2026-10-13 - Community Involvement Committee

00:01.14] We'll go ahead and start. If you want to go ahead and take the roll

00:05.16] call, Ms. Cotter.

00:06.48] Hardinger?

00:07.50] Aye.

00:08.00] Here.

00:08.72] Horton?

00:09.84] Here.

00:10.02] Lee?

00:10.60] Here.

00:11.08] Carroll?

00:11.64] Here.

00:14.26] We have the August 18th minutes in front

00:18.28] of us. Also, these were sent ahead of time.

00:22.48] If there are not any changes that need to be made, I'll entertain a

00:26.10] motion to approve the minutes

00:29.40] as presented.

00:31.40] So moved.

00:32.58] Moved by Ms. Horton.

00:33.68] Second.

00:34.12] Seconded by Ms. Hardinger.

00:36.66] Ms. Cotter?

00:37.84] Horton?

00:39.08] Aye.

00:39.68] Lee?

00:40.94] Aye.

00:41.44] Hardinger?

00:42.36] Aye.

00:42.76] Carroll?

00:43.38] Aye.

00:45.96] I would entertain a motion to take the agenda items out of

00:49.94] order so that we may hear the presentation regarding the review of General

00:53.54] Ordinance 6973, amending Springfield City

00:57.52] Code Chapter 98, Streets, Sidewalks, and Public Places as

01:01.44] our first item, followed by the continued discussion of the Economic Development

01:05.40] Incentive Policy Manual Framework. Do we have a second?

01:10.32] Second.

01:12.80] Roll call.

01:15.04] Lee?

01:15.96] Aye.

01:16.58] Hardinger?

01:17.20] Aye.

01:17.94] Horton?

01:18.68] Aye.

01:19.78] Carroll?

01:20.44] Aye.

01:22.60] Mr. Jones?

01:24.44] I'd like to introduce Brett Foster, Assistant Director of Public Works, to walk us

01:28.10] through

01:29.90] the project here.

01:31.42] Okay, we're going to get going. This presentation has a lot of words in it.

01:34.72] It doesn't have a lot of inquisitive storytelling and chickens and things like that

01:38.66] I like to put in my Chapter 98 discussions, but we'll get through this pretty

01:42.32] quickly. Have

01:44.62] plenty of time for questions.

01:46.68] Just a little update on the background, of course, Chapter 98 is where our driveway

01:50.34] and access standards are at. It's where a lot of things about right of way are.

01:53.78] You saw the

01:55.72] encroachment. That's part of our Chapter 98.

01:57.62] So it's where all things right of way are managed.

02:00.00] The last time it had a comprehensive update regarding

02:03.24] driveways and access was 1997.

02:06.62] Again, there's transportation requirements in there, but those are also scattered

02:10.44] throughout as the code grew through our old planning and development code.

02:14.42] There were speckled portions of that transportation code that were out there.

02:18.94] That created a lot of conflicts and also created some unnecessary requirements when

02:22.42] we went through that review process.

02:26.38] We did develop these with a very intentional mindset, and that was

02:30.28] following along with Ford SDF, and that was to have a cohesive set of documents and

02:34.04] try to balance flexibility and consistency, because we knew that was two things

02:37.70] that were desired, and those are a trade-off in some relations.

02:42.00] We'll blow through this background really quick, but it was really in late 2023

02:45.26] that we began the process formally.

02:47.48] We'd been gathering data on that for some time in Public Works, but we began to

02:50.96] engage on our access and driveway standards.

02:54.08] Then in April of 2024,

02:56.36] we engaged a transportation consultant to help us put that information together.

03:00.38] This firm was a particular firm that specializes in this, has some

03:04.24] plug-ins nationally. And they looked through this and

03:08.12] compared our standards to other cities' standards as well.

03:12.32] In June of 2024, later that year, MultiStudio, who was doing our land development

03:16.14] code, asked for those standards, and they began to put portions of those and

03:20.46] work back and forth with how those standards incorporated into the larger land

03:24.16] development code.

03:26.02] And

03:27.42] then in late 2024, once the land developments code was done,

03:31.28] Public Works was left with the task of making sure those two documents

03:35.00] worked together. So that's really when we worked through that process.

03:38.88] Then in February of 2025, we came out with the formal rollout of the Chapter

03:42.64] 98 access standards along with the land development code.

03:45.82] This is just some of the organizations we went and spoke with multiple times.

03:50.48] We had several engagement periods.

03:51.76] We did quite a bit of public outreach during that process, including several

03:55.44] lunches with you all, and some things.

03:59.24] Again, on that background, in 2026 is when it was formally adopted.

04:04.80] The first draft was adopted there, along with the land development code in the

04:08.44] first part of 2026.

04:10.70] Then April 2026 is when we came back with the 6994,

04:15.52] and that was the ordinance that we talked about with redirecting the manager to

04:18.08] look at the appeal process and work through that.

04:20.82] And again, to give a report to this committee by October 13th, which I think is

04:24.52] today, if my dates work out correctly.

04:27.94] And

04:29.02] then council also suspended the code's appeal process until December 14th,

04:32.68] 2026, pending the outcome of this committee's recommendations.

04:36.56] So that's just a background. Any questions on the background, and we'll get into

04:39.08] the report itself. Just wanted to make sure we had that baseline to move through.

04:43.86] Good? Heard a lot of times. So

04:46.60] initial implementation results.

04:48.74] Today, we've had zero appeals that have went to the city manager.

04:52.08] All those have been handled at the administrative level so far within Public Works

04:56.18] or in the planning department.

04:58.58] One thing we wanted to note is we've had 10 administrative reviews where

05:02.42] driveways or access plans have been approved that formerly would have had to go to

05:05.66] planning and zoning, because that was the only thing that would require that

05:09.00] planning and zoning case. I won't say the only thing, but that would have triggered

05:12.58] that review to have gone there, or to have physical driveway changes

05:16.38] happen before that plat could approve.

05:17.92] So that process was changed to administrative.

05:20.58] So we've had 10 of those cases that would have had that as a review by the

05:24.42] Planning and Zoning Commission.

05:26.54] We've also approved three driveway safety studies, and we have four more that

05:30.50] are underway. Now, what those are is what I would call just a mini traffic study.

05:34.66] They're a traffic study just looking at the driveways themselves and the access

05:38.30] points. And those were put in to provide some predictability and some

05:42.08] engineering baseline for why variances or appeals would be requested.

05:46.10] Really, a variance. An appeal is when the variance would be denied, but why a

05:48.78] variance would be requested.

05:52.10] A little bit about this initial implementation view.

05:54.86] I want to note that note at the bottom. We realize it's a small data set.

05:57.78] These have been started... When did it go live? The code?

06:00.92] April 6th.

06:01.88] So April 6th. So we don't have a huge data set, but we've had a lot of cases come

06:05.44] through

06:06.62] We like the status of it, we like how it's working so far, and we'll talk

06:10.66] about that we are aware there's some changes that needs to happen in this and some

06:13.92] additional concerns and text amendments, just like we did with the rest of the code

06:16.86] that's going to need to occur. But so far,

06:19.44] the administrative flexibility has been really nice.

06:22.48] A big change in this process is on those lower

06:26.04] impact streets like collectors and below, a small business, those things can be

06:29.76] done administratively, and those are moving right through the system.

06:32.88] We mentioned the subdivision ones, that's just one example, but also

06:36.40] smaller things that previously would've maybe had to go through a

06:40.26] larger process are able to be reviewed administratively and we're going to move

06:44.28] right through that.

06:45.80] There's also with that, some of those unnecessary review steps have been removed.

06:50.06] Some things had to go to ARC, some things to Planning and Zoning.

06:52.74] There was just a lot of inconsistency in routing for very simple things that were

06:56.48] removed out of that Chapter 98 and the Land Development code that

07:00.60] went along with that.

07:02.46] And we've received some feedback on those engineering evaluations and those

07:06.02] driveway studies. They are a baseline.

07:09.42] It's a new process that some of the traffic engineers are still getting used to.

07:13.66] It's something that's not utilized a lot of places.

07:15.54] But the thing that we have received positive feedback from them, it does give them

07:19.26] a baseline for when they're submitting a variance request.

07:21.60] What specifically do you have to review, and what do you have to justify when you

07:25.20] submit that variance request?

07:27.34] The previous code just said submit the variance.

07:29.34] This gives a very defined process for how that variance is reviewed and

07:32.72] possible.

07:35.42] So I talked about some changes that we need to probably make,

07:39.34] and those are text amendments. We knew that going into this, that we weren't going

07:43.02] to have everything right. There's things that's going to have to be fixed.

07:45.52] We're fully aware of that.

07:47.48] There is some clarification needed for some of those triggers of when access is

07:50.86] required. We thought it was pretty clear in there after reading through some of

07:54.20] that and how it's being interpreted, there needs to be some clarification there.

07:57.84] Also, some more flexibility for existing properties.

08:01.22] There were some unintended consequences for some of those change of use discussions

08:05.34] that were in there. I don't think it's ever been applied yet,

08:08.78] but we could see how, in some instances, it could be negatively taken from the

08:12.78] developer's standpoint, and not in our intention to do so.

08:16.06] And then minor changes for better clarity.

08:19.02] There's just some text things in there that just

08:21.60] are not going to fully

08:23.80] clarify how it works with land development code and other things.

08:27.16] There's a lot of definitions in that document.

08:29.02] It's this thick, and we need to make sure that those read really clearly.

08:32.20] And then some of that unintended consequences vetting language.

08:36.60] We've been

08:37.84] taking that community feedback since we started it.

08:40.74] We're also setting up some meetings or had a set of meetings with us, with the

08:44.20] GDAC, and some of the stakeholders in the community to follow up with that and see

08:47.74] what sort of text amendments they're seeing, what sort of changes they project need

08:51.30] to be made based on this first evaluation period.

08:54.08] And really, even though we had all that stakeholder feedback, we realized some

08:57.64] people just aren't going to get into the weeds of that till you start to use it.

09:00.02] And we're going to continue to find those minor things and those

09:03.96] issues that we find out with that document.

09:06.82] But again, those text amendments are preliminary, and of course, they have to come

09:10.08] back to council for approval before we would do anything with those

09:13.68] projected text amendments or any of that feedback we get.

09:16.38] So,

09:17.74] that was really our update on where we're at with it, and we've got Chad here

09:20.82] that's been dealing with it day to day, happy to answer any questions or give any

09:24.10] feedback needed.

09:27.92] So I have just a few comments.

09:30.38] Sure.

09:32.34] I agree with everything you said.

09:35.78] Our previous regulations,

09:38.98] frankly, we needed to take more driveways than we were.

09:42.54] I had a number of projects myself where

09:46.78] driveways that really weren't very safe were allowed to stay, and

09:51.66] the administrative part of it is really good.

09:56.14] I would provide just some general feedback.

09:59.94] The biggest issue that I had, and that's what

10:04.30] people came forward why this was referred.

10:06.70] The

10:07.78] biggest issue that I have is that

10:10.86] the regulations really only talk about

10:15.30] safety issues, and they don't talk about economic

10:18.82] development issues. And as you get

10:22.34] feedback,

10:24.30] I would encourage you,

10:26.96] if you read the MoDOT standards, they

10:30.32] specifically in the regulations,

10:33.44] just reading from them, they say, "Where access is being managed

10:37.82] on an existing

10:39.72] roadway, it is often not possible to incorporate

10:43.70] the access management criteria due to

10:47.16] economic, physical, or other constraints."

10:51.36] And so the regulations are specifically written

10:55.00] where you can acknowledge, hey, this bank is set off where there's only

10:59.06] one way out for this driveway or this

11:01.98] loading dock, like at the church at Schweitzer that kind of kicked

11:06.04] some of this off.

11:08.40] It's actually written where it anticipates those

11:12.28] things and say in those rare exceptions,

11:16.16] those should be considered. And

11:19.94] when you look at the language in our

11:23.04] regulations, they actually say, "The

11:26.60] compatibility of a compliant driveway with a property's

11:30.96] proposed use, business type, or

11:34.94] specific site plan will not be considered a hardship."

11:39.04] So it's the exact opposite, where

11:42.54] most entities acknowledge the importance of

11:46.22] driveways for access and economic development, and ours

11:49.82] actually do the opposite. They say, "If you want to appeal, you can't even

11:53.66] consider those things." And they list

11:58.20] these, I won't read them all. You know them.

12:02.38] A through G, where it's all mitigation things.

12:05.50] These are the only things we can talk about.

12:07.84] We can't even talk about economic development.

12:10.78] Where most regulations want to at least talk about both.

12:15.18] And that's my concern with these regulations.

12:18.56] If we don't have the language in there, you guys are bound

12:22.66] to follow the regs, and the regs don't give you any wiggle room.

12:26.74] They don't give

12:28.94] somebody like the Schweitzer

12:31.88] Methodist, they've got a loading dock,

12:35.88] they can't use it, or that bank there.

12:38.92] And so,

12:41.58] I would encourage you to include some language like that, or to

12:45.44] include some feedback, because I don't know anybody that would say, "Hey, we

12:49.44] don't want to even look at

12:51.96] the economic development side of things."

12:55.20] And then,

12:56.76] the other thing, and this is just a general comment, because a lot

13:00.76] of people don't work with these regulations,

13:04.16] but they've just created

13:07.26] the situation where

13:10.20] very few driveways on our main corridors are

13:13.78] compliant.

13:15.76] So like for instance, I went through Kearney Street,

13:19.72] and I looked at every single property, every single driveway

13:23.72] on Kearney Street, where we're talking about our economic

13:27.20] development plan. Not one driveway on the entire

13:31.22] plan meets these regulations. So every single one of them,

13:35.28] you've got to do a study or you've got to prove that

13:39.56] your driveway should exist, because

13:43.04] we've made them all non-compliant.

13:46.26] And, I just think that

13:49.64] as you talk to the community, I think it's more than just the safety.

13:53.54] I think you need to share that with them and say, "Hey, we really don't

13:57.36] have compliant driveways anymore on our major corridors,

14:01.36] on our primary and secondary arterials.

14:03.66] Is that a good thing?" Because I don't think that message got out

14:08.36] when it was communicated the first time.

14:10.74] So those are my two

14:13.28] big things, and I welcome a response if you think

14:17.96] that's-

14:18.46] I think that's what we're trying to do, is get that type of feedback.

14:21.06] Like the language that you mentioned on the first one, there wasn't the intention

14:23.98] to ever stymie economic development.

14:26.18] I think the intention was, is I want to put square peg in round

14:29.96] hole, and square peg doesn't fit. And so my only reason for the variance is because

14:33.16] I want this here, and it doesn't fit from a greater standpoint of a

14:37.06] benefit. And so, we can work on that language.

14:39.76] Some of that that we mentioned in the text amendments, like on the change of use,

14:43.84] when Chad and I took a look at it after it first came out, somebody brought that to

14:46.76] our attention, we're like, "Oh,

14:49.30] that's not what that was intended to sound like or function like." So we know

14:52.50] there's some changes that need to be made in that, and that type of feedback is

14:55.62] what we need. I'm not arguing that point at all.

14:58.80] And on the non-compliant issues, it's going to be a balance act going

15:02.60] forward. And I think what we need to make sure of, and we've talked about, is like

15:06.10] those driveways on Kearney, if you're keeping the same use and you're not wiping

15:09.36] out

15:10.64] a whole block to redevelop that, the majority of those driveways are going to be

15:14.08] fine under those existing uses or even a change of use.

15:17.10] I think the main thing we're concerned about, just in a nutshell on that change of

15:20.70] use discussion, just to mention that is, let's say you had a

15:24.48] bank and it has a drive-through, and you want to take that bank, and you want to

15:27.60] turn it into a certain sort of chicken business that has a big drive-through and

15:31.34] it's on Kearney. That's the only ones we're really concerned with looking at on

15:35.04] those existing drives in the existing facility that's being redeveloped.

15:38.58] Because it has the potential to back traffic onto Kearney and cause a problem.

15:42.96] So that's really the case that we were thinking about.

15:46.92] It's not, I want to take that bank and change it to a credit union, or that bank

15:50.16] and change it to a law office.

15:53.32] That shouldn't trigger driveway reviews in our opinion.

15:55.46] It'd be ultimately council's decision.

15:57.00] But we feel like that was an unintended consequence of some of that language.

16:01.36] It's really just protection of those arterials from the biggest

16:05.26] changes that could back up. Really, all we're trying to do is keep people from

16:08.88] backing out onto arterials and stopping traffic flowing on arterials on those

16:11.80] existing driveways if there's a change of use.

16:13.68] Other than that, the comments you've taken, we need to hear those comments and get

16:17.42] that feedback to make sure that language fully functions like we intended

16:21.42] it to, and that it tends like council.

16:26.86] Thank you so much. I just wanted to thank you for the

16:30.00] presentation. Could you talk a little bit about,

16:34.32] from an economic standpoint, in terms of

16:38.00] volume,

16:39.84] when you're adding multimodal forms of transportation

16:44.24] versus it exclusively being related to

16:48.42] cars or vehicles, in terms of how

16:52.16] the economic impact is when we are increasing

16:55.98] multimodal forms of transportation, particularly

16:59.76] walking and biking and that sort of thing?

17:02.10] Sure. And I don't have specific numbers because that's very case

17:06.42] specific. But we know when there's more access modes, it has potential for more

17:10.32] customers or more walkability for people to use it that need to use it, and just to

17:14.16] make it more attractive. So when things are more attractive, they're more

17:16.80] economically

17:18.62] viable.

17:20.68] Just from the access standpoint, walking through a lot of driveways is

17:24.50] hard for a pedestrian. So is that the location for the pedestrians to even be?

17:28.07] Should they be behind the business or in the alley or in the street, the next

17:30.86] street down? So all those considerations on an arterial

17:34.52] network, which with the vehicles and the multimodal, you have to make sure those

17:38.28] things work together so people are comfortable to use that, but vehicles are also

17:41.58] comfortable to use it because that's part of the backbone of having both those

17:46.20] uses intertwined. And they don't always fit together.

17:48.06] Sometimes multimodal needs to be over here or your pedestrian, and sometimes your

17:51.04] vehicle needs to be here. So

17:53.06] it's a shell game and a lot of components that have to go in that to make that

17:56.46] work, but they're both equally important to make sure something has the economics

17:59.52] that it needs to succeed.

18:01.98] Thank you.

18:02.42] If that answered your question.

18:04.98] So are we to a point that we are ready to make a

18:08.70] recommendation to the full council?

18:11.36] Does anybody have objections? to that.

18:15.09] It sounds like the recommendation is to leave it as we

18:18.77] originally approved it in January.

18:23.33] And so when the text amendments come forth,

18:28.47] being filtered through, you mentioned GDAC and some

18:32.81] other-

18:32.87] We really wanted this body's recommendation as part of that committee.

18:35.39] The reason we haven't went out to the public for those formal recommendations to

18:38.47] start that is to make sure we were aligned with what you want us to do.

18:41.61] We're fully prepared to go out with GDAC, and the stakeholders will start working

18:44.65] through these text amendments and bring you a text amendment on whatever deadline

18:48.11] you should choose.

18:49.73] We've been preparing that stuff since January, since we started rolling it out to

18:53.17] the public, and they've been using it.

18:54.29] So we're ready to move with relative speed on whatever you

18:58.15] guys would like us to do on that feedback or bring back recommendations.

19:01.75] Just give us that feedback.

19:04.17] Well, I've always had confidence in

19:07.41] the staff's recommendation from the get-go.

19:10.41] And so I

19:11.77] would move that we approve it as we approved it back in January.

19:15.69] And if that is what is in place right now, then that's what

19:19.59] my motion would be.

19:22.91] Second.

19:24.79] Do we have comments?

19:28.01] Do we have comments on that?

19:30.89] Well, I

19:32.11] think they're working on an amendment to it.

19:35.67] I think they're acknowledging that there needs to be changes, but we

19:39.59] don't have the language in front of us.

19:41.85] But I think, just procedurally, do we have to send something

19:45.69] to you to go get the comments and bring it back?

19:49.69] I think so. We're just looking for that recommendation, right, Marie?

19:51.93] So just go get those comments, and then the existing code could keep working as it

19:55.65] is today, and we would get those comments and come back with proposed text

19:58.67] amendments, but-

19:59.67] That's my recommendation is what we do.

20:01.91] Would that be your motion, La?

20:03.67] Yeah, but also, in December,

20:07.83] this particular

20:10.15] referral expires in the sense of

20:13.57] will that have to come back to council to go ahead and approve it,

20:17.67] or do we need to extend

20:20.19] that particular resolution because it expires in December

20:24.09] in terms of the appeals process not being-

20:28.69] That's a good question

20:29.67] ... necessarily

20:32.55] channeled through the city manager's office.

20:36.61] That's a legal question. Let me turn to our attorney to handle that.

20:39.85] Because we don't know when we're going to meet again on this topic, I guess.

20:45.55] If it does expire in December, it might be best if they approved it

20:49.71] as is with a recommendation that if it needs to be extended,

20:53.53] staff bring something forward in December to do that.

20:57.41] I think that makes the most sense. Yeah.

20:59.27] Okay.

21:01.21] I don't know.

21:03.09] Brett, how close do you think we are to having

21:06.63] drafts?

21:07.61] So this is the question. We've got a lot of stuff put together.

21:09.99] We're meeting with GDAC, I forget, on the, next week-

21:12.67] 20th

21:12.95] ... the 20th to start through that.

21:13.99] There's going to be some iteration back and forth there.

21:16.17] Putting all those people in the room, which we've got realtors, developers,

21:20.27] engineers, a lot of different people there, that generally takes a little bit of

21:23.95] time. I guess the question really is, is the appeal

21:27.69] process going to remain as it is in the code or as it is per

21:30.87] the ordinance that's in place now?

21:33.13] And if you choose to extend that appeal process, that's your discretion.

21:36.25] Really, the text amendments, I believe we would be bringing forward as a

21:39.15] recommendation either way. It's just whether we want to focus on

21:43.07] that appeal process. And we will transparently bring

21:47.01] back whatever we're told in those meetings-

21:48.71] Right

21:48.73] ... with the appeal process as well.

21:50.49] It's looking at the whole thing, not just

21:53.69] the appeal process or not just the text amendments we're bringing.

21:55.99] We're really looking for that feedback because, again, like Derek said, some of the

21:58.65] stuff you said is relevant. I can see that that wasn't intended to stymie

22:02.47] development. It had a completely different intent, but we need to make sure that

22:05.75] intent is clear. So really, it's up to council whether they want to

22:09.55] extend the

22:11.25] ordinance to keep the variance process as it is

22:15.29] when the ordinance expires in December or just go back to the variance process

22:18.45] that's in the current code today. That's the only

22:22.15] real decision that the council needs to make other than give us recommendations to

22:26.17] bring back whatever you would like.

22:28.81] So then you could extend the appeals process to allow

22:32.79] them to work on it?

22:35.17] Gives you

22:36.31] time to do that.

22:37.51] Yeah.

22:37.89] I'm fine with that.

22:38.65] Would that be...

22:39.89] That's fine.

22:40.63] Okay.

22:41.93] If that's Councilman Horton's motion, I'll second the motion.

22:46.55] Because our motion to

22:49.49] extend or

22:51.49] propose extending,

22:53.77] or do we have to send that to the full council?

22:55.87] Mm-hmm.

22:56.47] Okay. So the motion would be to send to the full

23:00.05] council extending the existing appeals

23:03.37] process

23:05.17] to allow for time to get feedback on the

23:09.31] proposed text amendments.

23:11.29] Mm-hmm.

23:11.55] Perfect. Second?

23:13.71] Second.

23:15.37] Point of clarification, do you have a time frame that you'd like to

23:18.77] extend that through or just until the

23:22.21] recommendations come forward?

23:24.11] Do you have a time,

23:26.45] because-

23:27.29] So we can be ready really fast, but to really vet it through and get the

23:31.09] feedback that we need, we're going to meet in October.

23:33.71] I would assume it's going to take to the end of the year for us to get all that

23:37.01] feedback. We can share that with you after this meeting and

23:40.99] the text amendments that we have, but we're not the end-all, be-all here on those

23:44.85] examples. We need to get those out in the public.

23:46.39] So I think we need at least,

23:48.43] considering the holidays, I'm thinking

23:51.59] February probably when we would come back with formal text amendments.

23:54.67] Maybe before that.

23:55.79] But how about we say until the recommendations come forward? Can we say that?

24:01.01] It's our goal to get them to you as quickly as we can.

24:02.87] Yeah.

24:02.95] But I don't want to prematurely, we get back and then we come to the first meetings

24:06.83] with the public, and we weren't aware of 30 things that we need to talk about, and

24:09.81] we're thinking there's three. That's a whole...

24:11.77] Because this ties into the land development code as well, so- That's part of why

24:15.58] Steve and I will have to sit down and make sure that the feedback he's getting on

24:18.58] that, it's not just we changed chapter 98, the Land Development code, and those two

24:22.32] things, in some instances, are both going to have to be mirrored.

24:24.70] And so it could be a little bigger process than...

24:27.40] If it's just tax amendments in 98 that don't affect the land development, it's

24:30.24] pretty simple.

24:30.90] All right, so just what's the date? I think we're fine with whatever he tells.

24:34.68] I think instead of giving it a hard date, it's just until the recommendations come

24:38.02] back.

24:38.52] Yeah.

24:38.90] With our goal to try to have it to you just after the first of the year.

24:41.06] Does that-

24:42.08] Right.

24:42.54] So would that be 90 days?

24:45.40] I think first of the year is reasonable.

24:47.18] I think putting a date on it is what he's saying he doesn't want.

24:49.44] 90 days?

24:50.28] Is what he says. You don't want that.

24:52.72] I'll have whatever you guys want. I can have the first of the year.

24:55.66] June 20?

24:56.86] Yeah, I was going to suggest-

24:57.98] I think people are going to ask, that's why it's-

25:00.18] How's just March?

25:01.44] March?

25:02.26] Say first council meeting in March, just as a...

25:05.30] Again, we can bring it earlier, but-

25:06.72] By March. Okay.

25:08.82] That way we've got-

25:09.92] Feel confident

25:10.60] ... a couple month cushion after we get it.

25:12.54] Hopefully, we'll get it quicker, but that does give us some cushion if there's a

25:15.10] lot of feedback.

25:17.04] Okay.

25:17.16] What has really been helpful is there hasn't been any

25:21.02] use

25:23.28] of the modified appeals process.

25:26.54] And, as long as we're not completely suspending

25:30.26] Chapter 98,

25:32.34] and you all can continue to function

25:36.34] with the regulations as you proposed them back in

25:40.02] January, then it's definitely no problem

25:43.92] with extending until we get those tax amendments back

25:47.80] March 1st or March 30th, I don't know.

25:51.26] Okay.

25:51.50] March.

25:51.96] Is it time for roll call?

25:56.36] Herninger?

25:57.38] Aye.

25:58.12] Horton?

25:58.96] Aye.

25:59.62] Lee?

26:00.44] Aye.

26:01.06] Carol?

26:01.62] Aye.

26:03.20] Thank you very much for your presentation.

26:05.82] I think up next, we're going to talk about the economic development incentive

26:09.04] policy manual.

26:10.02] Absolutely. Introduce Amanda Olinson, director of Economic Vitality and

26:13.98] Workforce Development, to walk us through it.

26:31.66] Thank you, Anita.

26:34.82] Good afternoon,

26:36.80] members of council. Happy to be in front of you again today.

26:40.12] As you may remember at one of your previous committee

26:44.02] meetings, we kind of established

26:47.82] that we were going to take a review of our economic development incentive

26:51.70] policy manual and that framework, to really establish a new

26:55.66] foundation of...

26:57.36] We kind of established the foundation of what programs we have available,

27:01.30] what existing safeguards exist within our policies,

27:05.22] and a need for a comprehensive update.

27:07.36] So our goal is to more connect those incentives with what's

27:11.18] happening in Springfield today and where we want to go into the future.

27:15.62] So just a quick kind of overview is obviously the manual

27:19.42] itself establishes how the city

27:22.14] evaluates and administers economic development tools,

27:27.12] and incentives, including the general standards or the general guidelines

27:31.16] around what and why we may incentivize a project.

27:35.48] Program requirements, again, some of those, as we outlined previously, are set

27:39.44] by state statute.

27:41.62] The funding agreements that we use to facilitate and implement this,

27:46.44] as well as the fee structure that exists.

27:50.30] And we really want

27:53.10] for council and the public to understand what those priorities

27:57.14] are and how we will evaluate success in the future

28:00.96] and what those expected community benefits are.

28:03.12] Really, our goal in the Economic Vitality office is to make

28:06.98] sure that projects that come forward,

28:11.34] economic development projects, that there's a lasting community benefit, and that's

28:14.76] really matching with the goals that we have outlined in Forward SDF,

28:18.94] as well as your council priorities.

28:21.34] And then, of course, ongoing accountability.

28:23.70] How do we evaluate

28:26.88] those outcomes, and what truly is success, and how do we make sure that's

28:30.62] matching where we are today?

28:34.92] So again, we kind of made this case for updating the policy manual.

28:38.42] Obviously, it was adopted more than 15 years ago, so definitely time

28:42.46] for an update. A lot of things have happened in that time.

28:45.98] And we just want to have a clear process to improve our competitiveness,

28:49.98] to make sure that we're competing and that we're

28:53.52] realizing a new investment, and that we're

28:57.20] aligning ourselves with your priorities and also

29:02.00] competing with our peer cities that are out there throughout Missouri and then, of

29:05.20] course, in our surrounding region.

29:07.44] And then ultimately, these incentive recommendations should

29:11.06] inform

29:13.42] When public participation is necessary, and then what

29:17.12] Springfield would receive in return.

29:19.52] So the current steps we're working on is we're gathering

29:23.02] information and doing research. So we've been evaluating other cities

29:27.38] within Missouri and comparing their policies.

29:30.10] So each city of a certain size have their

29:34.00] own policies and manuals. So we're evaluating that.

29:37.04] We're also talking to our partners and outside legal

29:40.96] counsel that we work with as far as what they're seeing that other communities are

29:44.90] adopting. We're talking through some of our recent

29:48.60] proposals that we've had to evaluate.

29:50.98] Is there something in this process or in this policy that we could

29:54.78] strengthen?

29:56.34] And then we're also evaluating what policies or programs exist in other states, and

30:00.28] is there a way to try to replicate that?

30:02.08] So particularly those states that surround us, looking at those peer cities

30:06.12] in Kansas, looking into Illinois,

30:09.28] and

30:11.22] Iowa, and others. And each state kind of handles that a little bit differently,

30:15.22] but we're trying to find best-in-class examples and see if there's

30:18.88] something that we can pull from that, that can really align with

30:22.96] where we are in our market conditions here in Springfield.

30:26.12] And then we're looking at our overall policy framework.

30:28.98] So what we want to ensure is that this is going to be a really user-friendly

30:32.90] experience. We want this to be

30:35.76] predictable. We want this to be easy to interpret, easy to

30:39.28] administer. We want to help make the decision-making process

30:44.42] more comprehensive and more predictable for all involved.

30:48.78] And then, of course, I mentioned before competitiveness, and I know that's

30:51.94] something that the committee talked about, is identifying ways that

30:55.88] we can make changes to position Springfield as a leader.

31:00.06] As you all know, oftentimes we're competing.

31:02.52] There are businesses, there are companies that have a choice as

31:06.48] far as where they're going to locate.

31:08.88] So it is a really competitive field when we think about economic

31:12.64] development projects. Yes, sometimes we have the opportunity

31:16.12] for companies that have a footprint to expand within

31:19.76] Springfield. But oftentimes when we look at some of the

31:23.16] corporations that are here, they may have other plant locations.

31:26.54] They may have a footprint in other states across the country.

31:30.20] So how do we ensure that we're competitive?

31:32.68] So we're also evaluating some of those corporate

31:36.14] expansions that may have chose to locate in Missouri or may

31:40.00] have made the choice to locate in another state, and kind of what

31:44.02] that was. So what's available to us as far as

31:47.94] after-action items that have been shared, either directly with us

31:51.98] or other economic development partners or the state as a whole, working

31:55.90] with Missouri Partnership and the Department of Economic Development to

31:59.94] try to see, is there a way that we should position our policies

32:03.84] to better compete, and why may we be losing business rather than

32:07.88] realizing that investment here in Springfield?

32:10.60] And then we're also looking at and working with our finance department and others

32:15.10] to evaluate our fee structure. So what our existing fees

32:19.06] are,

32:20.50] either fees for application and some of the other accompany fees to

32:24.22] modernize those, to make sure that they're

32:27.74] competitive, that we also are finding potentially new

32:31.38] sustainable funding sources to help to further ongoing

32:35.06] economic development initiatives.

32:36.58] So there are some fees that we realize in that could essentially be

32:40.38] better earmarked for perpetuating economic development or certain

32:44.00] studies, so that we have those funds available, and is a

32:47.86] close tie or linkage to how those

32:51.64] fees were realized initially. And then, of course, maximizing those

32:55.34] community benefits, which I think is one of the things that this committee probably

32:59.14] cares about the most, is how do we further those economic vitality

33:03.20] priorities, but also all

33:07.00] of the other priorities, which are the housing priority, which

33:11.90] also kind of woven in there is quality of place and quality of life

33:15.72] factors. So looking at

33:18.62] all of the council priorities is which ones are most important so that we can

33:22.58] leverage those resources in and

33:25.94] make these goals attainable.

33:29.40] So that really speaks to kind of the committee coordination and

33:33.34] kind of where we're at now is, again, reviewing and aligning our

33:37.30] policies.

33:39.16] Staff has some recommendations, but what we want to be able to do

33:43.04] is bring back to you and get your feedback today as far as any of

33:47.00] those general statements or philosophy items.

33:51.32] And this can be iterative, or again, we can do that

33:56.96] as kind of a more holistic plan. But really, those

34:00.94] general policies will kind of set the tone, and then we can

34:04.90] update and review program by program.

34:07.12] I know we went through a pretty exhaustive list last time of what all of

34:11.06] those are, and we just want to make sure that if there are

34:14.48] specific goals within

34:17.62] when we trigger certain incentive programs, that we're

34:21.10] evaluating those correctly, so that when proposals

34:24.96] come forward,

34:26.84] they're meeting the goals of what council would hope that we as staff

34:30.46] negotiate along the way.

34:32.96] And then, what are some of your recommendations

34:36.52] related to those current council priorities that you have, the goals outlined

34:40.52] in Forward SGF, and potentially even target areas.

34:43.94] So are there certain geographic areas that you want us to target?

34:48.56] What we are also being really intentional about is

34:52.78] helping to ensure that we're making

34:56.16] recommendations and considering priority redevelopment opportunities,

35:00.10] as well as coordinating with

35:02.42] our planning throughout the urban service area, which of course we are

35:06.30] doing

35:07.64] that work kind of in tandem with this incentive policy manual

35:11.48] update. So are there certain geographic areas that

35:15.56] we should be targeting, or are there certain priority

35:19.32] goals that you would want us to incorporate into those

35:23.12] underlying

35:26.42] You know, policies to make sure that it's reflecting what you want

35:30.30] to see and how we can responsibly be

35:34.14] making these decisions and leveraging those private investments

35:39.06] with public infrastructure, with others.

35:42.62] And then, of course, we will bring back to you and make some

35:46.32] recommendations of how we can match what those state and regional best

35:49.90] practices are

35:52.68] to

35:54.22] maybe showcase a few case examples of how other communities have

35:58.14] used certain tools in a way that maybe we haven't.

36:01.62] So that's part of what we're compiling right now.

36:04.56] And then again, we really want to reduce any

36:08.50] administrative hurdles.

36:10.64] As you will hear time and time again when

36:13.62] developers or companies are talking to us, or in economic development

36:17.62] in general, is that time is very important, certainty is

36:21.58] very important. So being able to outline that.

36:24.82] So as a result of this overall final refinement

36:28.94] of that polished set of policies, we want it to be

36:32.64] user-friendly, as I mentioned.

36:35.48] But we

36:37.54] don't want it to sacrifice the transparency and the opportunity for

36:41.32] public input and council input along the way.

36:44.78] So we really want a predictable set of rules, and then

36:48.80] we can apply those across the board so people know what to expect, and

36:52.78] that can hopefully help to reduce time that it takes.

36:56.68] And then, the speed to market is obviously important.

36:59.98] It costs money.

37:02.36] Money costs money. There's interest, so the longer a project

37:06.06] takes to open up, obviously there's a lot more inputs on

37:09.98] the side of a company or a developer to float that.

37:13.10] So again, as we can bring things

37:16.14] and improve operational excellence along the way, then we can ensure that

37:19.88] projects are able to be completed, and they do meet

37:24.38] the goals that we have set forth.

37:28.00] So, I

37:29.56] open that up for some questions. I know we took down a lot of notes

37:33.60] last time of some of the things that you would like to see.

37:37.66] And so that's really where we're at today is,

37:41.82] is it more helpful to bring back a draft

37:47.22] recommended set of policies, or do you want it to

37:50.98] be iterative to maybe start with the general

37:54.84] policies and then maybe move into the specific programs?

37:58.22] So that's one of the things we didn't really cover last time, and we just want to

38:01.14] make sure that the work that we bring back to you is productive, and we best

38:05.08] maximize our time together.

38:07.58] I definitely want to hear from everybody, but I just have a question

38:11.48] for you. I know,

38:13.56] very timely, just getting back from Indianapolis.

38:18.62] They talked about,

38:20.18] obviously two main things, but three when we talked

38:23.66] about housing is such a big deal that they

38:27.60] added a lot of housing and used certain incentives for that.

38:30.64] So that's one. They also talked about quality of place was a huge

38:34.70] one and talent attraction, but they also just

38:38.42] getting

38:39.92] businesses and that kind of development, too.

38:41.78] Was there anything that was taken in the last week, and especially on the housing

38:45.66] front,

38:46.80] that we could implement here in terms of creating

38:51.08] incentives for more affordable housing and things of that nature?

38:54.26] Absolutely. I'd say that's a key takeaway that we heard in

38:57.42] Indianapolis, and even I think the city manager might have quoted something

39:01.04] yesterday in his city manager's report that

39:04.72] being able to construct more housing is really a math problem,

39:09.12] is because

39:11.38] it's costly to do that. So how do you make up those gaps to be able to

39:15.44] add units into your location? So

39:19.44] I think that there's a lot of key takeaways there, and we're also seeing that

39:23.12] mirrored in how different cities, even throughout Missouri,

39:26.66] have prioritized certain types of developments and

39:30.60] leveraged different incentive tools.

39:32.76] So there have been cities throughout Missouri that when you look at

39:36.62] programs

39:38.52] like Chapter 353, if a housing development is going

39:42.44] on a redevelopment lot,

39:46.72] that they may allow the maximum amount of

39:50.44] tax abatement or the maximum term.

39:53.42] So they may be more

39:55.86] generous to meet certain objectives, whether it's the number of

39:59.88] units, the types of units, the affordability of those

40:03.76] units.

40:05.42] And that standard can be different, right?

40:07.32] We have, obviously,

40:09.46] what may be affordable related to our HUD requirements or

40:13.30] community development block grant funding, but then there's also attainable

40:16.86] housing. So how can we promote workforce

40:20.44] housing that will be

40:23.78] more attainable for those that may be slightly above

40:27.74] what the income limits are for some of the other affordability

40:31.30] programs. So we have seen communities, and we have some

40:35.30] examples of how they leverage in some of these tools to make up

40:39.16] that gap, which is really what is meant by the math problem.

40:42.16] And at one of the panels that we saw them talk about,

40:46.36] one of the developers is, it

40:49.28] costs

40:51.18] 400,000 to build a unit,

40:54.12] and they were having to make up a $200,000 gap.

40:57.70] So, there were some interesting things where the economics

41:01.74] of that make it challenging to construct those because

41:06.82] the project has to pencil out. I think we talked about that some in our last

41:10.82] committee meeting, and maybe Council Member Lee had

41:14.90] brought that up, that comment. So housing is certainly a

41:18.54] priority that we have. We need to have diverse housing

41:22.48] choices to attract jobs and attract talent so that they

41:26.42] want to live here.

41:28.58] So how do we find a way to leverage in the programs and the tools

41:32.48] that we have maybe a little bit more?

41:35.16] And that's one of the things, too, is we want to be

41:39.04] mindful not to set

41:41.11] arbitrary goals of we'll only go to a

41:44.93] maximum abatement level of this if the project warrants

41:50.03] more potentially. And we have had some potential conflicts within our

41:53.61] existing policy manual at times where it may be prescriptive

41:57.65] in that, but maybe we need to have more flexibility for the right type of

42:01.23] development, whether that's housing or whether it's certain

42:06.01] retail or industrial opportunities within certain

42:09.61] areas of Springfield. So again, I think it's balancing

42:13.57] that we want to continue to increase

42:17.05] jobs and quality wages throughout Springfield, but that means that we need to

42:21.05] help to reduce barriers that people may have and access to housing.

42:25.59] Also, access to things like childcare, transportation are

42:29.45] always going to be important. So we want to incorporate that into how

42:33.41] we evaluate what those outcomes are.

42:36.11] So placing housing where maybe it's closer to public transit

42:39.97] or other employment centers, and things like

42:43.91] that. So again, we could develop more of a scoring

42:47.35] matrix, or we could leave things a little bit more

42:50.97] open-ended, and that's

42:52.95] up to council to give us some input on that front.

42:58.65] Thoughts?

43:00.21] Yeah, thoughts. Okay.

43:03.19] So

43:05.13] this is a very broad topic.

43:07.39] Yes.

43:07.59] Right? So,

43:10.29] you asked for our feedback. I'll share just my general thoughts on

43:14.93] the whole industrial,

43:17.59] retail, commercial side of things.

43:21.05] I just think we need to do what you said.

43:23.73] We need to be competitive, whatever the state allows.

43:26.67] We need to take those programs and be like everybody else,

43:30.51] where we can offer the same things and be competitive.

43:34.05] And, if there's some areas where we can be a little more competitive for

43:37.83] projects, I am all for those things.

43:42.59] On the housing,

43:49.65] from my

43:51.15] point of view,

43:53.81] our comprehensive plan focuses

43:57.75] on home ownership.

44:00.19] And over and over again, when the neighborhoods met,

44:04.25] they said that was a priority in housing.

44:07.89] And,

44:09.93] one of the things I've read that I

44:12.27] particularly am concerned with is the SHIP

44:15.69] documents.

44:18.59] I don't know how many hundreds of pages that is, but I tried to digest

44:22.55] it. Steve, I know that you've given some presentations on this, but

44:26.53] when I read that document, it seems to be

44:29.91] focused on low-income

44:33.41] rental housing.

44:35.47] And, that concerns me. If I were

44:39.21] going to have economic incentives,

44:43.55] I

44:45.61] would primarily look for home ownership in

44:49.61] accordance with our comprehensive plan. And so, what is that?

44:53.53] That's like Restore SGF, when it has

44:57.45] the down payment assistance, where we

45:01.41] assist people where they can buy their own homes.

45:05.39] And

45:06.95] then that person gets to be the hero.

45:08.97] It's not the city of Springfield putting millions of

45:12.63] dollars a year, which is what that program-- It's got different

45:16.95] levels. But,

45:20.79] if I was going to spend millions of dollars, I would spend it

45:24.83] on trying to do these programs that would encourage home ownership.

45:29.05] That's not the whole story. We need the

45:33.87] other type of housing, too.

45:36.69] All the housing is important. But to me, that would be our

45:40.23] focus. Or that's what my focus is. One

45:44.27] of the things that I read

45:46.63] just earlier this week is that the public schools are

45:51.33] doing a new master plan because the students are

45:55.07] leaving, and they're trying to plan for how many

45:58.79] schools they need with significantly less students. Well, why is that?

46:02.55] Because people are moving out of the city,

46:06.17] when they have kids, to the surrounding

46:10.01] Greene County, Christian County cities.

46:13.45] And

46:14.47] I just think we're in a unique position right now,

46:18.61] where if we can offer assistance, where some of these folks can move

46:22.63] into our city, because you can't afford a home.

46:24.95] So many people can't afford it, where if we can encourage that home

46:28.97] ownership and try to reverse some of those trends or at

46:32.79] least slow them down,

46:34.79] that would be my focus.

46:37.71] And then the last thing I'll say,

46:40.53] again, this is just for me, but I would try

46:44.51] to not do everything ourselves. Whatever we do, it needs to come

46:48.37] from the private. If somebody comes to us with a multifamily

46:52.29] development and we have a program for assist...

46:56.13] If we need to support that kind of thing instead of us

46:59.95] doing it ourselves. I just think we will leverage so

47:03.99] many more dollars if we

47:07.47] set it up where we encourage other people to spend the money and we

47:11.47] assist with that, as opposed to us saying, "We

47:15.35] want so many of these units built, and we're going to pay for it, and then we're

47:19.07] going to have these type of renters," and everything's the city of

47:22.71] Springfield.

47:24.47] I was concerned about that SHIP program and those areas for

47:28.47] that reason.

47:31.45] I just want to add something. I know I've

47:34.35] spoken before about

47:36.61] incentives for

47:38.59] smaller developers to maybe look into opportunities that may be

47:42.71] present in neighborhoods and you're talking

47:46.53] larger scale development and home ownership.

47:48.61] I think those are really important

47:50.90] incentives we need to consider. But I think that there are also,

47:54.08] as some of these neighborhood plans begin to develop, we may see

47:57.82] opportunities where we say, "Yes," like in this neighborhood, it would be really

48:01.62] beneficial to have

48:04.12] a small grocery store, and there's somebody that

48:06.94] maybe wants to come in and develop something like that.

48:09.38] I'd love to see

48:11.54] more opportunities for some of those smaller things to happen so we can have

48:15.56] more

48:17.60] Cherry and Pickwick vibes in neighborhoods that really do want that.

48:22.38] Because I think it's one thing to have a dream, and

48:25.36] maybe we can kind of come in and meet in the middle on some of that, or maybe not

48:28.22] the middle, but get closer to help fill some of those

48:31.78] gaps.

48:33.86] But overall, I think this is a good plan.

48:39.38] I think, Heather, you're spot on. We already know that's where our value per acre

48:43.64] is, is with that type of development, the smaller incremental.

48:49.46] I have several things I'd like to just comment.

48:52.80] You mentioned we can refer some general statements on

48:56.68] philosophy-related things. Number one is mixed-use

49:00.60] development. To the extent that

49:03.90] we're creating

49:06.24] multi-units that are attached to mixed-use development, I think the

49:09.96] better. We have a surplus of single-family homes

49:13.58] already in Springfield. 63% of folks are

49:17.24] homeowners, or they are homeowner-occupied.

49:21.30] What we don't have is the mobility, the housing

49:24.64] mobility,

49:26.22] and the ability for folks who want to downsize and the

49:30.20] ability of folks who want to be able to live in

49:34.22] something that is not a single family. We don't have it.

49:38.20] And to the extent, if we're going to be restricting our zoning

49:42.10] map, can we at least have our mixed use?

49:45.62] That's going to be a key area because that is where the value per acre is, and I

49:49.60] think that's in a different committee, Plans and Policies.

49:52.62] Right.

49:53.48] The second thing is

49:56.04] directly related to what you said, Councilwoman

50:00.40] Hardinger, is that business districts, small

50:04.20] business districts that are neighborhood-serving, like

50:08.78] Cherry and Pickwick, like

50:11.14] C Street, like

50:13.46] Chesterfield, like Galloway, like the Quarry Town.

50:18.16] Downtown.

50:18.66] Downtown as well. We need that type of

50:22.12] development to be incentivized like crazy.

50:26.78] Thirdly, on the issue also of housing,

50:30.84] we already mentioned that 63% in Springfield are

50:34.68] homeownership. We have a surplus of single-family already.

50:39.24] We need more housing mobility, where folks-

50:44.28] ... again, are moving out of those single-family homes and

50:48.36] downsizing into something that's a little bit more smaller and less

50:52.38] maintenance.

50:54.10] To the extent, though, that economic incentives

50:58.08] can incentivize

51:00.62] those who are building

51:02.92] apartments to allow for at least, I don't know,

51:06.52] 20%

51:08.20] of housing units to be for persons who are earning

51:12.22] 80% or below the area median income.

51:15.50] If they're asking for incentives of the city,

51:18.44] then there needs to be some percentage where it's deeply

51:22.00] affordable in terms of those housing units.

51:24.92] That's just in my opinion. When you mention the

51:28.66] incremental developers, I am thinking more

51:32.16] of a tiered system

51:34.52] to reduce barriers to entry, to be able to access

51:38.82] the types of economic incentives that are needed for

51:42.68] others to be able to

51:45.10] come into the market, such as your small and incremental

51:48.64] developers. So that could be your emerging businesses,

51:52.70] it could be your incremental developers,

51:56.02] because we know your legacy businesses are going to always hit

52:00.52] all those targets. But what is in place

52:04.52] for emerging businesses as well as incremental

52:08.16] developers to break through to access

52:12.34] what we put into place for Grant Avenue Parkway, right?

52:16.68] I keep mentioning, I don't even know what it takes

52:20.00] for those types of proposals to continue to come to

52:23.98] city council to say, "Hey,

52:27.44] we have a geographical area where single-family

52:31.74] homes have access to property tax abatement."

52:35.90] That is happening right now on Grant Avenue Parkway,

52:39.82] and I don't know

52:42.18] how do we get more of those proposals to come our way

52:46.86] so that we can spur the types of

52:49.82] redevelopment that needs to happen in repressed

52:53.30] areas like what was Grant Avenue Parkway.

52:57.44] So those are my general comments. Some of this is

53:00.96] philosophical, some of them are general statements, but then some of them are

53:04.88] very targeted. And to the extent that someone's

53:08.30] capturing what we're all saying here, and you can package all

53:12.30] that into

53:13.92] a presentation next month or the month after that.

53:18.22] I think we're hitting some targets here, where you're getting the

53:21.86] feedback that you're asking for, and it's allowing you to

53:25.54] develop some reasonable

53:28.48] recommendations that we can pick apart,

53:32.00] and that we can consider

53:34.69] So thank you for even asking the question.

53:37.85] And I think I agree with all. And I think, when you talk about The

53:41.63] Table is another, when I think about a pride and

53:45.43] joy that we-

53:46.69] Yeah

53:47.17] ... we need more of those types of, to take something that's virtually

53:50.87] nothing- We have some great success stories, and we also need to

53:54.55] leverage what we have found already is successful.

53:57.83] So the Grant Avenue Parkway, where there is a pathway for homeowners to

54:01.63] access a program. And again, we could do that in many

54:05.65] other corridors or areas of Springfield.

54:09.15] That does require-- We partnered with where we were making

54:12.45] significant infrastructure improvements and leveraging in federal

54:16.43] dollars to Springfield for the Grant Avenue Parkway, to

54:20.39] then couple that with the incentive tools that are available to us

54:24.59] under Missouri statute to provide a pathway.

54:28.69] Yes, are there things that can go a step further?

54:31.45] There are ideas for how to grow existing programs we have.

54:34.99] We have had a longstanding commercial loan program that has been very

54:38.51] successful. That's leveraged and tied to federal funds, so it is

54:42.43] pretty stringent as far as what requirements.

54:45.83] But there are also recommendations of certain programs that we could grow

54:49.87] that have already been successful in Springfield or adapt.

54:54.09] That may come with other

54:56.77] resource or capacity needs, right?

54:59.17] We're limited and constrained as far as budgets to fund certain

55:03.09] programs or staff to be able to complete

55:07.33] large-scale

55:09.15] blight reports and to write redevelopment plans and things like

55:12.81] that. We've had a lot of success in doing that, but how do we continue to

55:16.91] scale that, particularly as we're thinking about

55:20.49] redevelopment opportunities, incremental development opportunities, and

55:24.23] continuing to improve our existing housing stock?

55:27.67] Yeah. So do you have... Oh, go ahead.

55:29.67] Yeah. I was just going to add, thank you for that.

55:32.29] And I think too,

55:34.25] from the smaller developer standpoint, I

55:38.09] think one of the things I--

55:40.93] Maybe this is a long-term goal, is for everyone who lives in Springfield

55:44.97] to say that they're proud to live here.

55:47.39] And I think people say that when they have more

55:52.21] skin in the game when it comes to what's going on in their neighborhood.

55:55.41] So whether you're involved in a neighborhood association or you have opportunities

55:58.97] to watch your neighborhood grow into something that you can really be proud of.

56:02.49] So I think this is a great step in that direction.

56:06.39] And places like The Table also attract

56:09.49] people from outside of the state. I have a friend who

56:14.49] , she'll drive through here on the way to visit family, and she stops there

56:17.89] because it's one of her favorite places to eat.

56:21.17] And I think giving

56:23.97] those sorts of opportunities and incentives help also grow

56:27.89] some of that tourism base, because people do drive through our community every day.

56:31.93] Absolutely.

56:32.49] And so if they want to stop by and say, "I really love Springfield's downtown" or,

56:36.21] "I really love this particular neighborhood.

56:38.17] I'm going to stop and get a pizza," those are also things that we

56:42.11] want that make us proud to live in Springfield.

56:45.51] So do you have enough to-

56:47.65] I think so

56:48.27] ... start-

56:48.81] Yeah

56:49.03] ... a process?

56:49.85] We've been compiling a lot of examples elsewhere.

56:52.25] I think we have a lot of success stories here of how we can scale or grow

56:56.27] what has worked.

56:57.21] Yeah.

56:58.03] And then it sounds like we'll bring back some recommendations and

57:02.37] some draft language, program language, and see

57:06.29] if we're on the right track. So it sounds like next step is you guys may actually

57:10.01] want to dive into the details of it.

57:12.27] I think we have a lot of direction, and we've been kind of talking

57:16.13] around this topic for a long time. So we're happy that it's in committee to get the

57:19.95] focus that it needs to get it updated.

57:22.47] But that would be our next step, is to bring back something more concrete for you

57:26.29] all to evaluate and dive into.

57:29.49] And then, of course, if there's feedback or changes that we need to make.

57:33.95] But we'll try to tell you why we're making those recommendations, too, either from

57:37.73] peer cities, or what we've heard, or what we've heard from the development

57:41.17] community themselves and/or neighborhoods.

57:43.85] Okay. Thank you for your presentation.

57:47.77] With that, that's our last topic. Do we have a motion to adjourn?

57:50.77] So moved.

57:51.71] Motion. Do we have a second?

57:53.33] Second.

57:53.84] Second.

57:54.05] Roll call.

57:57.09] Fortin?

57:58.55] Aye.

57:59.17] Lee?

57:59.93] Aye.

58:00.43] Hardinger?

58:01.19] Aye.

58:02.53] Sherrill?

58:03.01] Aye.

58:03.93] Thank you.

58:04.43] Meeting adjourned.