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Griffin Woods little noticed until Schnucks plan announced

By CHRIS YOUNG (chris.young@sj-r.com)

The State Journal-Register
Apr 27, 2012
Every day, thousands of people stream past Griffin Woods. But few paid much attention to the 20-acre, heavily wooded parcel until Schnucks’ plans to build a new grocery store were revealed April 18. The new store, one of two Schnucks wants to build in Springfield, is planned for the northeast corner of Bruns Lane and Washington Street. The woodland has not been managed for many years, and the vegetation has grown dense.
Kathie Sass, spokeswoman for the Catholic Diocese of Springfield, which is selling the property to Schnucks, said the woods have attracted vagrants in the past. There were some signs of people drinking, mostly around the edges, and a dumped mattress lies in the center of the woods. Schnucks has entered into a contract with the diocese to buy the land, but Sass said the deal has not closed yet because contingencies such as zoning still are to be worked out.

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Sketch map for new stores to be considered Thursday

A location and sketch map of the proposed Schnucks supermarket at Bruns Lane and Washington Street in Springfield shows the approximately 20-acre site divided into seven lots, but does not yet include details of the store layout. Developers must submit  preliminary plans, construction plans and a final plat, he said.

“If everything goes smoothly, it could take three or four or five months,” said Zeibert. The land subdivision committee of the planning commission is scheduled to consider the sketch map Thursday, as well as a location and sketch map for a second Schnucks planned at Dirksen Parkway and Singer Avenue near J.C. Penney.

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McMenamin challenges city aid for grocery stores

Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin says he doesn’t mind seeing competition among grocery stores. But he says it’s not fair for the city of Springfield to provide financial assistance to a planned east-side Schnucks that is near an existing Shop ‘n Save that was built without the city’s help. The city is looking to create a new tax increment finance district, much like it did along MacArthur Boulevard, to spur development in the area near J.C. Penney on Dirksen Parkway.

“I think the TIF is a good idea,” McMenamin said. “The question is, do you advantage a new competitor to the expense of the existing competitor?” If the city gives money to Schnucks, he suggested, it should give the same amount to Shop ‘n Save. “What’s fair is fair,” he said. McMenamin made similar remarks — even questioning the proposed location of the two planned Schnucks — during a city council committee meeting earlier this week.

The two new Schnucks would be in addition to the chain’s two existing Springfield stores. Any assistance offered would be equivalent to what the city has offered to Niemann Foods Inc. to open a new County Market grocery store at the southeast corner of Second and Carpenter streets,and to Hy-Vee to build a store on the site of the old MacArthur Boulevard Kmart, Houston said.

Read the full article at sj-r.com…