Debby Woodin, The Joplin Globe, Mo.
·4 min read
Jun. 15—A $1.7 million contract for beautification and new traffic signals, turn lanes, sidewalks and a stormwater drainage system at the intersection of Fourth Street and Murphy Boulevard will be considered by the Joplin City Council at a meeting Monday.
The contract will be proposed with Sprouls Construction Inc. on first reading.
The plan includes repairs of the rock wall at the northeast corner of the intersection leading into Landreth Park along with new landscaping and tree replacement. The tree currently behind the wall needs to be replaced because its root system is damaging the wall structure, city officials said earlier.
It is one of the beautification efforts being done as the result of one of several goals set by council for city beautification and improvements.
The wall was built in the 1930s by workers in a federal program created to provide jobs during the Great Depression.
Prospect Village
The council on Monday also will take up final reading on a bill that will require Woodsonia Real Estate, developer of Prospect Village, to pay the costs incurred by the city to set up a tax increment finance district. The city asks for a $25,000 deposit on those costs.
Prospect Village is a $375 million sports, retail and residential development proposed for vacant land east of Range Line Road on the former site of International Paper Co. City officials said that the project would be the largest in the city since Northpark Mall opened in 1972.
Woodsonia is working to finish its 32nd Street Place project in the area of 32nd Street and Hammons Boulevard. That is where a Menards home improvement store recently opened and a new B&B Theatres family entertainment center is building, Woodsonia representatives said recently.
The plan for Prospect Village shows one of the main components would be a 20-acre sports and events center structured to draw 80,000 to 100,000 out-of-state visitors a year.
That center, according to the proposed plans, would have tournament-sized basketball and volleyball courts, outdoor turf fields for baseball, soccer, softball, lacrosse and other sports with spectator seating, locker rooms and concession stands.
Another part of the proposal is a provision for up to 350 multifamily housing units that would be built to accommodate different family sizes and price points, the documents state.
Other pieces include an anchor retailer, multiple hotels and retail and restaurants.
Financing would involve developer investment as well as special taxing districts.
Woodsonia developers would pay more than $206 million with private investment and debt.
Another $82.3 million would come from a proposed tax increment finance district.
A TIF district repays a developer's infrastructure costs and other expenses allowed by state law if the property meets state requirements. In a TIF district, taxing entities such as the city, county and school district continue to receive the same amount of taxes as they did before the TIF was formed, but forgo for a time any increases in the taxes generated because of the improvements. The additional taxes go to the developer to repay allowable expenses. Eligible infrastructure can include streets, which would have been the city's obligation to provide if not for the TIF law.
The TIF can be in force up to 23 years or until payoff. After that, the additional taxes go to the city, county and school district.
A community improvement district also is proposed for Prospect Village. The CID would charge 1 cent in extra sales tax that would go to the construction costs. One tax would be imposed on purchases within the Prospect Village retail and restaurant property boundary, which is expected to generate about $38 million. Another 1-cent sales tax district is proposed for the sports center property and is projected to provide about $39 million.
The firm's existing 32nd Street Place project involves both TIF and CID funding.
Other business
The council also will be asked to act on:
—A change order with Blevins Asphalt Co. for mill and overlay of some specific streets in the amount of $315,717.50. According to city documents, annual overlay pavement work is being delayed because the water company, Missouri American, has some projects that involve opening streets and the repaving will be done later so that the construction work does not damage new street pavement.
—Striking a public hearing on a request to vacate an alley in the area of 1036 S. Range Line Road at the request of a developer because of concerns of neighbors about access for trash collection and other alley uses.
The consent agenda contains a number of bills that were advanced last meeting on first reading.
A closed session vote will be held citing the need to discuss a real estate transaction that could be affected by public exposure, the agenda states.
The council meets at 6 p.m. Monday at City Hall, 602 S. Main St.
