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Springfield: Citizens' Advisory Board recommends $1 million for neighborhood and park plans

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The City of Springfield's Citizens' Advisory Board (CAB) continues its work to help shape the city's future by reviewing and recommending capital investment projects funded through the ½-cent portion of the ¾-cent Spring Forward SGF sales tax, approved by voters in November 2024.

The CAB voted unanimously to recommend to City Council to invest $500,000 for the creation of neighborhood plans and $500,000 for parks master plans from sales tax proceeds from fiscal year 2026. Both were included as possible projects by Planning & Development staff, Springfield-Greene County Park Board and Parks staff. The City has 24 registered neighborhoods. Parks included in the proposal are Fassnight Park, Grant Beach Park, Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park, Sequiota Park and Silver Springs Park. The recommendations will come to City Council for their consideration at a meeting next month.

Neighborhood plans act as bridges between high-level visions and what happens on the ground, said Steve Childers, director of Planning & Development.

"When a neighborhood plan is adopted, it becomes a shared reference point for City staff, nonprofit partners, schools, utilities, and private developers. Everyone works from the same roadmap," he said.

Neighborhood plans are built with community input, such as workshops, surveys, open houses, and stakeholder meetings.

"This ensures decisions about land use, housing, transportation, parks, and economic development reflect what the people who live there actually want and need," Childers added.

The neighborhood planning process builds trust, strengthens civic engagement and creates shared ownership of outcomes.

Developing master plans for individual parks is essential because the process ensures each park grows, evolves, and operates in a way that is intentional, equitable, and aligned with community needs. A master plan serves as a long-term roadmap—typically 10-20 years—for investment, design, programming and maintenance.

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A park master plan is built with input from neighbors, user groups, sports leagues, accessibility advocates and other stakeholders. This input ensures that upgrades and new amenities match how people actually use the space.

"We rarely have the budget to complete all desired improvements at once. Master plans break projects into logical, fundable phases, said Ron Schneider, Director of Parka. "The planning process helps us prioritize improvements, plan realistic budgets, coordinate grants and partnerships and avoid 'piecemeal' decisions that don't fit a larger vision."

The CAB previously recommended and City Council approved $30 million of the sales tax as a match with the state of Missouri for a convention and event center downtown. They also voted at the time to provide future recommendations for up to $10 million for parks projects (specifics to be determined later); up to $5 million for neighborhood projects (to be determined later) and $15 million in reserve. The board's next meeting is Dec. 17 at 10 a.m. in the Denny Whayne Conference Room on the fourth floor of the Busch Municipal Building. The meetings are livestreamed on Facebook and at cityview.springfieldmo.gov, with all meetings recorded and available for viewing at cityview.springfieldmo.gov.

About the CAB

Appointed by City Council, the Citizens' Advisory Board is charged with reviewing project ideas and providing recommendations to the Council at least annually. Their goal is to guide investments that make Springfield safer, stronger, and better connected, with a focus on infrastructure that supports neighborhood vitality, public safety, economic growth, and quality of life.

As part of its commitment to transparency and public input, the board has launched a project idea submission form, available on the City's website at https://www.springfieldmo.gov/springforwardsgf.

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Board chair Erin Danastasio emphasized that while the board welcomes fresh ideas, their work is also grounded in significant community research.

"We want residents to know we're listening, and this is one way to share your vision," Danastasio said. "But we're also fortunate to have a wealth of resident input already at our fingertips—from years of scientifically valid citizen surveys, public meetings, and outreach efforts conducted by City staff. Combined with the criteria outlined in the ordinance creating this board, these tools help us evaluate ideas against a solid foundation of community priorities."

The board's decision-making is guided by several key criteria considerations outlined in its enabling ordinance and summarized on its webpage at springfieldmo.gov/springforwardsgf:
  • Whether the project can be completed with no ongoing debt obligation.
  • Whether the project is eligible for matching funds.
  • Whether the project directly generates new sales tax or other revenue for City services and infrastructure
  • Whether the project creates jobs or increases economic growth.
  • Whether the project is a catalyst that retains existing or attracts new City residents or businesses.
  • Whether the project improves livability for City residents or workers.
  • Whether the project is transformational and invests in the next generation.
  • Whether the project is a continuation of an existing or previous project.

While the form is a meaningful tool for community engagement, Danastasio noted that not all ideas will receive individual responses or immediate action.

"We appreciate every submission, but with so many ideas and limited funds, there may be a significant amount of time before your idea is addressed," she said. "Still, rest assured, your input is being considered as part of a thorough and ongoing process."

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To reach members of the Citizens' Advisory Board, contact Cora Scott, Director of Public Information & Civic Engagement at 417-380-3352 or [email protected].

Members include:
Christina Angle
Erin Danastasio (Chair)
Leslie Forrester
Andy Peebles
Lauren Shantz
Clif Smart
Becky Volz
Rusty Worley (Vice Chair)

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