University Heights rezoning request returning to City Council

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The back and forth between developers and neighbors in University Heights continues.

BK & M’s development proposal will go back in front of Springfield City Council on Monday evening. Developer Ralph Duda said that he and his team are praying for a good outcome, but neighbors aren’t so thrilled.

“I haven’t met anyone who’s in favor of the development, but not saying there’s not anybody. I’m just saying I haven’t met anyone,” Doug Caroll said.

Caroll and his wife Carla have lived in the University Heights neighborhood for the last 15 years.

“We don’t want him to put a business in, you know, we have a really nice neighborhood,” Caroll said. “We just don’t want that traffic coming back through our neighborhood.”

At the October 7 meeting, Springfield City Council voted 5-3 to amend the rezoning bill at National and Sunshine that would allow for 2.6 acres of land to be changed from single-family residential to general commercial usage.

The council also decided to postpone the vote to the October 21 meeting.

Rina Edge lives in the neighborhood and is also against the development. She says anything could happen at tomorrow’s meeting.

“If the first amendment is the only one that is going, then yes, I do believe there will still be a vote tomorrow,” Edge said. “I think anything’s a possibility at this point.”

If the bill passes, the amendment will prevent BK & M from building a dollar store, vape or marijuana shop, a tattoo parlor, or anything else on the list of over 30 prohibited uses. Edge says the uncertainty is also part of the reason for the pushback.

“I think kind the issue about not wanting the development to happen is that we don’t know what development is going to happen,” Edge said. “I think the lack of specificity on the matter kind of makes us very wary.”

Caroll says he hopes City Council will send the proposal back to planning and zoning since they originally voted against the development.

“And as long as they’re proposing that, I hope that it doesn’t pass. But of course, it’s not up to me.”

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