New Comprehensive Plan
The Springfield City Council adopted a new Comprehensive Plan on January 9, 2018. A Comprehensive Plan sets the vision for LAND USE – what the city would like to see – for the long term. An 11-person steering committee guided the land use planning process and included the mayor, city staff, as well as citizens. The city also partnered with the Springfield-Sangamon County Regional Planning Commission to oversee the process which includes the below final report that was completed in October 2017. Citizens had an opportunity to participate in one of the public input opportunities that were provided, including two hosted by Springfield ICON.
The comprehensive plan provides guidelines for preferred land use within Springfield.
Having a valid comprehensive plan is important because it is used by the Planning & Zoning Commission and City staff when evaluating zoning variances and making recommendations to the City Council. The City Council, when a zoning variance comes before them, should follow the plan or else risk legal action against the City for inconsistencies.
In addition, the plan can be the starting point for changes in city ordinances and zoning rules and for creation of economic development incentives that would further the plan.
The new plan, as written, has multiple beneficial aspects for residential neighborhoods in Springfield, and for Springfield as a whole.
The last comprehensive plan was adopted in 2000 by the City Council with 20 amendments that had NO evaluation or comment from Regional Planners, from City planning staff or from the public. The proposed plan has been created based on your input, on the expertise of our regional planning commission, and on citizen participation through a rigorous process that considered an extensive amount of data and planning projections.
ICON supports the comprehensive plan as a tool to protect and enhance development in Springfield’s residential neighborhoods.
City of Springfield Comprehensive Plan
Download the plan…
(PDF, 94mb, prints full-size as 11″x17″)
Download the appendices…
(PDF, 21mb, prints full-size as 11″x17″)
More information on the City of Springfield website…
Comprehensive Plan Implementation Committee
Two neighborhood leaders active in Springfield ICON are currently serving on the Comprehensive Plan Implementation Committee, which is being led by the City of Springfield, with assistance from Molly Berns, Executive Director of the Springfield-Sangamon County Regional Planning Commission.
Ordinance to require a City Council supermajority (2/3 vote) to override recommendations by Planning & Zoning and City Staff
Also suggested was an ordinance, rejected in 2000, that the City Council would require a supermajority vote to approve any zoning request that was contrary to the plan and for which P&Z and staff recommended denial. ICON will consider such an ordinance.
Springfield ICON presented the proposed Comprehensive Plan to member and friends on October 30.
Speakers
Bonnie Drew, Deputy Mayor of Springfield
Molly Berns, Assistant Director, Springfield and Sangamon County Regional Planning Commission
Mark Mahoney, City of Springfield Public Works Director, member of Comprehensive Plan Committee
Joe Gooden, City of Springfield Planning and Zoning Commission
Carol Kneedler, Comprehensive Plan Committee Member
Bonnie Drew introduced the Comprehensive Plan, and Molly Berns provided an extensive review of the process. Speakers answered questions related to the plan. Many questions were related to the impact of the plan on older neighborhoods (creating and adopting neighborhood land use plans by reference into the Comprehensive Plan, neighborhood centers, historic districts, infill development), but also the effect of the plan on city aesthetics, sprawl, growth and economic development.
Speakers emphasized the importance of informing aldermen that residents support the plan and ask for it to be passed with provisions benefiting residential neighborhoods.