City gathers public input for Jordan Creek

The city of Springfield is soliciting public participation to set plans for its Renew Jordan Creek master plan in downtown Springfield.

Beginning in the 1930s, the creek was channeled through a series of underground culverts, according to a news release. Renew Jordan Creek is a multiphase effort to daylight the creek, with a goal of reducing flooding and improve water quality, as much of the project area is within a Federal Emergency Management Agency floodplain. City officials say the project also is viewed as an opportunity to provide an urban amenity and catalyst for further redevelopment downtown.

Phase I of the project comprises two sections of the creek, bordered on the east by Boonville Avenue, Water Street on the south, Main Avenue on the west and Mill Street on the north. The first phase is funded through Springfield’s Level Property Tax and is estimated at $7 million, according to the release.

The public survey will gather input on the public’s vision for this Phase I site and will also ask questions on future enhancements to nearby Founders Park and other spaces along Jordan Creek’s footprint.

“As we began the design phase for Renew Jordan Creek, we realized we needed to look outside the boundaries of the current funded project and look at a wider span of the Jordan Valley,” said Tim Rosenbury, the city’s quality of place director, in the release. “We don’t want this project to be an island of green, but rather it needs to connect to a much larger vision and master plan for the area.”

The city’s survey is available through Feb. 7 at RenewJordanCreek.com.