City staff and Rountree neighbors are nearing the finish line on an update to the Rountree Neighborhood Plan, first adopted in 1985.
Senior City Planner Alana Owen presented the proposed updates and recommendations from staff and consultants H3 to City Council in August. The proposed changes are expected to go before the Planning & Zoning Commission and then to City Council this fall.
The goals and recommended actions for the update to the plan include:
- Uphold and strengthen the character of the Rountree Neighborhood and provide for consistent development within the neighborhood and along its edges by expanding the neighborhood association and Urban Conservation District boundaries, determining interest in creating a Community Improvement District within Rountree and gauging interest in historic district designation.
- Identify opportunities to preserve the housing stock by pursuing adoption of residential infill and rehabilitation guidelines.
- Guide the scale and character of new development along National Avenue, Cherry Street and Elm Street.
- Improve and support quality development, safety, walkability and aesthetics along the neighborhood’s edge. This can be achieved through traffic calming improvements, railroad right-of-way preservation for future trail use and pedestrian safety enhancements, such as sidewalks, crosswalks and walkways.
To view the proposed updates and recommendations to the Rountree Neighborhood Plan in full, please visit springfieldmo.gov/rountreeplanning.
“Other registered neighborhoods have requested updates to their neighborhood plans. Once Rountree’s is complete, work will begin on updating Phelps Grove’s Neighborhood Plan,” Owen said.