By Jared Jackson

Within the Galloway neighborhood there are many different communities that are broken up by different subdivisions. One such subdivision is Chimney Hills, and is located by Battlefield Road just east of the Battlefield Mall. This subdivision has been in the mix with a lot of controversy in the last several months due to plans to make a new subdivision in the same area. That new neighborhood is Chimney Rock, and Chimney Hills residents are quite concerned.

“I am worried about the new development and what it may do to the value of the houses in our neighborhood,” said Chimney Hills resident Jackson Talburt. The new Chimney Rock neighborhood is on an eight-acre plot of land where they plan to put 40 single-family homes. This comes in stark contrast to the Chimney Hills community’s fairly spaced out and much larger homes. As Talburt stated, the size and cramped state of the Chimney Rock community is feared to have a negative impact on the housing market in the Galloway area.

On February 10, the Springfield City Council approved a plan to establish a new neighborhood in the Galloway area.

The council voted 8-1 in favor of the development ordinance, with Councilman Craig Hosmer as the sole dissenting vote.

Hosmer, along with Galloway community members, raised concerns about the Chimney Rock development during the meeting. “If the neighbors are right, we may face lawsuits; if the developer is correct, there will be legal issues,” he stated. He tried to postpone the vote, but his attempt was unsuccessful. Hosmer was adamant that the council take its time in making a decision for fear of being sued. As a lawyer himself, he knows the troubles of being taken to court.

Although the negatives seem to far outweigh the positives, Councilman Jenson chimed in to bring a different perspective to the situation. Jenson brought up the idea of Mimosa Street potentially being a benefactor of the rezoning and planning, specifically with the sidewalks there. “We want to make sure the residents have all their amenities,” Jenson said. In addition, the new neighborhood would be better suited for Springfield’s low income families, which had been a previous point of discussion in the council meeting.

The Chimney Rock community is shrouded in controversy, and there likely is no right answer. This situation comes down to perspective. If you come from the perspective of one from Chimney Hills, you probably are not very happy with the new development. If not, you probably see the good in the new development. Either way, it all comes down to how this new development benefits the city as a whole, not one group over another.