The public will have the chance to provide input into the future of Galloway Village at three public meetings in Springfield. The first will be from 5:30 to 7 March 21 at All Saints Anglican Church, 2751 E. Galloway. The others will be later this spring and summer, but dates have not yet been set.
The meetings are the result of an effort by the Galloway Village Neighborhood Association, city staff and other stakeholders in the area to put together a community engagement process. Input will also be accepted online at springfieldmo.gov/ourgalloway.
Springfield City Council adopted a blight study and redevelopment plan for the area north of E. Lacuna St. and south to E. Republic Rd. in 2014. Since then, there’s been increased development in the area.
Last fall, Zone 4 councilman, Matthew Simpson, requested a resolution for an administrative delay for rezoning and lot combinations in the Lone Pine corridor so city staff could gather input and develop recommendations. The resolution passed last November, and it expires August 2. It followed concerns by area residents about a proposed mixed-use apartment complex and retail center across from Sequiota Park.
Springfield senior planner, Olivia Hough, said the March 21 meeting will be open house-style.
"We'll just be gathering a lot of information on current concerns, on priorities for future development, you know, what they want the area to look like, and this is for anyone that's interested in the Galloway-Lone Pine area," said Hough.
The Galloway Village neighborhood has a rich history. It dates back nearly 200 years and is named after Major Charles Galloway, a Mexican-American War and Civil War veteran who was also a locally well-known farmer and merchant. The first white man in the area was Jacob Painter who spent $200 to purchase 600 acres of land that he later broke up and sold to locals.
Galloway was a company town for a nearby quarry. Ash Grove Lime Works is believed to have purchased the quarry, now Ash Grove Concrete, in the 1880s.
Lone Pine Avenue ends at U.S. 60 and 65, but it used to go on through and was the first road to connect Springfield and Branson.
Fisher’s Cave, which is at today’s Sequiota Park, was used for picnics and other forms of recreation. At one point it was used as a grocery store to raise mushrooms, rhubarb, celery and frogs. The area that’s now Sequiota Park was a fish hatchery and state park from 1920-1959 when the hatchery moved to Table Rock Lake, and the land was donated to the Park Board.
The area is unique because of its history, hilly terrain, Galloway Creek, Sequiota Park and a commercial corridor with businesses that have existed for decades, according to Hough. There's a wide mix of land use and interest, and Springfield citizens are interested in its future.
"It's just a prime time to give some focus on really what the area should be and to look at some solutions to balance these different interests moving forward so that we can come up with, you know, developments that really fit in well with the area," Hough said.
