12-02-2025
Affordable housing projects in Springfield in the works
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The lack of affordable housing in Springfield continues to be a drawback for residents, but some projects are coming to address that.
On Monday, Springfield City Council was introduced to a proposed zoning ordinance that if approved would create 32 single-family residential homes on a plot of land near Talmage and Grant.
'The comprehensive plan highlighted that Springfield currently has a shortage of housing units that are only attainable at the lowest income levels, and this shortage disproportionately impacts renter-occupied housing,' Senior Planner Michael Sparlin said. 'By encouraging higher density residential development, the city can provide a higher range of unique unit types sizes and price points within future development.'
It's an updated plan for developer Mike Stalzer, who in 2023 was open to buying the plot of land from a local church and not just building homes, but also turning an old gym on the property into apartments.
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'We were going to redevelop the gymnasium into apartments, but I decided it probably would be better just to demolish the building and go with the single-family homes,' Stalzer said in a Planning and Zoning hearing last month.
When Ozarks First originally covered the story in 2023, several neighbors were voicing concerns about the increase in traffic and the proximity of the building to a nearby school.
At the January P&Z meeting, one woman spoke and said her concerns were addressed with the updated plans and another still voiced opposition to the project as a whole.
At the first reading of the bill to Springfield City Council on Feb. 10, no one spoke before the council.
Stalzer's project isn't the only one going on in Springfield looking to address affordable housing.
Last week, members of The Vecino Group broke ground on their effort called 'Sankofa,' a four-story development aiming to bring affordable housing to C-Street.
'[Sankofa] integrates both a business incubator and a street-level retail. It's going to deliver 42 brand new, affordable homes that serve as households, serve households at below 60% area medium income, and the idea of it will be to provide a strong path forward through job and business counseling for residents,' Jordan Gibson with The Vecino Group said. 'The incubator space will be managed by the Multicultural Business Association to focus on the success of minority-owned businesses for Springfield, and this is the first new from-the-ground-up development for Commercial Street in more than 50 years.'
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The Vecino Group specializes in affordable housing.
'We have over 60 communities that we have developed in the past 14 years,' Gibson said. 'We have lots of different affordable housing options for just different populations and different needs, and we have supportive services that we offer on-site with local non-profits in those areas to help provide the services for those individuals and their needs.'
Jordan says affordable housing isn't just a Springfield issue, but a nationwide one.
'I think the state of affordable housing in Springfield is the same as it is across the US. It's the national crisis, prices of rent, housing, utilities, essentials,' Gibson said. 'Everything is just really going up these days and it makes it very difficult from the cost of living perspective and people are able to bring home from an income to provide the basic needs for their ultimate thriving of their lives. To be the best version of yourself that starts with stable, affordable housing.'
Sankofa is expected to open in 2026.
Springfield City Council is expected to vote on the Talmage/Grant project on February 24.
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