FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Eden Village and the City of Springfield have resolved the claims filed by Eden Village against the City last year relating to development of property on West Division.
Eden Village is a program of “The Gathering Tree,” a nonprofit organization that has served the unsheltered community in the Springfield area the past nine years. Eden Village I is located on a 4.25-acre tract on East Division Street and consists of 30 small homes for chronically disabled persons. The organization’s goal is to expand operations throughout the city in the ongoing effort to address homelessness.
The City of Springfield is currently developing standards that would address the placement of “tiny homes” through the City Council’s Plans & Policies Committee. The City anticipates this work will allow for agencies like Eden Village to develop future locations consistent with the City’s zoning ordinances. **
According to Dr. David Brown, CEO of The Gathering Tree and founder of Eden Village, “We continue in our pursuit of eliminating homelessness and caring for all this area’s unsheltered. This resolution allows us to do that. We are grateful for the commitment of all our employees and representatives throughout the case, and appreciate the City’s efforts in working toward a mutually beneficial and fair resolution.”
“Eden Village and the City have worked in partnership in recent years to address homelessness within the City,” City Manager Jason Gage explains. “This has included a $300,501 Community Development Block Grant that contributed to the completion of Eden Village I. We look forward to resuming that partnership and continuing to address this important issue.”
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** UPDATE: Springfield City Council held a public hearing April 20, 2020 on amendments to the Zoning Ordinance to permit the establishment of “Tiny Home” communities. The City anticipates this work will allow for agencies like Eden Village to develop future locations consistent with the City’s zoning ordinances.
For more information, contact Nate Schlueter of Eden Village, at 417-894-3390 or [email protected] or Cora Scott, City of Springfield Director of Public Information & Civic Engagement, at 417-380-3352 or [email protected].