by Liz Daube
Staff Writer
SRG Homes & Neighborhoods, a builder known for historically-inspired homes integral to Springfield’s resurgence, is expanding to the Riverside neighborhood.
The three Craftsman-style houses under construction in Riverside will look similar to the company’s designs in Springfield, where SRG has sold more than 50 homes. CEO Mack Bissette has called SRG’s construction “a catalyst” for residential revitalization.
When SRG started building homes in Springfield in 2003, the historic neighborhood was just beginning to emerge from a period of blight. Bissette said other people started buying and fixing up houses in the area after SRG moved in.
“We see renovators circle our properties all the time,” he said. “They find out where we’re building. Then they buy houses near us and they start renovating, too.”
Two of the SRG houses are near College and King streets, while another is located near Dellwood Avenue and Stockton Street.
Homes in that area of Riverside vary greatly. Near the St. Johns River, there are grand, restored historic homes, a crowded Publix retail center and condominiums cropping up. To the north near I-10, there are small, run-down houses, overgrown lawns and stray dogs in an area verging on blight.
“It has been the last portion of the neighborhood to turn around,” said Bonnie Grissett, executive director of Riverside Avondale Preservation (RAP). “Post and College (streets) have improved measurably, but there is still a long way to go.”
Grissett said areas near Post and College streets experienced decline and a lost sense of community when those streets were turned into one-way roads more than 50 years ago.
Bissette said City plans to make those streets two-way before 2007 encouraged SRG to begin construction on the homes.
“That’s one of the reasons we chose to go over there,” said Bissette. “It will make it a more residential area. It will cut the traffic speeds down.”
Grissett said RAP is fond of SRG’s homes because they are compatible with the area’s historic architecture.
Bissette said property values in the Riverside area have been rising for a while, so the neighborhood doesn’t necessarily need SRG to spark revitalization. He said SRG chose to build farther from the St. Johns River because the company wanted a lower price range.
“I think as you get closer to the river, it’s not affordable,” he said. “You can come back and get it cheaper. That happens as areas mature. The middle’s got to fill in in terms of value.”
Beth King, a longtime Riverside resident and realtor with Atkinson Realty, said historic districts with walkable neighborhoods have become popular throughout the nation in recent years, contributing to Riverside’s rising property values and renovation.
“These enclaves of little stores and restaurants give a feeling of being able to walk around,” she said. King added that many nearby retail spots nestled in the residential areas of Riverside have been renovated recently.
The Marybuilt building on the corner of Stockton and College streets, for example, has been renovated with upstairs apartments and a restaurant, salon and vacant retail space below. King said the whole building was previously “abandoned for years.”
SRG bought their Riverside property several years ago and now it’s difficult to find any land available in the neighborhood, according to Bissette. The area’s historic status also places limits on altering or tearing down older homes.
“I don’t think there are any lots left,” he said. “If there are, they’re $250,000. Very expensive.”
Bissette said the three Riverside homes will be priced between $300,000 and $600,000, and each house will have two stories, porches and between 1,500 and 2,700 square feet. Construction should be complete by the end of the year.