Springfield City Council held a public hearing Monday for the first amended and restated redevelopment plan for the Kearney Street Corridor Redevelopment area.
The City had a market study done in 2017 to determine the best ways to spur redevelopment on Kearney from Glenstone to Kansas Expressway.
"Findings from that study were that the area had been stagnating and is in need of reinvestments," said Matt Shaefer, the City’s assistant director of economic vitality. "Furthermore, there was a strong desire for redevelopment and reinvestment in this area."
The study suggested real property tax abatement be used to spur redevelopment as well as a possible community improvement district.
The redevelopment plan, which included real property tax abatement, was approved by city council in 2018. To adopt the plan, the area needed to be declared blighted, which it was.
Schaefer said seven redevelopment projects were completed under the original plan, including the Doubletree Hotel and Big Shots Golf. The plan "inadvertently lapsed" in 2023, he said. The bill approved by council Monday reinstates the plan. Schaefer said another blight study was done before the plan went to council.
"The main finding from this blight study is that, aside from the redevelopment that had occurred since 2018 — those seven redevelopment projects — the redevelopment area more or less has remained predominantly in the same condition as it was in 2018," said Schaefer.
He said the study found that illegal dumping was occurring in the area, and there were 16 unsewered properties and a high concentration of Brownfield properties.
Under the new plan, certain uses would be excluded, including head shops, junk yards and smoke and vape shops along with adult-oriented businesses. Councilman Craig Hosmer made a motion to amend the plan to also exclude dispensaries, which passed.
A few people spoke during the public hearing, including Becky Volz, a longtime neighborhood advocate in Springfield and a Woodland Heights resident. She thanked city officials for "not giving up on our north side" and asked "can we make it happen this time?"
"I'm encouraged that the neglect we've experienced can now be reversed, and we will see improvements," said Volz.
She praised improvements that have been made, including new sidewalks and a safer place for people to cross on their way to Doling Park.
Russ Gosselin is a north Springfield resident and founder and executive director of Elevate Lives, which operates the Elevate Center in the former Robberson Community School building on Kearney St. He said he hoped council would pass the plan but not stop at that.
"Let's define a clear vision for Kearney Street and pursue it with intentionality," he said. "Because, if we get this right, it won't just improve a road, it will change how an entire part of our city is experienced."
The public hearing on the bill will continue on April 20, and council is expected to vote that night.
