Phase 1 of the Jordan Creek Daylighting project in downtown Springfield dubbed “Renew Jordan Creek” is nearing completion.
On an unusually hot September morning at the site north of Park Central Square, workers were busy. The hard work of digging out approximately 1,000 linear feet of the channel to widen it and make it better for carrying stormwater is finished. Now, a stream of water moves through the area again – there are strategically placed rocks to create riffles, so the water doesn’t become stagnate.
On one section, workers were putting the finishing touches on pervious pavers.
"What are these guys doing?" asked Tim Rosenbury, director of Quality of Place Initiatives for the City of Springfield.
"It's the pervious pavers," said Renew Jordan Creek Project Manager Kirkland Preston. "So, they're doing permeability testing...because underneath us, it's a water quality feature. It's called a Silva Cell. So, the water kind of percolates in. And then, you know, these trees can absorb it, and then it slowly makes its way to the channel...there's little half barrel vaults, prefab barrel vaults, that have been buried underneath here. So, those voids then hold water and then slowly let it out.
Preston said the entire project is about 90% complete.
Stormwater control
Renew Jordan Creek is at its heart, a stormwater project. In the 1930s, the city built concrete channels to move the creek underground. Today, much more is known about how to manage stormwater.
"The old way of thinking was to just put it out of sight and out of mind and control it by putting it underground," said Preston. "And the new way of thinking is to allocate some space for the water to actually flood. And so, if you look at the project area, what you'll see is we've excavated a large amount of soil, about 60,000yd³ of soil. So, we have a much larger cross-sectional area for the water to flow. So, in that way, we're giving the water some area to flow and to flood. And that's the root reason why we're doing the project is to try to bring down the base flood elevations here downtown."
A riparian corridor is being planted with native trees and plants, which have deep roots and can withstand drought.
"There's things like Joe Pye weed, serviceberry, redbud, sycamore, bald cypress, swamp oak...you know, things you would find in the Ozarks and in Missouri in general," said Preston.
Those will help slow down the stormwater as it flows into the creek and will filter out pollutants.
Recreational space
But beyond the stormwater project, the space is meant for people to enjoy.
"It has uses for different kinds of groups. For example, during the weekdays, there's the downtown workforce, but maybe even more immediate is Missouri State Brick City campus and the efactory and the JVIC Innovation, the Jordan Valley Innovation Center," said Rosenbury. "So, this is a space that's going to be busy during the day. And then on weekends, it's likely to be programmed from time to time for events. We've already had discussions with a couple of groups that put on festivals, and they're considering this as maybe a new location for those, and we're excited about that, too. So, this is just another way of making downtown more livable."
The city hopes businesses will open along the new green space. Rosenbury said he’d love to see gathering places like cafes, bars, boutique hotels and coffee shops. He said there’s room for development.
"The West block, which is between Campbell and Main, the north side of that has properties that are all publicly owned and can be acquired if an investor goes to those agencies," said Rosenbury. "The south side is bordered by downtown and they're underutilized parking lots that are owned by the city. There's a site on the west end overlooking the site that is owned by a public entity that maybe a way can be found to develop that in a private public partnership even."
Rosenbury hopes Renew Jordan Creek will boost Springfield residents’ quality of life by providing a place for people to come together and creating a sense of community pride.
There’s a greenway along the south side of the creek as well as two spaces with grass carpeting and string lights.
There’s built-in seating on site that can be used by the public and by Missouri State University classes. Rosenbury envisions live music.
"It's a great busker space," he said. "There's all kinds of opportunity here."
He said, while the square may be the front door of downtown Springfield, Renew Jordan Creek will be kind of like a back deck.
"Much more informal. Much more ad hoc but I hope just as inviting," he said.
Some people have expressed concern about the space being used as a place where unsheltered residents hang out. Rosenbury didn’t shy away from the topic. He said the city is concerned about that and has thought about it.
"We have talked with our public safety agencies about the extent to which we can enforce conduct. Homelessness is not a crime in and of itself. And so, these members of our community have every right to be here as much as anybody else," he said. "What we're concerned about, though, is that it doesn't become overwhelmed by any one group, whether it's Missouri State students, whether it's suburban families or the unsheltered neighbors. And the way that happens is by diversity of programing. You make this an active space, and it will feel like a safe space. When it becomes a passive space or an inactive space, that's when you start to have concerns. The other thing that's great about this space is that it's observed. And what I mean by that is, these buildings on the north side have windows overlooking the park. And so, there are already eyes on the street. But we plan to cooperate with the university as a major stakeholder, with the safety and security protocols, as well as the police department and the downtown organizations."
Renew Jordan Creek is expected to cost approximately $38 million for both design and construction. That includes replacing the Main Street Bridge over the creek. Funding comes from local taxes, ARPA dollars, grants and loans.
Preston said it’s on time and on budget.
The city was recently awarded a $3.58 Brownfields Cleanup Grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to begin Phase II. That money will fund a remediation project of 3.83 acres of vacant land at 404 and 428 N. Jefferson.
Phase II will transform the former industrial properties into a public greenspace and restore a section of Jordan Creek that is still buried within a culvert system, according to the City of Springfield.
