Republic City Council approves commercial subdivision plan

Convoy of Hope submits two annexation requests, two properties on F.R. 144, more than 80 ac.
 
In what was likely the last Republic City Council meeting in the BUILDS building, council members approved a subdivision plat and two purchases, as well as introducing two annexation requests and a major revision to the city’s purchasing policy.
The preliminary plat came from the Town East Crossing, the commercial subdivision, and Shamrock Richards LLC, for land at 1193 N. Oakwood Ave., totaling approximately nine acres. The land is an irregularly shaped lot south of the Oakwood and Hwy. 60 intersection. It has two commercial lots facing Hwy. 60, and its entire eastern edge sits against Oakwood.
Chris Tabor, principal planner for the city, said the owners want to develop the land, now mostly in trees, into commercial use, for which it had been previously zoned. Three houses sit on the property now, two on the northeast and one on the south. Tabor said all three will be demolished for the subdivision. The preliminary plat proposed a new local street connection from the termination of Republic Commons Drive to Oakwood that would be shown in detail in a final plat, not yet submitted for review.
The subdivision is broken into two commercial lots, the largest more than five acres. The southwest corner of the subdivision would serve as a stormwater detention basin. Tabor noted one of the properties, now owned by Shamrock, had been annexed into the city in the past two years. During the infrastructure review, he said, officials would review the stormwater flow. A traffic study was not required for submission of a preliminary plat, he added.
The plat was approved unanimously.
Purchases authorized
At the request of the parks and recreation department, a bid for portable restroom services was awarded to BWI Sanitation. Mayor Eric Franklin observed the city had no response when initially issuing the bid, but a second effort secured the single bid. Karsen Vaughan, parks and recreation superintendent, said BWI would be used mostly for special events, athletic fields, and park activities. The bid, covering services for 2026 and 2027, ran from $55 to $100 per unit, depending on their specific use, and a self-standing waterless hand sanitizer for $25. The measure passed 6-0, with council member Darran Campbell abstaining.
The council also approved an agreement with D&B Construction Group for installing advanced metering infrastructure in the city. The purchase included approximately 8,000 Itron cellular AMI endpoints for digital reading, approximately 4,000 new Diehl water meters, retrofitting approximately 4,000 existing meters with Itron connectors, and restoration of meter locations. The city will furnish the meters, endpoints and related AMI equipment.
Josh Jones, chief technology officer for the city, called the agreement “the next major step to advance meters” in the city. Equipment from 2016 and newer would be kept if in good condition and compatible with cellular endpoints. The city received nine bids to review. The contract called for the cost not to exceed $600,000 without separate additional approval by the council.
Annexation requests
Public hearings were held on two requests submitted by Convoy of Hope.
The first involved a nearly 71-acre property at 7275 W. Farm Road 144 and its adjacent right-of-way. This land, shaped like a lower-case n with a horizontal extended right arm, abuts James River Expressway on the west, Interstate 44 on the north, and Farm Road 144 to the south. The land is zoned in Greene County for agricultural use and would remain with that classification.
The second proposal, also from Convoy of Hope, involved nearly 10 additional acres located at  7395 West Farm Road 144. Zoning on this property would also remain agricultural, both becoming part of Ward 2.
Principal planner Chris Tabor said the two parcels had been sold separately to Convoy of Hope and thus had to be annexed into the city limits as separate transactions.

Department reports
City administrator Colten Harris welcomed Justin Rogers, the city’s new attorney with the Lauber Municipal Law firm, who begins his duties with the city on Jan. 26.
He also mentioned the Springfield Business Journal identified Republic as the fastest growing city in Greene County, having increased its population by 14 percent since the last census. “We want to foster that growth and see to it that we’re doing it responsibly,” Harris added.
Mayor Eric Franklin planned to host the Greene County Mayoral Association on Jan. 29 and give the visitors, including the Greene County commissioners, a tour of Republic’s new city hall. Harris mentioned he hoped the city could conduct its first official business in the new facility for the work session on Jan. 27.
The next full city council session was scheduled for Feb. 3. Both the Planning and Zoning and the Board of Adjustments meetings for February have been cancelled.