Urban 
Conservation
District

The Phelps Grove Neighborhood was established as an urban conservation district in 1997.  An urban conservation district is a zoning designation and can be used to replace all or some of zoning restrictions.  It can also be used to enact new regulations for an area.   Areas may only be designated urban conservation districts after preparation of an urban conservation district plan (neighborhood plan).  In English this means we not only developed a neighborhood plan, but were given a process to enact much of the messier items that could only be handled through city involvement (city ordinances, Missouri State University encroachment) .  The plan is a fairly extensive plan, but much of it involves issues that are derived from our proximity to Missouri State University.

The neighborhood plan includes a "Cooperative Agreement between the City of Springfield and Southwest Missouri State University"  This agreement is a written plan on where and how and when Missouri State will develop into our neighborhood.  The where is an area bounded by Dollison, the alley between Normal and Delmar, and National.  The how includes a greenbelt separating existing parking lots from the neighborhood and terminates all access to those parking lots from the neighborhood (which means no through traffic.) Located within that green belt is stormwater detention to prevent continued flooding from existing parking lots.  That leaves the when -- in 6 years (the end of  year 2007) this portion of the neighborhood plan is to be in place.

The plan deals with many other issues that will help our neighborhood continue to strengthen the character of the neighborhood. A copy of this plan is available from the City of Springfield's Neighborhood Conservation Dept. 864-1033