What's New Downtown This Fall: A New C-Street Building, Fresh Storefronts and Jordan Creek's Return to Daylight

For about a hundred years, the most interesting thing in downtown Springfield's Jordan Valley was something you couldn't see. Jordan Creek ran under the streets through a set of very old culverts. Most people driving over it never knew it was there, except when it flooded. This fall, the city is close to bringing it back above ground. A few blocks north, the slow west end of Commercial Street just got its first ground-up building in about half a century.

The two projects have something in common. The newest pieces of downtown are going into places Springfield used to work around, and much of it is scheduled to finish within a few months of each other. Here's where each one stands as of late October 2026, and what's still on the calendar.

The creek that was buried on purpose

You may have spent a year detouring around construction between Boonville and Main avenues. That work is the first phase of Renew Jordan Creek. Kristen Milam, senior communications coordinator for the City of Springfield, told KSMU in August how the creek ended up underground. Springfield grew up on its banks. By the 1920s and '30s the water was badly polluted, and the fix at the time was to bury it.

Burying it didn't stop the flooding. In the same interview, Milam said the creek "routinely floods about once, if not twice, every decade." She said that flooding is why there are "certain areas that people haven't wanted to invest in." That history is why the project matters to people who walk downtown every day. It's mainly a flood-control project. The open water and green space come along with it.

Phase 1 opens up roughly 1,000 linear feet of the creek as a natural channel. The land along it is being turned back into green space with native plants that grow along streams, according to the city's Renew Jordan Creek page. On Sept. 29, KY3 reported the work was 90 to 94% complete as of the evening before, citing Quality of Place manager Tim Rosenbury. The city expects to finish by the end of this year. Rosenbury described it as a project that addresses "water quantity," "water quality" and "gathering space."

Some traffic changes have already eased:

• Boonville Avenue between Water and Mill reopened July 1, though some nearby sidewalks stayed closed at the time, according to a city news release.
• E. Phelps Street at N. Robberson Avenue was scheduled to be closed from April through October 2026, per a May construction update. That closure cuts east-west car and foot traffic between Boonville and Jefferson, so check before you count on getting through.

Phase 2 is already funded to start on the hardest part

The next stretch starts with cleanup. In July the city announced a $3,583,382 EPA grant to clean up contaminated properties at 404 and 428 N. Jefferson Ave., a 3.83-acre site. The work is an early step toward Phase 2, which plans more public green space and the reopening of another buried section of the creek (city release). According to KY3, project leaders say the soil there is contaminated and the vacant industrial buildings contain asbestos and lead-based paint. Those are the same kind of overlooked lots the creek project was meant to fix.

West C-Street's first new building in about 50 years

The second change is on Commercial Street, just north of the downtown core. At 411 W. Commercial St., The Vecino Group's Sankofa building has 42 apartments over five ground-floor commercial suites. The Springfield Daily Citizen reports it's the first ground-up construction on the street in almost 50 years. The $13.5 million project broke ground in February 2025.

It went up on the west end, which has always been quieter than the brick blocks near the C-Street City Market. That's where the interesting part is. Here's who's open and who's on the way:

1. Sugar & Glow, Suite B. Owner Michelle Stracke has run businesses on C-Street for more than five years. She signed a five-year lease in late August. Esthetician services and spray tanning are upstairs, and a small boutique of women's self-care products is on the main floor. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. "My goal is just to be geared towards self-love," Stracke told the Daily Citizen.
2. SBC Community Bike Shop. The Springfield Business Journal reported Oct. 8 that the shop opened on C-Street. The Sankofa storefront handles bike sales and talking with customers. Repairs, storage and the larger programs stay at its original location at The Fairbanks. Those programs include bike safety and repair lessons, free bikes for kids, and donated bikes fixed up for affordable resale, per the Daily Citizen.
3. Multicultural Business Association space. It's reported to be opening soon, and Vecino says more tenants are coming.

Stracke told the Daily Citizen that foot traffic is "a little light" for now, and she's looking forward to having neighbors in the retail wing. Some customers didn't believe the building was new. One argued with her about it. Patrick McWhirt, chief creative officer at The Vecino Group, said a ribbon-cutting is planned for early November 2026. The exact date hasn't been announced yet.

Closer to the core, newer storefronts

The same trend shows up south of the Square, where newer businesses have opened on side streets.

Gabriela Cocina Mexicana Contemporánea soft-opened July 28 at 406 S. South Ave. The News-Leader reported it would be open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday, ahead of a grand opening. It's run by siblings Ana and Jose Diaz, and the menu covers modern takes on Mexican classics, house specialties and desserts, according to Around the Ozarks.

Heatherly's Boutique & Haberdashery is a downtown clothing and accessories shop started by musicians, per the Springfield Business Journal. Co-owner Eric Heatherly told Ozarks First the shop carries mementos, clothes and vintage goods.

Modern Sips Acai Bar at 323 E. Walnut St. is a familiar spot under new owners. Debbie and Chris Wells took over the shop on June 1, according to the Springfield Business Journal.

One landmark that will take longer

Historic City Hall started out as the federal Customhouse and Post Office, built from 1891 to 1894. The city plans to reopen it as municipal offices and meeting space, with City Council chambers, accessibility upgrades, and new elevator, stair and building systems (renovation presentation).

On Oct. 16, the Springfield Business Journal reported that hidden problems have pushed the expected finish to fall 2027. Earlier, in January, the Daily Citizen described what crews had found inside the walls: leaking cast-iron roof-drain pipes, more asbestos and lead to remove, damaged exterior stone, and structural differences that forced design changes. It's the same lesson as Jordan Creek and the Jefferson Avenue lots. Old downtown infrastructure tends to hide problems until someone opens it up.

Where things stand, as of late October 2026

Still on the downtown calendar

Here's what's coming up after this post goes live:

• C-Street Trick or Treat: Saturday, Oct. 31, 3 to 5 p.m., along Historic Commercial Street. It's an easy way to see the new west-end storefronts.
• J.Ho.Ho.B. holiday pop-up at J.O.B. Public House: Nov. 4 through Jan. 2 at 319 E. Walnut St. It's free and family-friendly until 8 p.m.
• C-Street City Market Winter Market: Saturday, Nov. 7, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at 321 E. Commercial St. Admission is free.
• Sankofa ribbon-cutting: planned for early November, date to be announced.

If all goes to plan, by New Year's downtown will have an open stretch of Jordan Creek between Boonville and Main and a busier west end of C-Street.

Big public projects like these change how a downtown works long before anyone puts them in a listing description. At The Rob Ellerman Team, we follow Springfield's center city one project at a time. If you'd like to talk through what the Jordan Creek and C-Street changes could mean for a home you own or are thinking about buying nearby, we're happy to start that conversation whenever you're ready. Find Your Market.