25-03-2025
Petition to stop development of new Springfield neighborhood denied
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The petition that would bring the construction of a new neighborhood in southeast Springfield to a city-wide vote was denied.
Residents of Chimney Hills and Chimney Hills Place submitted a petition with 1,996 signatures to the city clerk nearly two weeks ago.
The petition was for a public vote to repeal the ordinance relating to the preliminary plat of the Chimney Rock subdivision.
'We just want to do everything we can to make sure that we're being heard,' said Chimney Hills Place resident Sonja Shaw.
City Council approved a preliminary plat that would create a new neighborhood right behind Chimney Hills Place near Galloway — called Chimney Rock.
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'Almost 2,000 people said, 'Yes, we think this needs another look,'' Shaw said. 'This needs to go back to city council for review.'
The Springfield city clerk's office said the ordinance neighbors were petitioning is an act that is administrative and not up to a city-wide vote.
'We're exploring every option,' Shaw said. 'We're not just going to give up just because they say no.'
Shaw tells me she sees an issue with the lot sizes of what will become the Chimney Rock neighborhood, with 40 homes being added to the area.
Another big issue is the access points to get to the new neighborhood. Shaw tells Ozarks First she believes the access point from Mimosa Street would be dangerous.
'(It's) spilling into an existing neighborhood, already a busy street,' Shaw said.
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Neighbors say this plan is violating an ordinance from 2018 that denies access to Mimosa or Arcadia Street, right where the developer wants to put the access points to Chimney Rock.
'You'll notice there's a public hearing sign here,' Shaw said. 'So we had a get notice about this 40 lots, but that administrative re-plat where they took an extra piece and made the access point. No one knew anything about that.'
Neighbors tell Ozarks First they are not sure what their next steps will be, but they won't give up trying to make either city council take a second look at this plat or leave it up to Springfield voters.
When asked why the petition was void, the City of Springfield responded with a statement that said:
'Council Bill No. 2025-017 (the target of the referendum petition) is an act that is administrative in nature. It is well-established law that administrative acts are not subject to referendum. See State ex rel. Whittington v. Strahm, 374 S.W.2d 127 (Mo. 1963). This line of cases includes a detailed discussion of the question you raise.'
Springfield City Attorney
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