Multimillion-dollar project planned on C-Street

A development company formed by partners in a Springfield architecture firm is seeking to construct a nearly 40,000-square-foot mixed-use building on Commercial Street.

The city of Springfield Landmarks Board at its June 29 meeting recommended approval to the plans submitted by developer OzMod 425 LLC for a three-story, 37,877-square-foot residential and commercial development at the site of a currently vacant building, 425 W. Commercial St., said board Chair Layne Hunton. 

OzMod 425 is an entity organized by Arkifex Studios LLC partners Cody Danastasio, Tyler Hellweg, Michael Hampton and Blaine Whisenhunt. The development cost is estimated between $6 million and $8 million, according to Hellweg.

“We’ve been talking for about five years on different ways we could perhaps become our own client and develop some property,” Hellweg said of the Arkifex principals forming OzMod, inspired by the firm’s Ozark modernism design specialty. “The architectural market tends to be fairly volatile, so we keep our eye on opportunities to develop property and become landlords and open up some ancillary revenue streams. This is our first crack at it, and we’re really excited to pursue it.”

Hellweg said OzMod purchased the C-Street property for an undisclosed price around a year ago from Andrew Baird, president of Conco Cos. The building, which was constructed in the 1950s, according to city documents, has sat vacant for decades, Hellweg said. 

“We’ve been looking at areas that had a good amount of culture already baked into the neighborhood,” Hellweg said. “Commercial Street was certainly on our radar.”

The development group is seeking demolition of the vacant 13,124-square-foot building that sits on less than an acre across the street from Moon City Pub and near White River Brewing Co. 

In the plan
The development comprises nearly 10,000 square feet of ground floor commercial retail space and roughly 2,800 square feet for residential occupancy. Plans for the two upper floors call for 46 apartments totaling over 24,000 square feet, he said. 

“We’d like to get a restaurant in there and perhaps some kind of bodega or a small grocery store would be great,” he said. “The rest of it we’re reserving for office and retail space.”

Parking will be provided behind the building for residents to avoid placing a demand on street parking along Commercial, Hellweg said. 

“It’s in a totally underdeveloped section of that district and it’s really a nice opportunity to take something that’s underutilized, demolish it and build something that is compliant with the current zoning regulations and building standards,” he said. 

Hunton, who has served on the Landmarks Board since 2018, said he’s sad when any building that might have some historic value is demolished. However, he said those decisions must be weighed alongside what future development can bring. 

“I would love to see more development and more money brought into Commercial Street. I also work off of Commercial Street, so I have some tie to want to see it prosper and grow,” said Hunton, the chief operating officer of Vecino Design LLC. “I’m for the development and hopeful it does maintain a certain level of quality and ability to work within the confines of the neighborhood.”

Longtime Commercial Street property owner Mary Collette, who owns Historic Firehouse No. 2 on the street, also is supportive of the new development. However, she has concerns about its size and would like to see the building’s facade broken up so that it isn’t as imposing or detracts attention from other nearby structures. 

“The architects have been very cooperative and welcoming to not only my comments but from other merchants and property owners,” she said. 

There’s a definite need for more residential development on C-Street and the city in general, Collette said.

“There are a lot of jobs on Commercial Street, and we have a lot of restaurants. It would be nice to be able to house the people that work there,” Collette said.

With approval from the Landmarks Board, OzMod is now seeking a conditional-use permit from the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission. Current zoning for the property caps construction at 10,000 square feet, Hellweg said, noting the project is on the commission’s agenda for its July 28 meeting. The issue would then go before Springfield City Council. 

Neighborhood gateway
The property is at the intersection of Commercial and Lyon Street, the western gateway to the C-Street district. The Woodland Heights neighborhood directly north of Commercial Street accesses the neighborhood via a railroad bridge over Lyon, which serves as a main access point. 

“Whether you’re on foot or in a car, that’s predominantly your gateway to the neighborhood,” he said, adding the development can serve as a good welcoming point for visitors and residents. 

Tearing down the existing building wasn’t the initial plan for the development team. However, its structural soundness was a major issue, Hellweg said. The building was originally constructed as a mechanics shop, he said, noting it has some odd floor levels that are a couple feet above grade in some spots and below grade in others.

“The cost implications made it prohibitive,” he said of rehabilitating and adding on to the structure. “Leveling that out would require a ton of demolition to begin with that would have probably compromised the structural integrity of the facility.”

The development team set out to be respectful to the architectural language on Commercial Street as they designed the building. 

“We wanted to take cues from those historic buildings and weave that DNA into our building without having it become a mimicry of a historic building,” he said.

If approved for a conditional-use permit, the developers will apply for a building permit and put the project out for bids, Hellweg said. 

“We’re anticipating if everything goes smoothly, we’ll be breaking ground probably mid-2023,” he said.