Work on a new and updated City Code has been ongoing for months behind the scenes as the city hopes to align codes and land use with the new Forward SGF Comprehensive Plan.
Urban planning firm Multistudio, along with Urban3, has been tasked with leading the effort to update the development code. Multistudio Vice President Chris Brewster presented general changes the new code could include as well as areas which still need guidance from leadership to Springfield City Council on Tuesday. The last time the Springfield land development code underwent a comprehensive update was in 1995.
The goal of the updates is to implement principles and policy recommendations outlined in Forward SGF and support development in the city that benefits both Springfield’s fiscal health and quality of place for its residents. The biggest influences from Forward SGF are a focus on beautification, diversifying the city’s housing, and improving neighborhood vitality and walkability. The goal is also to clean up processes outlined by the code, allow for more flexibility in uses and streamline certain procedures that currently can take months and be confusing.