Kinnon Williams with the Counselors of Real Estate® Consulting Corps partnered with the City of Springfield, OR, and the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) in a strategic real estate planning and development project, featured in the CRE Consulting Corps 2024 Mid-Year Report.
The City of Springfield is nestled in the southern Willamette Valley, south of Eugene, home of the University of Oregon. The Eugene-Springfield metropolitan area is the second largest in Oregon after Portland. Springfield has had significant success redeveloping its town with increased investment, new housing, restaurants, shops and activities. However, the 17-acre Mohawk Shopping Center stood out as an underutilized area in the center of the city.
To create a stronger community, the City and the Springfield Realtors requested the CRE Consulting Corps' assistance to evaluate what the public sector could do to assist in the redevelopment of the Mohawk Shopping Center.
In February 2024, the Consulting Corps team visited Springfield to interview more than 20 stakeholders and examine demographic and economic data to learn what could be done to improve the Mowhawk District. The team learned that successful redevelopment of the district will require successfully branding the Mohawk District, improving transportation and connectivity of the area and encouraging community retail and small businesses to develop in the area. The team also paid special attention to the utilization of community funding, including the creation of Tax Increment Financing and pursuing state and federal assistance for redevelopment.
The team was led by Eric Swanson, CRE and Boca Raton, Florida. Panelists were Barry Blanton, CRE, Seattle, Washington; Jenny Massey, CRE, Indianapolis, Indiana; Kier Riemersma, CRE, Denver, Colorado; and Kinnon Williams, CRE, Seattle, Washington.
While the project is still underway, the team is eager to continue to take strategic action to drive economic development and enhance competitiveness in the City of Springfield.
Read more about the redevelopment of the Mohawk District and access the CRE Consulting Corps 2024 Mid-Year Report here.
