A final report presented by a Springfield Sustainable design Assessment Team during an event on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012.

1. Final Report Highlights

2. Introductions

3. Focus on Core “Heart”
• Our downtown is very large
• Result: very few blocks are completely filled
out with buildings
• Easily walkable but huge gaps along the way
(parking lots, etc.)
• At 250 ft (25-story building), zoning is too
tall and encourages false sense of capacity

4. Focus on Core “Heart”
• Prioritize
public
investment
Washington in this area 1st
Adams • Build critical
Monroe
mass that
will spread
5th 6th

5. Focus on Core “Heart”
• Future downtown growth should move
toward Medical District
• Retail on Carpenter should complement
downtown residential (not retail)
Washington
Adams
Monroe

6. Downtown Housing
• Focus on
“pioneers”– early
adopters who want
an edgier, less
traditional lifestyle
• Parking solutions
for residents

7. Downtown Housing
• Consider upscale and affordable housing
projects
• Seek out developers who specialize in
publicly financed housing
• Tackle difficult buildings with 501(c)3
• Develop design guidelines for urban
housing

8. Downtown Housing
• Goal: 342 units by 2022
• Subsidies should = 42.44% of project cost
• The upper floors of existing buildings within
the core offer enough space to meet the
growth projections

9. The Downtown Lifestyle
• Unique
• Community-building
• Expand on food
themes
• More vibrant streets
like 6th between Adams
and Monroe
• Even more trees and
green spaces

10. Even More Pedestrian-Friendly
• Eliminate blank wall
facades
• Storefronts provide
connection between
outside/inside
• Autos should be
hidden in back
• Can’t be too many
places to sit

11. Visitor Experience
• Develop The
Springfield Way to
link heritage
corridors as a loop
around downtown

12. Transportation
• Downtown drivers must be slowed down
• Parking is actually very convenient but the
perception is it’s not
• Pedestrian crossings are generally too wide
• Sidewalk experience is inconsistent

13. Transportation
• Give care and attention to 11th Street
Corridor
• Prioritize repaving where it meets multiple
goals
• Create a separate set of policies for
downtown to encourage pedestrian lifestyle
• Reconsider the one-way grid
• Apply road diets
• Seek more funding

14. Sustainability
• Change zoning and policies to support
walkability
• Add requirements for water and energy
conservation
• Reusing existing buildings is the most
sustainable building practice
• Add additional food sources
• Add a community garden

15. Sustainability
• Add a new park in
each of the four
corners of the study
area
• Bring back skating
rink in winter
• Construct running
circuit

16. Market Potential
• More retail activity needed to support
residential
• Dinner hour, apparel and related retail
options are limited
• Void of national tenants
• BUT high level of visitor and workforce-
related economic potential

17. Market Potential
• Develop merchandising plan for potential
uses at block level
• Develop a recruitment effort with national
and credit worth tenants
• Create pop-up businesses and events
targeted to Sunday evenings
• Springfield’s substantial inventory of assets
at low acquisition cost can be quickly
activated

18. Branding Downtown
• Restore relevancy
• Attract millennials
• Modernize our brand
• Develop “Share” programs – bike, car,
apartment, designer clothing
• Embrace the emotional experience of
downtown
• Pay attention to the words we choose

19. Keys to Success
• Overcome local cynicism
• Beyond State Capitol or Lincoln – what is
our modern image?
• Revitalization is a process
• Leverage all of our assets fully
• Every sector of our community should be
involved
• Civic action gets results

20. Mayor’s Action Committee
• Connect the dots
– Keep track of which organization is taking the
lead on which issue
– Leverage strengths
– Pinpoint gaps
– Build consensus
– Serve as a resource
– Serve as neutral territory

21. Q&A

22. Final Report Highlights