What a challenging year 2020 was for everyone. It’s been no different in the city’s Planning Department. Despite so much early engagement and momentum in the development of the comprehensive plan, the Forward SGF process too, was greatly affected by the pandemic. It’s hard to believe we began the planning process in 2019, we are more than two years into the process now. So, where are we at? What’s going on? When will see some results and get our hands on the plan?
In early spring of last year, we had just completed the first of three rounds of collecting focus group input. The virus immediately halted progress. Once we were able to get enough focus group members engaged and connected virtually, we found ourselves several months behind. Adding to the difficulty, our planning consultants could not travel to Springfield to meet and facilitate community workshops. Fortunately, everything is back on track and considerable progress has been made in a number of areas. Our community is responding, as we all get acclimated to virtual participation.
The most important and comprehensive work completed thus far is the development of the Forward SGF focus group reports. Each report provides a glimpse into what will likely be the foundation of the final 10 chapters in the plan. More than 150 community participants contributed to the development of each report, crafting vision statements and identifying goals and strategies for a wide array of important community issues. All 10 reports and a survey to help prioritize each can be accessed directly from the project website: forwardsgf.com/pages/engage.
Below are links to additional information on some targeted planning works, which will all be contributing elements to the Comprehensive Plan, as well as links to other opportunities for you to get involved:
In January, we kicked off the downtown planning process. The Downtown Advisory Team met for the first time and we will soon host a community-wide engagement event to collect feedback on the future vision and focus for downtown Springfield. Currently, we are taking feedback via a downtown survey and interactive mapping exercise forwardsgf.com/pages/currentprojects.
Commercial Street is also getting a new plan. The City contracted with Progressive Urban Management Associates (PUMA) to prepare a new plan and market study. A draft of that plan is being finalized now. The Commercial Street Market Study and Survey results are available for review at springfieldmo.gov/cstreetplan.
As a rather new and exciting planning piece that will greatly contribute to the Forward SGF initiative is the development of the Grant Avenue Parkway (GAP) Corridor Plan. The plan was developed in concert with the preliminary parkway design following several months of community feedback and planning. The GAP Corridor Plan and other information about the parkway design and project can be reviewed from the project website: grantavenueparkway.com/.
Lastly, the city is taking feedback on four Subarea Studies that will complement other planning elements, as well as provide guidance on corridors and districts with similar characteristics. Visit forwardsgf.com/pages/currentprojects to learn more about each study area and plans for each. The four subareas under review now are:
- East Trafficway Subarea
- West Chestnut Expressway Subarea
- North Glenstone Avenue Subarea
- Lake Springfield Subarea
As the planning process continues to evolve on a regular pace, the City encourages you to watch for news releases and emails for updates and additional ways in which you can get involved with Forward SGF. For more information, contact Randall Whitman, principal planner, at 417-864-20274 or rwhitman@springfieldmo.gov, or visit ForwardSGF.com.