By TIM LANDIS
The State Journal-Register
Posted Jan 17, 2013
A special zoning classification to encourage redevelopment of older commercial areas in Springfield, including MacArthur Boulevard, is among the topics for a newly restructured study group.
Formation of the committee was announced Thursday at a meeting of the MacArthur Boulevard Business Association. “We’re looking at the possibility of a new zoning classification that would apply not only to stretches of MacArthur, but also to other older commercial neighborhoods around the city,” committee chairman Jim Moll said after the meeting.
Moll, an engineer at Hanson Professional Services, said a mishmash of zoning variances and multiple government jurisdictions have complicated efforts to draw development to MacArthur between South Grand and Wabash avenues.
He said another possibility is a zoning “overlay” that would be superimposed on existing classifications.
“What we have on MacArthur is a lot of very small lots,” said Moll. “We have commercial properties next to residential properties, and we’re looking for ways to make better use of those lots and make them attractive for future development.” He said there are similar challenges in other commercial areas of the city.
The committee expects to build on the work of the former MacArthur Boulevard Action Committee, which has been folded into the MBBA as part of an overall restructuring of the organization.