the neighborhood.
The very thought of our beautiful neighborhood losing at least eight homes, with at least one of them being a Bissman home, is sickening. One legendary landmark is already gone. It is tragic. Springfield has some truly special areas with University Heights being one of them. Development is inevitable and can be incorporated with thought and planning. Demolishing homes in our neighborhood should NOT be part of growth.
Mr. Ralph Duda has not had a good-faith meeting with University Heights at any point. He has refused to share with the residents of University Heights what his plan is for that site, other than hopefully a “Pancake Pantry.” He and his associates have ignored citizen concerns and at the most recent meeting he did not even attend, but instead, his brother and two females were there mocking residents as they spoke, rolling their eyes, and texting furiously. At both meetings, they seemed very certain their plan was a done deal. How many City Council members are in cahoots with the developers?
What about the deed restrictions on the land? The people of Springfield deserve transparency in this. And the city of Springfield needs to stop razing our history and do more toward preserving the remaining historic sites that we have.