Crystal Thomas
The State Journal-Register
By the end of Tuesday’s Springfield City Council meeting, a packed room of residents who were divided on whether a new west-side subdivision should move forward did agree on one thing: Lenhart Road needs to be improved. Aldermen voted 8-2 to approve three ordinances that would allow Centennial Pointe, a 50-duplex subdivision located along Lenhart Road near Centennial Park, to be built.
Residents from the area lobbied aldermen to postpone approval of the subdivision until the adjacent roads were in better condition to handle more traffic and heavy construction trucks.
Gordon Gates, the attorney for developer Corky Joyner, pointed out aldermen didn’t have much discretion in the matter. He noted plans for the subdivision were OK’d by the city council in 2013 with little concern. The vote Tuesday was asking for a re-approval of the sketch map, which had expired.
“There is no discretion so long as (city engineer Nate Bottom) stands up here and says all the technical requirements have been met,” Gates said.
Bottom told aldermen the subdivision did meet all of the technical requirements, and the roads met the minimum standards. Lenhart Road is partially owned by the township, which had not updated its portion in nine years, he said.
Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin, who voted against the ordinances, disagreed with Bottom, saying testimony from area residents showed the road was not suitable. Residents said they are afraid for their safety. The bumpy country road angles into ditches and there is nowhere to pull off for tractors or buses.
Residents also pointed out several changes have been made to the area in the years since the subdivision was first approved. Centennial Park Place and other subdivisions put up more houses, and traffic that would normally go through Archer Elevator Road and Iles Avenue has been rerouted to Lenhart during construction for a soon-to-open roundabout.
Though he did not have to vote on the issue, Mayor Jim Langfelder said he chose to believe the experts when it came to whether the road met the minimum requirements.
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During Tuesday’s debate, discussion briefly turned to a controversial fundraising event held on Sept. 27 at a downtown restaurant that included eight aldermen, Joyner and others.
Joe McMenamin for Ward 7 