The Springfield Municipal Regional Planning Commission on July 1 approved a rezoning request for approximately 0.65 acres at 967 North Brown Street, changing the parcel from R-10 (medium-density residential) to MRO (multiple residential and office).

City planning staff described the request as intended to improve the property’s marketability by allowing a broader mix of uses. Staff told commissioners the site is designated on the Springfield 2044 comprehensive plan future land use map for high-density residential use; staff characterized the rezoning as a "minor inconsistency" with that map because MRO allows office uses in addition to residential. Staff said the rezoning promotes zoning continuity across the block and could encourage higher-density mixed-use development near the central core.

"The MRO zoning district allows for a mix of uses that remain compatible with adjacent zoning patterns," city staff said when presenting the request, and staff recommended approval based on findings that the request advances housing diversity and reinvestment of underutilized parcels.

Commissioners asked questions about why the parcel had not been designated MRO earlier in the comprehensive plan process; staff replied that consultant mapping sometimes followed existing zoning and did not anticipate a future change of use for that specific lot. The applicant, identified in the record as Lynn West, did not speak in extended detail at the meeting.

The commission approved the rezoning after discussion. A roll-call vote recorded a majority in favor; one commissioner expressed discomfort with the change during the discussion and indicated a "no" vote on the record.

The rezoning decision brings the parcel into the MRO district, which allows both residential and limited office uses. Staff noted that any future commercial development on the property would require site-plan review and might come back before the commission depending on project size.