SPRINGFIELD – At the Feb. 9 Springfield Economic Development Agency (SEDA) board meeting, direction was sought for phase one of the infrastructure proposed in the Glenwood Preliminary Master Plan application.
Allie Camp, Springfield’s economic development manager, presented the next steps for Glenwood infrastructure to the SEDA board.
“There are a lot of moving parts to this conversation,” Camp said. “This is a preliminary conversation; I expect many more.”
The Glenwood Urban Renewal District was established in 2004, and the refinement plan was established in 2014, with community input on the vision for Glenwood. Camp explained that transportation system plans and commercial buildable lands inventory documents have led the project to where it is today. Predevelopment, entitlements, and land use steps have been completed. SEDA’s next steps are infrastructure and site preparations.
“The goal of the Glenwood Master Plan area is to get to development,” Camp said. “We can not get to development until we get through some degree of infrastructure.”
Project principles for the Glenwood project include connecting the community to the river, meeting the intent of the Glenwood Refinement Plan, being economically viable, being flexible in approach, being timely in outcomes, and feeling right-sized for Springfield.
“Everything that we’ve done with Glenwood has been about protecting the public’s access to the river,” Mayor Sean VanGordon said. “A lot of this work is designed to not only bring development to Glenwood, but also to protect people’s access to the river.”
Camp and her team are preparing the Preliminary Master Plan application, which involves balancing technical feasibility and development sensibility.
“Things like, can a pipe go there? Can a road go there? What does the code say? Are we allowed to do that? What makes sense with regards to the buildings that are built in our areas, market rate considerations, or the cost of delivering things?” Camp said.
Proposed phase one is a transportation and pedestrian connection from Franklin Blvd. to the river’s edge, which coincides with the project’s principles.
It also encourages high-quality mixed-use development, housing, and commercial options by unlocking “the most development area, considering there are four blocks around it,” said Camp.
All four blocks can then be served with utilities, enabling development. The section down the middle of the area provides key utility connections throughout the site, making infrastructure delivery easier.
“While we’re looking at it, it looks like just roads, but this includes sidewalks and lighting, maybe all of the things that would go in there, right?” Asked board member Kori Rodley.
“Absolutely…It’s everything from pedestrian scale lighting, to sidewalks, to ADA access, to the treatments of the intersection,” Camp answered.
Phase one has an early estimated construction cost of $9,970,000 and is considered the minimum viable product needed to initiate development from SEDA or any partner on the site.
“There is a substantial degree of contingency included, and there’s escalation to consider it being delivered years out from now,” Camp said.
There is a community meeting on Feb. 19 at 4 p.m. at Roaring Rapids Pizza Company for the public to view the proposed master plan, talk with city staff and project leaders, and connect with agency partners involved in the process. Another SEDA board meeting will be held at the end of the month, and submission of the Preliminary Master Plan is anticipated around March 5.
“This is really exciting. We’re within a month or so of submitting the Preliminary Master Plan,” Rodley said.
City Manager Nancy Newton also commented, “People may say, ‘This is just a road.’ This is really the backbone of this development, and it’s how we are going to start to be a catalytic force for Glenwood. I’m really proud of Ally and her team.”
