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Local Government Review

CITY OF ASHLAND: Lakeside Ashland And Ranken Technical College Ashland Campus

Opened in September 2022, Lakeside Ashland is an outdoor event venue featuring a 70-foot drive-style movie screen that doubles as an outdoor amphitheater for other entertainment options. The facility also includes a full-service concession stand/restaurant and a grass seating area for moviegoers to enjoy the outdoor venue. Future phases include the development of the lake into a swimming area with adjacent pickle ball courts, full service restaurants, and a hotel/indoor event space. Learn more at https://www.lakesideashland.com/. Breaking ground in 2022 with a planned opening in fall of 2023, Ranken Technical College, in partnership with Southern Boone County R-1 School District, the city of Ashland, and the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is constructing the Central Missouri Workforce Development Center. This will be a construction trade, medical services, information technology and industrial engineering technology training center. The EDA has awarded a $4.5 million grant to make the project possible. It is anticipated that the campus will create 163 jobs and inject $9 million in private investment into the community.

CITY OF BELTON: Southview Commerce Center

Belton’s all new Southview Commerce Center, developed by NorthPoint Development, is a state-of-the-art flex-industrial park with more than 2.3 million square feet of real estate with three fully leased buildings: Progress Rail, a supplier of railroad and transit system products and services, became operational in 2020; Chewy, Inc. the largest online pet retailer, began fulfilling orders in 2021; and BoxyCharm, a BFA company, began shipping beauty subscription boxes in 2022. Southview Commerce Center’s fourth building welcomes Hillman Group Inc., a leading North American hardware company, that recently announced tenancy, bringing 120 new jobs. The building still offers 200,000 square feet of flex-industrial space available for a future co-tenant. The fourth building also houses the Training & Technical Center of Cass County, a collaboration between the city of Belton, West Central Missouri Community Action Agency, Belton School District #124, Metropolitan Community College and Northpoint Development. All entities are working together for the purpose of workforce development to serve the employers, citizens and students of Belton and Cass County. With more than 1,600 new jobs, NorthPoint Development saw an opportunity to construct an additional housing option, The Encore, a 322-luxury unit apartment complex located one mile from the Southview Commerce Center.

39 North, a 600-acre innovation district for plant and life sciences in Creve Coeur, has several projects underway to physically transform the district. These projects were envisioned in the district’s master plan, developed by regional stakeholders including the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership, Danforth Plant Science Center, Bayer, St. Louis County, the city of Olivette, and the city of Creve Coeur. A major interchange reconfiguration project was completed during summer 2022. This $5 million project turned the existing cloverleaf Old Olive and Lindbergh Intersection Reconstruction Project. interchange into a folded diamond interchange with enhancements improving connectivity for cars, bikes and pedestrians. A $2.4 million intersection reconstruction project will begin this year, implementing the first phase of the Old Olive Street Road redesign project converting the road into a destination corridor. As 39 North undergoes these transformative projects, the bioscience startups within the district continue to grow. Benson Hill, an agriculture technology firm, completed its new 50,000-square-foot research facility in 2021, located less than a mile from its 160,000-square-foot headquarters built in 2020. CoverCress, Inc., another ag-tech startup in the district, recently launched a new cash crop and was acquired by Bayer in 2022. Total capital investment in the 39 North district has exceeded $64 million since 2017.

CITY OF CRYSTAL CITY: James Hardie Manufacturing Facility

James Hardie, a world leader in fiber cement home siding and exterior design solutions, plans to build its newest manufacturing facility in Crystal City, Missouri. Crystal City is a rural community of 4,800 located 30 miles south of St. Louis. The new 1.25 million-square-foot facility will create nearly 240 new jobs that pay an average of $34 per hour. James Hardie has manufactured building materials for more than 100 years. The new facility will be built to keep up with the ever-increasing demand for Hardie® fiber cement siding, soffit and trim products. James Hardie employs approximately 5,200 people across the world. This is their first location in Missouri. Ideas transform communities “The city of Crystal City was founded in Building strong communities is at the heart of our endeavors. 1871 as a manufacturing town for the We’re proud to support the Missouri Municipal League. purpose of making glass,” said Jason Eisenbeis, city administrator for Crystal hdrinc.com City. “Over 150 years later, we’re proud to continue our history and tradition of being a manufacturing town by partnering with James Hardie for their newest plant in North America. James Hardie’s investment in Crystal City will bring generational job opportunities for decades to come.”

Fifteen months, $15 million, and three roundabouts later, Grandview’s largest infrastructure project in the City's history is now open and operating, increasing access for drivers and pedestrians alike. The I-49 Outer Roads Conversion from one-way traffic to two-way traffic became reality after a 2012 study outlined the need for two-way traffic along the outer roads and its benefit to the City’s economic development. After securing nearly $12 million in grant funding, the project broke ground in August 2021 and held its ribbon cutting in November of 2022. “This project has been a decade in the making, so it’s awesome to finally see drivers going in both directions,” explained Grandview Mayor Leonard Jones. “It’s also awesome to see all the new construction that’s come along with increased access.” A brand-new Popeye’s opened in November along the East Outer Road and Main, while a flagship FavTrip convenience store is also underway nearby. Grandview is divided by I-49 that handles about 90,000 cars a day. The one-way traffic along the outer roads made driving to the other side of the interstate a challenge. “This community is growing,” added MoDOT Engineer Ericka Ross, “and this project was essential to help with that growth by creating safer and more efficient connections to the community.” Besides making it easier for drivers to access the many businesses along I-49, the project added miles of sidewalk for pedestrian safety. The project also made MoDOT history as the first design-build project from a city, where it was designed and constructed at the same time.

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The city of Osage Beach is the heart of the Lake of the Ozarks, centrally located in Missouri, and is recognized as both a retail and tourist destination. Investments in Osage Beach by developers and new businesses continue to see growth, enduring an upward trend since 2012. The City’s first retail center supported by Tax Increment Financing in mid-2000, the Prewitt’s Point shopping center, was concluded in 2021, ahead of its 23-year TIF life due to its success, that continues to bring growth of jobs and services to Osage Beach. Promotion of private investment through incentives have strategically continued with other projects over the years. The City currently has nearly 275 acres of various retail and other projects, including residential housing, assisted living and skilled nursing facilities, incentivized with economic development tools. Two exciting new projects have recently been announced for Osage Beach, the Preserve at Sycamore and the Oasis at Lakeport. The Preserve at Sycamore, a $60 million 268-unit apartment community that will provide much-needed housing expansion in Osage Beach, has been approved by the board of aldermen to receive RSMo Chapter 353 and Chapter 100 incentives. The Oasis at Lakeport, a project recently announced by the developer, is a $300-million family resort and entertainment district to be developed on the beautiful Lake of the Ozarks as a premier Midwest tourist destination offering amusement rides and attractions, hotels, restaurants and an amphitheater, marina and boardwalk. The City is working with the developer on applicable incentive packages.

CITY OF POPLAR BLUFF: True Manufacturing Facility

Missouri-based commercial refrigeration manufacturer True Manufacturing will build a new 400,000+-square-foot facility in Poplar Bluff, investing $21 million and creating 175 new jobs in the area. The City received an Industrial Infrastructure grant from CDBG for $1.5 million to provide public infrastructure to the site including a road, water and sewer mains and stormwater control. With more than 3.7 million square feet across its Missouri manufacturing facilities, True Manufacturing is committed to products that are designed, engineered and manufactured in the United States. The company’s new facility will enable expanded production of its current line of products and occupy all 54 acres of Poplar Bluff’s newest industrial park. “I’m excited and grateful to True Manufacturing for selecting Poplar Bluff as the home of their new manufacturing facility,” said Steve Halter, president of the Poplar Bluff Chamber of Commerce. “They are excellent to work with, produce quality products, and are committed to their employees. Poplar Bluff has a hardworking workforce who knows the value manufacturing brings to a community, and I look forward to working with Steve Trulaske and his team for many years to come.”

Missouri University of Science and Technology’s newest initiative to bolster the state’s economy is the Missouri Protoplex, a 116,000-squarefoot facility designed to help small- and medium-sized manufacturers stay competitive in the global marketplace. Funded through a combination of private, state and federal support, the Protoplex will leverage Missouri S&T’s research expertise in advanced manufacturing and other fields to provide the research and development, educational, and workforce training support needed for the state’s manufacturing sector to flourish. This R&D expertise is important for companies unable to conduct their own research, prototyping or product development. The facility is scheduled to open in September 2025. It will feature high bay space, lab space, conferencing and office space, and other amenities for Missouri businesses. The Protoplex also will serve as the anchor of a new Manufacturing Technology and Innovation Campus adjacent to the Missouri S&T campus in Rolla. The Missouri Protoplex is supported through $46.25 million in state and federal support and $50 million in private funding from the Kummer Institute Foundation, a not-for-profit created to support Missouri S&T initiatives. For more information about the Missouri Protoplex and the Manufacturing Missouri Ecosystem, please visit mme.mst.edu. Your trusted engineering partner

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