During a lunch meeting Tuesday, Springfield City Council heard a presentation on plans to remap the city along the guidelines of its new Land Development Code and bring zoning designations and terminology in line with the Forward SGF Comprehensive plan.
It is meant to be simplified and modern. It will reduce the city’s zoning districts from 25 to 14.
As part of implementing that new code, property in the city must be transitioned into the new system. Many types of zoning are being eliminated and consolidated. In one example from the city, Limited Business and Office zoning will be combined into the designation Commercial Mixed-use Neighborhood.
Staff say nearly 70% of property in the city will remain essentially unchanged. Residential Single-Family for instance. Planned development, conditional overlay and other legacy districts will be grandfathered into the new code.
Springfield Director of Planning and Development Steve Childers says staff aimed to change as little as possible when planning the remapping. Each property’s new district should allow for basically the same things as its previous district. They hope to provide a means of appeal for residents, without allowing room in the process for anyone to take advantage of potential expedited rezoning.
"It is equal for everyone,” Childers said, explaining his office has received calls from property owners requesting radically different rezoning, such as moving from a residential to a commercial use.
In some cases, the new codes will address more recent property use types. New rules about accessory and small format dwellings for instance clarify options for tiny homes in the city.
The city acknowledged they expect concern from the public. As part of the process, mid-October the City of Springfield will be mailing letters to roughly 50,000 property owners within city limits to inform them of any change and inviting them to connect with the city. They will be conducting meetings in each zone of the city starting in late October and encourage anyone that has concerns to attend.
City staff expect council to consider voting on the new maps in early 2026.
Neighborhood meetings on remapping:
- Zone 1: Oct. 28 at The Library Station, 2535 N. Kansas Expressway.
- Zone 2: Oct. 30 at Pittman Elementary School, 2934 E. Bennett.
- Zone 3: Nov. 10 at The Library Center, 4653 S. Campbell Ave.
- Zone 4: Nov. 5 at Kickapoo High School, 3710 S. Jefferson.
- Citywide: Nov. 13 at the Elections Center, 1126 N. Boonville Ave.
Find the full text of the city's new land development code on the Forward SGF website.