Nonprofit to break ground on housing development expansion

The Kitchen Inc. is scheduled to break ground next week on the second phase of its multimillion-dollar Maplewood Villas affordable housing development.

The 3905 W. Maple St. expansion of Maplewood Villas would add 32 units designed for low-income and formerly homeless seniors, including veterans, according to a news release. A groundbreaking ceremony is set to take place at the site at 11 a.m. on Oct. 18.

The site is roughly a quarter mile from the first phase of Maplewood Villas at 550 N. Duke Ave., north of Chestnut Expressway. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in August 2023 for the 44-unit development that had a $10 million price tag, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting.

"We’ve had such a success rate, and we knew it would be a great success, that we immediately applied to add Maplewood Villas II,” said Meleah Spencer, The Kitchen’s CEO, in a July SBJ article.

The second phase of Maplewood Villas would have eight units set aside to serve homeless veterans and a portion of units for "extremely low-income residents," officials say. The Kitchen would provide an on-site case manager, and residents would have access to green space and a community building with a pavilion. The units would have two bedrooms and one bathroom apiece.

The project is funded by the Missouri Housing Development Commission, Bank of Missouri, city of Springfield, Midwest Housing Equity Group and Advantage Capital, according to the release.

Springfield City Council in September approved a $525,000 loan from the Comprehensive Housing Assistance Program administered by the Department of Planning and Development for Maplewood Villas Phase II, according to past reporting.