As Springfield continues to grow, the city is also looking to expand its city limit boundaries. Currently, the city is prioritizing annexing properties that have already signed a consent to annex agreement, that are contiguous to current city boundaries and those owned by public entities.
Where could the city grow in the future?
The city has outlined three tiers of priority for annexation. The top priority areas are southwest, northwest and the South Campbell corridor. Priority two includes northeast Springfield and the James River Freeway corridor, while the third priority areas are those that focus more on residential annexations.
Principal Planner Alana Owen presented an update on annexation to Springfield City Council Tuesday and said that factors such as opening strategic areas for development and being economically neutral or positive are considered when considering annexation. The city's Forward SGF comprehensive plan is also used to determine where and how the city should grow.
"While not every property identified in each of the priority one or two areas can or should be annexed immediately, each represent areas where opportunities for economic and job growth are promising due to varying combinations of available infrastructure, city services proximity to major transportation corridors and advantageous land patterns," Owen said.
Currently, the city has 594 consent to annex agreements total that cover over 8,000 acres. The majority of these are residential properties. A little less than half of all consent to annex agreements are for properties contiguous to current city limits.
First phase of Springfield annexations
Within the next month, the council will look at annexing roughly five target areas. Most of these are in the west of town and pertain to commercial and retail properties. These were targeted due to their land use, availability of emergency services, infrastructure maintenance considerations and areas that generate revenue.
Most of these properties are under the first priority tier, though one is priority three but is seen as beneficial due to its proximity to the new Target being developed at the intersection of Sunshine Street and West Bypass.
"With the new Target going in here, we see this as a good area for opportunities for redevelopment," Owen said.
Only one targeted annexation area includes housing and that is the Turners Rock retirement housing on East Sunshine. As letters are sent out to property owners, the annexations are expected to be on the council's regular agenda in the next month.
What does annexation cost?
The first phase of annexations, that include roughly 12 property owners, focuses largely on commercial properties. With annexation, retail properties bring in more sales tax revenue while residential properties only bring in property taxes which is not as much revenue for the city. In turn, large residential areas added to the city's landscape can mean more resources necessary to service those residents.
By one of the targeted properties of annexation in Southwest Springfield east of West Bypass and between Battlefield Avenue and James River Freeway, there are several residential properties with already signed consent to annex agreements. But those, at least for now, are not being consider for annexation.
Owen said annexing the residential areas would include 1,340 housing units with an estimated population of 3,148. The residential area would generate $237,000 annually, but it would cost an estimated $695,000 to provide the area with all Public Works services, using average costs from across the city. Owen said the fiscal impact would increase even more with calls for police and fire service taken into account.
What will future annexation entail?
In the near future, three publicly owned properties will be annexed within city limits. That includes property by the airport, buffer area by the Southwest Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Rutledge-Wilson Farm Park.
The city will continue to narrow down future targeted annexation areas depending on priority and their economic benefit. At Tuesday's meeting, Councilman Craig Hosmer suggested introducing a surcharge for city sewer services for those who reside outside of city limits as to incentivize annexing.
"At some point we need to annex the residential areas," Mayor Ken McClure said. "The short-term costs I think will be outweighed by the long-term revenue benefit by just having that population there as it grows ... I think this is a good initial step, I'm glad we are starting to take it. We'll learn from doing this."
Marta Mieze covers local government at the News-Leader. Have feedback, tips or story ideas? Contact her at mmieze@news-leader.com.
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