Springfield City Council heard the first reading of an ordinance Monday that would amend Chapter 36 of the Springfield City Code.
It’s part of a comprehensive update to the city’s Community Land Development Code.
Chris Brewster with Multistudio, which is working to update the code to make it a more design-based approach, explained why the changes are necessary. One reason, he said, is simply because it’s been 30 years since the last comprehensive update.
"Over time, you amend it, it becomes disjointed and a little harder to work with. It's also dated in terms of some of the policies. It doesn't reflect Forward SGF and has some things that aren't necessarily considered best practices in terms of planning," he said. "We consider it more of a use-based code, which is something that's just based purely on land uses than in a development and design and things that impact what you physically see — are not necessarily afterthoughts but aren't necessarily engrained into the code as you might like."
The proposed ordinance doesn’t address missing middle housing, which has been identified as a need in Springfield to help with the city’s housing shortage. Becky Volz, chair of the Neighborhood Advisory Council, and Richard Ollis, board chair for Restore SGF both advocated last night for more middle housing – things like town homes and duplexes, which span a range of affordability.
"My point simply is this," said Ollis. "We cannot move forward with just building single-family homes on third of an acre lots."
Steve Childers, the City of Springfield’s director of Planning and Development, said they’ll work over the next few months on Text Amendment 1 to the ordinance that will go before council again on March 24, and that amendment will address middle housing. He plans to get both developers and neighborhoods involved as they craft that amendment and update zoning maps.
Brewster said the target date for implementing the updated Community Land Development Code is January of 2026.
Work began on the updates in the spring of 2023. You can learn more at forwardsgf.com/initiative3.
