Springfield City Council to consider redevelopment plan in northeast side of city

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - Springfield City Council will consider Monday night whether or not to green-light a redevelopment plan on the northeast side of the city.

The site is off Prospect Avenue, near the intersection of Chestnut Expressway and National Avenue. It was an old flour mill that had been dormant for decades.

“It’s been abandoned for the past 50 years, and we have a developer that is interested in redeveloping the site for commercial use,” said Matt Schaefer, senior planner for the city.

The plan is to turn the site into a restaurant, although more redevelopment could follow.

“The developer proposes to more or less clean up the site, construct the new restaurant building, and then also secure and clean up the exterior of the buildings that the existing structures that would position those structures for possible future redevelopment down the road,” said Schaefer.

The first thing the city council has to do is determine the property’s blight. Per state law, the property must be considered blighted before this type of redevelopment project can proceed.

“Generally speaking, it involves a predominance of an impulsive predominance of physical deterioration of site improvements, unsanitary or unsafe conditions or other conditions that threaten life or property by fire or other causes,” said Schaefer.

The city could then choose whether or not to proceed with the redevelopment plan. If they do so, the developer would be able to begin the project. They would be required to clean up the area and make it safe and habitable again. In return, they would receive a property tax abatement plan over the next 25 years that essentially freezes their property taxes.

“This proposal includes payments in lieu of taxes that would be equivalent to the taxes that are currently being paid on the improvements. So, the net effect of the abatement during the first ten years is that it essentially freezes the taxes. Then, during the latter 15 years, taxes are abated on the real property at 50% of their assessed value,” said Schaefer.

Schaefer says this project is good for both the community and the developer.

“The developer has an incentive. Now, that incentive is also helping offset some additional costs that are associated with dealing with a blighted property,” said Schaefer. “Tax abatement can can help offset those additional costs and also offset risk. For the community, there’s a benefit because there’s a blighted area that’s going to be cleaned up and a property that’s long been sitting unutilized, going back into productive use.”

The city council will vote on this issue Monday night at its meeting, which will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the Regional Police and Fire Training Center, located at 2620 West Battlefield.

To report a correction or typo, please email digitalnews@ky3.com