Springfield Business Journal_2020-09-28

Facing Racism programming goes virtual  Missouri State institute fosters discussions on racism, diversity by Mike Cullinan · mcullinan@sbj.net Like many planned in-person events in 2020, a program centered on racism, its history and ways to mitigate it, has moved online. Facing Racism Institute, organized by the Division for Diversity and Inclusion at Missouri State University, is scheduled as an Oct. 1-2 virtual event via Zoom. School officials decided to transition the two-day session away from an in-person gathering due to the coro- navirus pandemic.  Wes Pratt, chief diversity officer and an assistant to the president at MSU, said the event includes speakers, videos and opportunities for conversations about racism and its impact on individuals and the workplace. “It sort of uses a multimodal approach to diversity,” he said. “It’s not all lecture, but covers contemporary issues that are occur- ring in our nation and world today.” Pratt said the October event will be fa- cilitated by MSU faculty Leslie Anderson and Lyle Foster. The program attendance is typically capped at 25-30 people, but a slightly larger audience – around 45 – will be allowed for the virtual session. Regis- tration is currently near 40, according to school officials.  “You want to keep it where there’s an opportunity for folks to engage,” Foster said. “A lot of times in large crowds, some people may not feel comfortable. Smaller groups can create a much more Galloway Village rezoning bill passes af ter years of debate by Mike Cullinan · mcullinan@sbj.net A long-debated project in Galloway Village took a ma- jor step forward Sept. 21 when Springfield City Council approved the developer’s rezoning request. Council voted 7-1 to rezone roughly 4 acres at 3535 S. Lone Pine Ave. for development of the mixed-use proj- ect called Treadway. Councilperson Craig Hosmer cast the lone dissenting vote, and councilperson Mike Schil- ling was absent.  The decision makes way for developer Elevation Development Co. to bring retail, office, restaurant space and two multifamily buildings to the southeast Springfield neighborhood. Many Galloway Village resi- dents have opposed the project since its 2018 introduc- tion.  The continuation of a public hearing Sept. 21 had 13 speakers, with a mix of residents and project officials. Five spoke out against the amendment and develop- ment.   In an approved amendment presented earlier in Sep- tember, Elevation Development decreased the height limit to 56 feet from 60 feet for buildings that are more than 60 feet from the street. A planned underground provided by H DESIGN GROUP LLC See COUNCIL on page 48 See INSTITUTE on page 42 TRANSITIONS: A LIFESTYLE GUIDE FOR 55+ | ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT INSIDE Approval makes way for Treadway mixed-use development FARM LIFE Curtis and Sarah Millsap diversifiy revenue stream s at Millsap Farms in nort h Springfield. PAGE 6 $2.00 · SBJ.NET SEPT. 28-OCT. 4, 2020 · VOL. 41, NO. 10 The development company behind Treadway, a mixed-use project in Galloway Village, has the all clear from City Council. Wes Pratt : Facing Racism Institute uses a multimodal approach to diversity.