After years of
struggling, Jacksonville's original suburb finally is making a
comeback.
Residents of Springfield can thank themselves for the turnaround.
Springfield, north of the central business district downtown, was
settled in 1820 and named for "a spring of good water" in a field
around West Fourth Street. It was platted by the Springfield Co.,
which bought it in 1882, and was a thriving suburb a century ago. It
even had mass transit: a trolley line that ran along Main Street.
Stately two-story white houses with wide porches, sidewalks, and
alleys in the back for autos and service delivery; Springfield had
it all.
Just 50 years ago, it remained a quiet middle-class neighborhood,
even as suburbs farther from the central city were sprouting out of
the ground.
The decline was relatively swift, and reflected in deteriorating
homes owned by slumlords, crime and other forms of blight.
A neighborhood group, Springfield Preservation and
Rehabilitation, led the efforts to bring it back. Residents formed a
strong sense of community and began to take charge, pressuring the
police and politicians to clean up the public places. Crime has been
reduced dramatically.
When the public sector does its job, the private sector will
follow.
Many of the older homes have been renovated. But the sure sign
that the corner is turned, in our view, is that investors now are
betting their own money on Springfield.
Risk capital is being invested heavily in Springfield. By one
account, more than $20 million has been invested in the
neighborhood.
Pouring public funds into neighborhood restoration can be like
tossing it into a black hole. But someone using his money has a
stake in making certain the venture is a success.
One such organization is Springfield Restoration Group. It has
been buying up vacant lots and building new homes that resemble and
blend perfectly with the existing homes in the neighborhood. They
are modern, and not cheap. Buyers are middle to upper-income and
many are empty-nesters.
What is emerging is a new, mixed-use, diverse neighborhood based
on an old model. It has clean, tree-lined streets, sidewalks,
alleys, churches, schools and public parks.
For years, planners and politicians had used zoning and other
regulations to discourage such neighborhoods.
Many people still prefer gated communities near an interstate,
well removed from the city and separate from commercial development.
But there is and probably always will be a sizeable segment who
prefer an older style of living. Different strokes for different
folks.
Welcome back, Springfield.
