As Springfield City Council held a public hearing Monday night for the long-contested rezoning proposal in University Heights, neighborhood residents remained firmly opposed to commercial development while other speakers called for a compromise and progress. The northwest corner of National Avenue and Sunshine Street has been the center of controversy for years — tension the developer said may have cost the city a Trader Joe’s.
In the most recent iteration of their plans, developers at Be Kind & Merciful are pursuing a strict rezoning of eight lots from residential to general retail, with multiple use restrictions including prohibiting outdoor athletic courts. That’s a change from the previous proposal for a food hall with pickleball courts , which BK&M briefly pitched as part of a Planned Development rezoning , a more uniquely crafted rezoning that requires a site plan that the applicant must stand by. The rezoning does not include a specific use for the property, which has been a point of contention for several years.