Project Overview

Many visitors to downtown Springfield may not realize the Jordan Creek is flowing beneath their feet. Beginning in the 1930s, the creek was channeled through a series of underground culverts, where the then-polluted waterway could be hidden from sight. The Renew Jordan Creek effort intends to “daylight” a portion of the creek and bring it to the surface, helping to reduce flooding and improve water quality. The project is also viewed as an opportunity to provide an urban amenity and catalyst for further redevelopment along its path through downtown.

Phase 1 of the daylighting effort will construct a new open, naturalized channel along approximately 1,000 linear feet of Jordan Creek and will restore adjacent land as green space with native riparian plantings. The Phase 1 project site is comprised of two large blocks in the urbanized center of Springfield’s Jordan Valley, bordered on the east by Boonville Avenue, Water Street on the south, Main Street on the west, and Mill Street on the north. Much of the project area is within Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) floodplain.

Although it is intended to contribute significantly to reductions in flooding, the project will also function as a green space amenity and catalyst for economic revitalization of this area of downtown, which was once a thriving commercial & industrial area but has since become derelict and under-utilized. Project components include pedestrian access and greenway connectivity through downtown, and hardscape elements for pedestrian gathering, walking, and viewing. The project design promotes a strong sense of place, grounded in the specific characteristics of the site and celebrates natures integration to urban life. Restoration of Jordan Creek to a naturalized channel will significantly improve aquatic habitat compared to the existing underground concrete box culvert and the design intention is that the restoration of riparian areas will provide both aquatic habitat benefits and contributions to improved water quality for this urbanized watershed.

What's the Phase 1 Project Area?

The Phase 1 Project area consists of two large blocks in the urbanized center of Jordan Valley Park, bordered on the east by Boonville Avenue, Water Street and the railway on the south, Main Avenue on the west, and Mill Street on the north. Additionally, the Renew Jordan Creek Master Plan studied an area that includes Founders Park and the property at 404 North Jefferson Avenue.