From the Ground Up: Y Gardens

Owner/developer: Creason Development LLC
General contractor: Olympus Construction Inc. (Jonesboro, Arkansas)
Architect: Stark Wilson Duncan Architects Inc. (Kansas City)
Engineers: Anderson Engineering Inc., civil; Bob D. Campbell and Co., structural (Kansas City); Hoss and Brown Engineers PC, mechanical, electrical and plumbing (Shawnee, Kansas)
Size: 37,310 square feet
Estimated cost: $6.7 million
Lender: Arvest Bank
Estimated completion: August
Project description: The 41-unit affordable housing complex, dubbed Y Gardens, near Ozarks Technical Community College off Chestnut Expressway and National Avenue will be a mixed-use development with 2,000 square feet of available commercial space. Targeted tenants for the one- and two-bedroom apartments are young adults leaving the foster care system and individuals who earn less than 60% of the area’s median income, said Creason Development owner Tammi Creason. The development plan calls for an office and community space where residents can meet with collaborative nonprofit representatives for job training and other social services. The project is financed through the Missouri Housing Development Commission’s low-income housing tax credit program, various city of Springfield loan programs and Arvest Bank, which operates a branch next to the complex.