MAY 1-7, 2023 8 · SBJ.NET NEWS elfindaleretirement.com Now offering the full continuum of care. 417-501-1000 Independent Living 417-831-3828 417-831-2273 HEATHER MOSLEY Good fences make good neighbors by Karen Craigo · kcraigo@sbj.net The city of Springfield’s comprehensive plan, Forward SGF, sets forth a new idea of land use for the city with the concept of placetypes – 10 categorizations of areas that prioritize their sense of place over their use. Forward SGF acknowledges those transitional areas where one placetype abuts another. The plan establishes a need for a transition zone on either side of a placetype boundary to reduce friction brought by competing uses. Buffer yards – areas including vegetative and physical barriers that separate placetypes – are an essential element of a transition zone. Often described in detail in rezoning requests, these can be the difference between a successful or unsuccessful application from a developer. As Forward SGF explains, buffer yards are intended to offer a barrier between two areas with different intensities of use – as when a commercial area exists beside a residential area. Buffer yards matter because they cut down on the noise and mitigate the appearance of a zone that is at odds with a lower-intensity area. A recent example of the significance of buffer yards was seen in an application by Reding Management LLC and Redec LLC, which successfully applied for a change to a limited business district from residential to place a 7 Brew Coffee at the southeast corner of Sunshine Street and Jefferson Avenue. The developers achieved a zoning change, but its conditional use permit for a drive-thru, central to the 7 Brew business model, was harder won. The difference-maker for council was the addition of 14 trees – specifically, seven evergreens and seven understory trees – to the buffer between the activity of the proposed shop and the relative peace of the existing neighborhood. Craig Hosmer: Residents may not have information needed for complaint-based enforcement to work. Buffer yard enforcement requires resident vigilance, city officials say See BUFFER on page 30 The Chase campus at 303 E. Republic Road installed a nature trail to complement its buffer of mature trees.
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