In his State of the City address in June, Mayor Ken McClure outlined City Council’s priorities for the coming year. One of those is economic vitality.
“From Fortune 500 employers and global companies to countless local success stories of small businesses that were born out of great ideas and willingness to take risks, Springfield provides exciting opportunities in nearly every industry,” he said. “Springfield is also a great place for budding entrepreneurs to realize their dreams.”
Over the past 18 months, Springfield businesses have announced nine new major projects, which created 707 new jobs with more than $33 million in new payroll and more than $187 million in new capital investment.
I’m very happy to say that much of that activity is happening right now in Springfield’s Zone 2. For those not familiar, Zone 2’s boundaries are the Springfield city limits to the north, Sunshine Street to the south, National Avenue to the west and the city limits to the east.
3M, which is celebrating its 50th year in Springfield, also recently announced plans to significantly expand its Springfield facility on East Chestnut Expressway, resulting in the addition of 90 jobs.
Other expansions and new facilities in Zone 2 include a significant expansion announcement by Kraft Heinz, a headquarters expansion for O’Reilly Auto Parts and an expansion at SRC Logistics, resulting in another 50 new jobs.
Thanks in large part to the enthusiasm of my Zone 1 colleague, Councilwoman Phyllis Ferguson, we’re also hoping to spur a business renaissance on Kearney Street.
Hundreds turned out for the kickoff to welcome cruising back to Kearney Street this spring, with monthly cruise-ins happening on the second Friday of each month from April through October. Planning firm PGAV recently presented its findings in a corridor study for the portion of Kearney between Kansas Expressway and Glenstone Avenue. Among those was that the area has the potential to capture additional retail sales from the available $95 million in unmet household demand in the trade area around Kearney Street.
I look forward to working with City staff on this project and can’t wait to see what’s next for this once- and hopefully soon-to-be-again thriving part of our city.
Other neighborhoods in Zone 2 are showing great signs of new economic development. Look for the Tie & Timber Beer Co., set to open in Rountree in early 2018.