Corridor Plan Adopted
After months of considering input from the community, the city is excited to share the adopted Corridor Plan for the Grant Avenue Parkway. The Plan was presented to the Planning and Zoning Commission on March 11, 2021 and to City Council on March 22, 2021, at which time a resolution was approved accepting the plan.
As recommended by the Grant Avenue Parkway (GAP) Corridor Plan, the Grant Avenue Parkway (GAP) District zoning was presented to the Planning and Zoning Commission on June 3, 2021 and to City Council on June 14, 2021. The GAP District zoning provides the regulatory oversight necessary to implement many of the recommendations included in the Grant Avenue Parkway Corridor Plan.
Questions regarding the Corridor Planning can be directed to Principal Planner, Randall Whitman at rwhitman@springfieldmo.gov or 417-864-2027.
More than just a street project
The City of Springfield developed the Grant Avenue Corridor Plan to guide development decisions in the neighborhoods and public spaces adjacent to Grant Avenue. City staff was assisted in this planning study by Forward SGF Comprehensive Plan consultants, Houseal Lavigne.
The Grant Avenue Corridor plan focuses on those areas adjacent to the Parkway that are generally within 500 feet east and west of the Grant Avenue centerline, as well as Grand Street. The Plan includes recommendations and strategies to encourage the creation of unique places and individualized identity, with an emphasis on new development being designed at a pedestrian-scale. The plan focused on taking input from the public on preferred future land use, design, neighborhood impact and improvements to the transportation network. Through this planning process, regulatory framework strategies were introduced to help guide the creation of future development and zoning code amendments that will impact the Experience and Beautification of both public and private properties.
More about the Plan:
The Grant Avenue Corridor Plan focuses on the section of the Parkway route between College Street and Fassnight Park. The planning effort is working hand-in-hand with City project consultant, CMT, and Forward SGF comprehensive plan consultants, Houseal Lavigne. All groups are working together to ensure planning for this project compliments:
- Forward SGF planning downtown as well as planning for the Renew Jordan Creek Project.
- Neighborhood revitalization efforts, Restore SGF and future planning in the West Central Neighborhood.
- Overall City-Wide Comprehensive Planning Efforts.
The plan focuses on opportunities that will capitalize and encourage redevelopment and reinvestment – targeting a variety of housing types, neighborhood commercial and placemaking strategies. The plan also includes a number of transportation recommendations aimed at better connecting the parkway to neighborhoods, greenway trails and facilitating new development. The plan also includes an implementation strategy and recommended changes to City Code.
Forward SGF Placetypes
In coordination with Forward SGF comprehensive planning, the Corridor Plan approach utilizes a palette of general land use categories called Placetypes.
Each of these placetypes illustrates a logical and common-sense approach to planning that differs from zoning. Rather than focus on the use of a specific parcel of land, this approach looks at the collective use that establishes the area. These placetypes define the characteristics, scale, form, function and overall use in a given geographic area.
The four placetypes presented in the Grant Avenue Corridor are:
- Downtown
- Mixed Use
- Mixed Residential
- Established Neighborhood
Zoning Framework
Building on the underlying placetypes, the plan focuses on the redevelopment opportunities adjacent to the corridor, taking a more targeted look at individual properties. It establishes a zoning framework that represents feedback received from initial public engagement on the Parkway project and what we’ve heard from the community about neighborhood redevelopment and a desire to integrate more neighborhood commercial and broader mix of housing types and densities.
Subareas A-C Downtown /Mixed Use:
Single-family, Multi-Family, Neighborhood-scale commercial, , adaptive reuse of existing structures and homes for a variety of uses. Design of new development to compliment and encourage integration and transition Downtown urban-scale development to a more traditional neighborhood form.
Subarea D Mixed Residential:
Traditional neighborhood uses, such as single-family and other supportive uses. Design for new development will encourage a stronger relationship to the street and allow for limited expansion of use beyond single-family, to include attached residential, and lower density multi-family.
Subarea E-F Mixed Use:
Neighborhood-scale commercial, with multi-family above and behind. Development form that will complement the greenway and parkway design, with more walkable, pedestrian-orientated design.
Transportation Framework
In addition to making recommendations for land use related to changes in the corridor, the Plan includes transportation-related recommendations for individual site development that can be used to help coordinate design inside the Parkway.
Recommendations on coordinating placement of crosswalks, possible alleyways or private drives, parking and circulation and other details that build on the preliminary parkway design concepts will be integrated over time, as properties redevelop. The Plan also takes a closer look at how to best connect the neighborhoods to the Parkway, with improvements along Grand Street and to Fassnight Park and Greenway Trails.
Implementation
Following the adoption of the plan, two other efforts will be brought forward and presented to the public:
- A Parkway Overlay Zoning District establishing the development code for properties located in the Grant Avenue Parkway Corridor
- Rezoning of parcels to Parkway Overlay Zoning District
View the Feb. 23 Grant Avenue Corridor Plan Meeting.
- Meeting Q&A (PDF)
View the Feb 9 Corridor Plan Presentation.
Upcoming Meetings & Events
Stay tuned for future information and engagement opportunities.
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