Springfield: What to Watch in 2014

(9) The fate of the Armory building



The recent saga of what organization will have an opprotunity to lease the city-owned historic Armory building, located across from the Springfield Dog Park, came to a head at the end of 2013, when City Council, due in part to Springfield community input, withdrew legislation to lease the space to a Confederate museum organization. An alternative proposal more popular with urban core residents, The ARTery, would place an arts & cultural hub in the building. Neither organization had a sound financial on how to pay for the required building renovations, estimated to be in the millions, so pulling legislation should give all interested parties time to prepare a more complete financial proposal. The arts would seem to be the most viable fundraising platform, but we'll find out in 2014.


(10) New people in old houses



Between homes in disrepair being renovated, and homes becoming available after ending their long foreclosure process, the past year saw dozens of previously unoccupied structures come to life. The next year promises more of the same, with about a dozen renovations already in progress that should come to completion, including jewels like the unmistakeable Queen Anne at 4th & Market (pictured left). In addition, entities like CDC Corporation, MetroNorth, and Jacksonville Wealth Builders plan to rehab houses in the historic district this year. In many ways, renovations have a greater impact than new construction, as they not only provide a home to new neighbors, but also remove neglect and blight at the same time.

 

So what will happen in 2014?

Who's to say? One thing is for sure-- there will be surprises.

Article by MySpringfield.org at http://myspringfield.org/news/people-places/73-what-to-watch-in-2014