Springfield's Ongoing Projects

chriss752 · PostMay 20, 2019#12019-05-20T06:55+00:00

I was in Springfield over the weekend and saw a considerable amount of construction going on throughout the relatively small city (estimated 2019 population at nearly 170,000 people). I also saw some signs showing proposed projects throughout the City. In particular, Downtown is seeing some projects that are making it grow ever so slowly and steadily. I compiled a thread of the most recent projects to be announced in Springfield. If the economy holds out, this city will boom some.

Hotel Vandivort Expansion.
This is a 48 room addition onto the current Vandiovort Hotel in Downtown Springfield. Forum Studio is the architect and it looks halfway decent. They are currently adding brick to the new addition. Construction started last year and should be completed by the Fall.
RENDERINGS...

PROGRESS...

IDEA Commons
This is an interesting project since it is a collaboration between Missouri State University and Vecino Properties. The two plan to spend $55 million by adding a 400 space parking garage, 100,000SF of office space, 30,000SF expansion to the Jordan Valley Innovation Center, retail space, new parkland and a City of Springfield sign. IDEA Commons currently didn't have any work going on yet but the plans seem solid. The ultimate goal is to house startups so that they can grow naturally. The development will work in coordination with the E-Factory, Brick City, and the current JVIC facility. In short, this area will become Springfield's version of Cortex.
RENDERINGS...

+3

The Moxy Hotel - Downtown Springfield
This hotel will see the redevelopment of the historic medical arts building into a Moxy branded hotel. Construction should begin soon with completion slated for Summer 2020.
RENDERING

Hotel-Boom_Moxy_CO-Buxton-Kubik-Dodd-Design-Col.original_qZ8k39E.jpg (298.47KiB)

Tru By Hilton in Downtown
Just as it sounds, a Tru hotel is coming to Downtown Springfield. Construction is currently underway and it should be open sometime in the Fall. No rendering is available but this construction photo is from 417 Biz, a news website in Springfield

Hotel-Boom_Tru-By-Hilton-Construction_CO-Bryan-.original.jpg (130.76KiB)

POST 1 of 2.

PostMay 20, 2019#22019-05-20T07:25+00:00

SECOND POST. First was whacky and wasn't letting me do anything else.

$500 Million South Springfield Development - The Ridge at Ward Branch
This is a mega-development with retail, housing (apartments, condos, and townhouses) office space, hotels, parking and much more. It's 100 acres and size and the first phase should open in 2021.

The Springfield Art Museum's expansion
The plan is to make this a destination for people of all ages. The new museum will be built in a newly constructed park. No timeline has been set. The architect is BNIM.

And now for a quick rundown with renderings. I included the names of the projects...

Quarry Town

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HotSpots_QuarryTownRenderings_COBuxtonKubikDodd.original.png (1002.1KiB)

Galloway Creek

The Vue on Walnut

Exterior_Render0001_highres.jpg (880.4KiB)

There are many more that you can find around out there. These were some of the more major ones. That city is certainly changing. From my assessment, there is still a lot of work to be done. Houses around the outer rings of Downtown Springfield appear vacant and some are neglected. Others are occupied and kept up in terms of maintenance. Elsewhere, the area around the Worlds Largest Bass Pro Shops has some signs for future strip malls and what not. A new Best Western Vib Hotel (attached below) was recently completed.

PostMay 30, 2020#32020-05-30T17:53+00:00

IDEA Commons - 414 N. Boonville
Council also heard a tax increment financing proposal for the IDEA Commons redevelopment plan.

It calls for a 30,000-square-foot expansion of Missouri State University’s Jordan Valley Innovation Center building, a public parking garage and a 100,000-square-foot office building developed by The Vecino Group LLC, as well as public improvements to sewer, stormwater infrastructure and roads.

The $55 million project is projected to generate $3.3 million in local TIF revenues over the 23-year collection period and $11 million in state TIF revenues, said Sarah Kerner, director of economic development for the city. Funding for the project will come from MSU, the city, The Vecino Group, tax credits and loans.

New Apartment Project in Downtown (From last September)
An empty lot on St. Louis Street in Springfield could soon get an upgrade. All it’ll take, developers say, is $50 Million worth of tax breaks.

College Town International (CTI), the organization behind the proposed development at 505 St. Louis Street, is looking to build what some will see as an apartment building and what others will see as a necessary space-filler for one of the towns greatest eyesores, the gap between the Old Glass Place and an adjacent U.S. Bank.

194 apartments. It will include studio, 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-bedroom apartments.

H Design Group of Springfield and Hollis+Miller of KC are the architects.

a3d2ce16-bcef-46b2-a24f-8d040d8140f4-SPRINGFIELD_HOUSING_FINAL_RENDER_3.0.jpg (320.85KiB)

New Office Building on Sunshine Street
This is on the outer rim of town near US 63. It's a new office building that is under construction according to Loopnet.

The Ridge at Ward Branch
In December, the project didn't receive the necessary TIF incentives so it will be scaled down. No new renderings are available yet. The rendering shared here is of the $500 Million vision.

New Residence Hall at The University
This project is nearing completion and is a parking garage with residence hall rooms on top. Humphreys and Partners is the architect. It will be open for the fall semester.

NewResidenceHallWebsiteSliders_2019_Revised.png (636.62KiB)

Multipli Credit Union HQ (from last June)
Multipli Credit Union is in the early stages of developing a new headquarters and branch.

At 1850 S. Blackman Road, near the intersection with East Sunshine Street, Multipli is close to finalizing the purchase of vacant land for undisclosed terms, said Judy Hadsall, the credit union’s president and CEO. The land, which is currently owned by KTAB Family LLC, has an appraised value of $80,000, according to Greene County assessor records...

...Multipli plans to occupy 30,000 square feet in the 40,000-square-foot planned building, with the other 10,000 available for lease. The 10,000 square feet also may be used for future expansion space, Hadsall said.
The Multipli officials said general contractor bids are expected to go out soon for the project designed by H Design Group LLC. An August 2020 completion date is targeted.

Information provided by H Design Group indicates the two-story building would have a rooftop patio and an underground parking garage.

20190620-111519-multipli rendering.jpg (166.97KiB)

aprice · PostJun 01, 2020#42020-06-01T15:54+00:00

chriss752 wrote: ↑
May 30, 2020
New Apartment Project in Downtown (From last September)
An empty lot on St. Louis Street in Springfield could soon get an upgrade. All it’ll take, developers say, is $50 Million worth of tax breaks.

The infill between downtown and the convention center is long over due. Springfield is lagging behind other college towns in this urban student housing boom. It's happening but but far too slowly.

airforceguy1 · PostJan 14, 2022#52022-01-14T00:41+00:00

Buc-ee's is coming to Springfield...

"We've become a really clean, safe, cool place for a family to stop on a road trip. Those are not common. Restrooms are cleaner than you will ever see in any public building. And I could argue (cleaner) than our homes..." said Buc-ee's Director of Real Estate Stan Beard. "We are family-oriented and family-friendly. And because of that... people come from far away to shop at Buc-ee's."

Once built, the superstore will be located just northeast of Springfield at the intersection of I-44 and Mulroy Road. Beard said the chain hopes to break ground https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/politics/2022/01/11/buc-ees-travel-center-headed-springfield-council-debates-incentive/9124629002/

GoHarvOrGoHome · PostJan 14, 2022#62022-01-14T15:29+00:00

Buc-ee's aside, it's exciting to see Springfield development take off. It's a long ways away, but who knows? We could have a little mini Austin/Fayetteville/Greenville SC on our hands. Would love to see some explosive growth in SWMO.

Also would love to see the city invest in a little KC Streetcar copycat connecting MO State, Downtown, Drury University, Midtown and the Commercial St Corridor to the North. Line wouldn't have to be that long and would go a long way towards developing the largely empty Midtown area into a central corridor of sorts connecting Commercial St and Downtown into one contiguous urban area.

chriss752 · PostJan 14, 2022#72022-01-14T20:53+00:00

Some project updates (that I've been able to uncover recently). It's hard trying to find recent development stories, so I'm just posting what I've found.

Moxy Hotel: Construction has started on interior demo for the hotel. This will be the first Moxy Hotel in Missouri.

The Commercial Street area will soon see a massive change. Seems like 25 buildings could be redeveloped...

Developer Titus Williams of Prosperiti Partners bought all the buildings on the former campus of The Kitchen a few years ago. He also purchased many other buildings in the Commercial Street area, totaling 25. Williams is working with Queen City Real Estate, Anderson Engineering and Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective on the plans.

Williams’ biggest plans include the former site of the Missouri Hotel building. He plans to once again make it a boutique hotel, as it was in the beginning. It served as a homeless shelter for The Kitchen for the last few decades, until the non-profit closed the shelter, and then moved its campus. Williams says there are more than 90 rooms now, but to make the rooms larger, they’ll take out some walls and cut that down to around 35.

The Missouri Hotel is just one part of his master plans for a mixed-use development in the historic Commercial Street district.

Story Link: https://www.ky3.com/2021/08/18/develope ... ringfield/
Renderings...

Coryell to redevelop former Heritage Cafeteria

Coryell Collaborative Group plans to redevelop the former Heritage Cafeteria building into a five-story residential and commercial property spanning more than 88,000 square feet.

Near the corner of Battlefield Road and Fremont Avenue, the 2.3-acre parcel was acquired March 17 by Coryell Collaborative Group.

Coryell Collaborative Group is developing roughly 6,300 square feet of ground-floor retail space fronting Battlefield Road, as well as 95 apartments on the upper floors that will be managed by company subsidiary TLC Properties. The residential portion of the project is designed with a rooftop fitness center and lounge, a pool and common spaces for residents.

Story Link: https://sbj.net/stories/coryell-to-rede ... eria,73464
Renderings...

20210324-120626-Heritage Render.png.png.jpg (281.96KiB)

20210324-120630-Heritage Render 2.png.jpg (240.69KiB)

Springfield Adopts New Flag...

Five years since the Springfield Identity Project first unveiled their light blue and white "compass crown" flag, the City of Springfield has officially adopted it to represent the city.

After nearly 20 residents voiced their opinion on the new flag and the red-white-and-blue one it’s replacing, it was approved with seven council members in favor and two opposed.

The new flag will begin flying across city buildings starting on March 1. In the meantime, Mayor Ken McClure said the former city flag will be "honored and retired."

636235473887268135-webflag-1024x599.png (26.47KiB)

mjbais1489 · PostJan 14, 2022#82022-01-14T21:04+00:00

That flag is actually pretty cool.

sc4mayor · PostJan 14, 2022#92022-01-14T22:57+00:00

Yeah that’s awesome. Right up there with STL in my opinion. Especially with the nickname, Queen City of the Ozarks.

sc4mayor · PostJan 14, 2022#102022-01-14T23:16+00:00

Here’s an article with the details on the design choices:
https://www.ksmu.org/news/2022-01-11/sp ... ?_amp=true

In the center of the city's new flag, is a dark blue and white eight-pointed emblem called the Compass Crown. It represents Springfield’s role as a crossroads to the nation with the crown being a reference to the city’s nickname, Queen City of the Ozarks.

Four-pointed white stars
Three four-pointed stars above the Compass Crown represent Springfield’s innovative spirit, connection to nature and Ozarks culture.

White horizontal stripe
A broad, white horizontal stripe symbolizes the Ozarks Plateau on which the city was built as well as Route 66. The name for the iconic highway originated in Springfield.

Light blue background
The blue background represents Ozarks water and skies.

RockChalkSTL · PostJan 14, 2022#112022-01-14T23:23+00:00

Sweet flag.

Kind of reminds me in a small way of the Chicago flag.

I really need to go to Springfield for a small trip. Surely, there's plenty to do. The Wonders of Wildlife Aquarium and a double -A Cardinals game seem worth the trip alone.

I also think I could find a few quality meals there.

Sent from my SM-F711U using Tapatalk

sc4mayor · PostJan 14, 2022#122022-01-14T23:40+00:00

^ I’ve never been an SGF fan at all…but every time I go there I seem to have a blast. To the point that my friends and family call it Springvegas haha. Still couldn’t live there though

RockChalkSTL · PostJan 15, 2022#132022-01-15T00:37+00:00

^Yeah, I mean, there's no way I could live there, either... but it just has to provide entertainment for a night or for a weekend, and it seems your experiences with it match that expectation.

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Laife Fulk · PostJan 15, 2022#142022-01-15T20:36+00:00

sc4mayor wrote: ↑
Jan 14, 2022
Here’s an article with the details on the design choices:
https://www.ksmu.org/news/2022-01-11/sp ... ?_amp=true
In the center of the city's new flag, is a dark blue and white eight-pointed emblem called the Compass Crown. It represents Springfield’s role as a crossroads to the nation...

I always laugh at the whole "crossroads to the nation" type branding by many towns. Springfield MO, Effingham, Wentzville, Vandalia OH, Terra Haute, and the State of Indiana all use some version of the "crossroads" title - and those are just the ones that immediately come to mind. This absolutely has zero impact or importance other than marketing copy, but still annoys me. Could you imagine if like Topka KS, Sioux Falls SD, and the state of Montana all used "Gateway to the West".

GoHarvOrGoHome · PostJan 15, 2022#152022-01-15T21:08+00:00

Feel like you should at least be at the junction of two interstates or at least rivers if you are going to market yourself as the crossroads of the nation

jacob_rb_15 · PostAug 25, 2022#162022-08-25T17:57+00:00

https://www.ky3.com/2022/08/24/develope ... ringfield/

Developer gets approval for The Loose Goose in Springfield

RockChalkSTL · PostAug 25, 2022#172022-08-25T18:14+00:00

It's so funny to me to read about how neighbors opposed it for potential traffic reasons.

The site's previous use was a gas station.

jacob_rb_15 · PostJan 25, 2023#182023-01-25T15:38+00:00

Developer unveils University Heights plan to neighborhood residents in tense meeting
https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/ ... 626116007/

Developers release plan for corner of Sunshine and National in Springfield
https://www.ky3.com/2022/11/09/develope ... -national/

Lots of NIMBYs on this one. The location is at the northwest corner of Sunshine and National, about 2 miles outside of downtown.

quincunx · PostJan 25, 2023#192023-01-25T16:02+00:00

50 apartments, the horror. The fear of poor people is so great that "luxury" isn't enough, they call them "executive lofts." More scary are the stroads around it. No crosswalk on the south side of the intersection to get to/from the hospital.

debaliviere · PostJan 26, 2023#202023-01-26T17:07+00:00

Looks better than a lot of the stuff being built in STL these days.

GoHarvOrGoHome · PostJan 26, 2023#212023-01-26T17:55+00:00

Nothing raises my blood pressure faster than reading what these NIMBYs have to say

RockChalkSTL · PostFeb 02, 2023#222023-02-02T01:10+00:00

Springfield, MO has reached a deal to purchase Hammons Field and nearby parking lots for $12 million; plan $4 million in improvements

https://www.stltoday.com/sports/basebal ... t-Dispatch

airforceguy1 · PostMay 29, 2023#232023-05-29T22:26+00:00

Neighbors, Planning and Zoning have mixed response to proposed townhomes in Midtown

A proposed 72-resident townhome development in the Midtown neighborhood drew opposition from residents before Springfield's Planning and Zoning Commission deadlocked on the project.
Located two blocks south of Commercial Street, the proposed development would replace a single-family home and an unused building with dozens of townhouses. The project is being developed by Titus Williams, who is behind several projects along and nearby Commercial Street.
"The plan that you see in front of you today is what we came up with with compromising with the neighborhood association. We believe it's a great plan ...," Williams told the Planning and Zoning Commission Thursday night.
"Our intent is to continue to move forward with this property very quickly. In the development, we feel like this has taken time to get here to this point to be able to develop it ... It's finally gotten to this point to be able to present today."

https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/politics/2023/05/14/plan-for-townhomes-in-midtown-sees-mixed-response-from-neighbors-pz/70210045007/

PostJun 12, 2023#242023-06-12T21:02+00:00

Midtown town house development has been approved by the planning board and will now head to the Springfield City Council for approval.

A midtown townhouse-style apartment development proposal is headed to the Springfield City Council after the Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously voted to approve a rezoning request for the project at its June 8 meeting.
Aesthetics were the primary concern among speakers during the public hearing when the rezoning application first came before the Commission on May 11, resulting in a tie vote.
The developer then met with Midtown neighborhood residents and came back to the commission with altered design standards and changes, which were, for the most part, well received by neighbors and commissioners.
The development will come before City Council July 10, when the public will have the opportunity to provide additional input.

https://sgfcitizen.org/economy-growth/midtown-townhouse-development-clears-planning-and-zoning-heads-to-city-council/

PostJul 12, 2023#252023-07-12T23:43+00:00

Parking a ‘lightning rod’ for Commercial Street affordable housing development

The Vecino Group, the developer of the project, which has been dubbed Sankofa, seeks a conditional use permit to build a 42-unit affordable housing development with five commercial spaces at 411 W. Commercial St. Of the 42 units, 6 are planned to be two bedrooms, 33 one bedroom and three studios units.
The project was awarded $4.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding from the Greene County Commission in October 2022.
The CUP would allow a development that is larger than 10,000 square feet per lot and three stories in height. The mixed-use building, at 41,267 square feet and four floors, would sit on 4.5 lots amounting to just shy of 0.3 acres. Because the property is in a historic district, the development had to undergo review by the Landmarks Board, which approved it on March 8.
The developer’s parking plan, as required by Commercial Street district zoning, identifies three already-existing public parking lots south of Commercial Street for residents of the development, but does not create or add any additional parking, which is not required by city code in the district.
Senior City Planner Michael Sparlin said the C-Street district requirements don’t provide specific guidance as it relates to off-street parking, so staff determined the parking plan the Vecino Group submitted was sufficient. In an independent month-long parking study, The Vecino Group determined that, on average, the public parking lots included in the plan were 75-percent vacant.
The developers determined through trip generation data that the demand for parking would be 62 spaces. The three parking lots included in the parking plan contain a total of 121 spaces. In addition, Public Works director Dan Smith told council members that the city planned to create additional public parking spaces on West Commercial Street.
In The Vecino Group’s parking plan, it encourages the city, the Commercial Street Community Improvement District and the Commercial Club to commission a parking study, consider enforcement of 2-hour parking and engage with the railroad ownership to explore expansion of Frisco Lane parking.

https://sgfcitizen.org/economy-growth/housing/parking-a-lightning-rod-for-commercial-street-affordable-housing-development/