The Sunshine Towne Center and its potential new Target store are one step closer to becoming realities. The Springfield City Council gave the proposals unanimous approval of annexation, rezoning and a preliminary plat of property at Sunshine Street and West Bypass.
At its June 26 meeting, Springfield City Council approved the preliminary plat of a $60 million development in west Springfield dubbed the Sunshine Towne Center, with no objection from any council members. Councilmember Derek Lee was absent.
City officials and developer Thomas Walker confirmed at the June 5 City Council meeting that the development was slated to include Springfield’s second Target store, although Walker said that the company will make the official announcement.
This will be Walker’s second big box retail development near the intersection of Sunshine and West Bypass. Walker was the developer of the Walmart Supercenter at 3520 W. Sunshine St. The proposal cleared the City Council without opposition from any council members, despite some initial concerns raised by nearby residents at a neighborhood meeting in February.
However, no citizens spoke in opposition during the public hearings of the bills related to the development at the June 5 City Council meeting.
Council approves flurry of bills related to development
While the approval of the preliminary plat became effective with the annexation of 9.2 acres of land generally located at 3444 W. Sunshine St. and 3503 W. Washita St., and a sliver of Greene County right-of-way on Moore Road into the city, multiple council bills were required to bring the development to its current stage.
With the additional acreage, 22.4 acres were rezoned from a patchwork of Springfield and Greene County zoning to highway commercial district, the city’s most intense commercial zoning classification. Less than a quarter of an acre on the southwest corner of the property was rezoned to single family residential with the intent to avoid encroachment into the existing single family neighborhood.
Following approval of the preliminary plat, council members also unanimously approved the infrastructure reimbursement agreement with Sunshine West Partners, LLC. The agreement allows the city to reimburse the developer for the cost to design, fund and build public improvements through a one-half of the city’s 1-cent (1 percent) general revenue, 1/4-cent (0.25 percent) capital improvements, and 1/8-cent (0.125 percent) transportation sales taxes that are generated solely by the proposed retail development.
Reimbursement is capped at $4,020,560, with the required public improvements estimated to cost $6.02 million. The agreement has a 15-year term, unless the developer is reimbursed sooner.
Infrastructure reimbursement agreements have previously been used by the city on developments such as the Lowe’s at 1707 W. Norton Road, Costco and Buc-ee’s, which is currently under construction in northeast Springfield.
In addition, the agreement commits the city to a future establishment of a community improvement district to pay for the internal streets of the development, which are estimated to cost $2 million. A separate bill regarding the CID will be presented to the City Council, following the acquisition of all of the property.
The city’s Department of Planning and Development now awaits a final plat of the project, which, if it substantially conforms to the preliminary plat approved by the City Council, will be signed by the city clerk.
Construction on Sunshine Towne Center could begin this year
In addition to the nearly 150,000 square foot big box store likely to house a Target, the remainder of the Sunshine Towne Center will contain 50,000 square feet in retail space, as well as a 7,500-square foot restaurant.
If the anchor tenant is in fact a Target, it is slated to contain a fulfillment center and will be a “new prototype” for Target stores, one that includes an additional 30,000 square feet than the chain’s typical buildings, that includes an area for customers to pick up orders placed online without having to go into the store.
The Target building makes up about half of the estimated $60 million total construction cost. The construction itself is estimated to create about 140 new jobs, and the Target will boast an average of 180 employees.
The estimated annual sales volume of the development is $60-70 million, with the Target estimated to make up $45-55 million of that.
Walker previously indicated he would like construction on the development to begin this summer, with April 2025 as the planned opening date of the Target store.
