Battlefield is Booming: The town is shedding its bedroom community image

While Hess is Battlefield’s first city administrator, his position is one of many signs of change for Springfield’s nearest neighbor to the southwest.

Also in the pipeline are new commercial offerings, including developer Kelly Burk’s Battlefield Crossing, a commercial development on state Highway FF north of Weaver Road, a new McDonald’s and corporate headquarters for Russell Cellular. The U.S. Postal Service also is among the parties taking notice of Battlefield’s growth. USPS has confirmed its interest in opening a post office in the city.

Pro-growth

Battlefield’s population has grown from 2,385 in the 2000 census to roughly 5,300 today, and the city is embracing the growth.

A new city hall and police headquarters was erected in early 2005, and the Battlefield Chamber of Commerce opened its doors in September 2005.

“We’re actively going out and soliciting businesses,” said Hess, who became Battlefield’s city administrator in January. “My economic development committee is very active; the chamber is getting active in helping to get businesses to move here; (and) we’ve got a board of aldermen that is pro-business.”

Russell Cellular co-owner Kym Russell – also a Battlefield resident – said the town has many features that could make it favorable for business development, including inexpensive land, improving infrastructure and prime location.

“It’s really convenient since they made (Highway FF) a four-lane road all the way through town, and then there’s a back way to Nixa, and we have several employees who live in Nixa,” Russell said.

She said the company’s 8,600-square-foot building – which carries a price tag of about $900,000 for land and construction – will replace the company’s corporate offices in Springfield at Kimbrough Street and Battlefield Road.

Russell Cellular’s headquarters should be finished in December.

Battlefield Crossing adds to the city’s commercial offerings; Hess said the 12-unit $336,000 building should be ready for tenants before year’s end.

Developer Kelly Burk was unavailable for comment before press time.

“We’re excited about it,” Hess said. “It means we’ll have a building on the north end, the south end and in the center on the FF corridor.”

Open for business

Randy Fry, president of Great Commission Realty and president of the Battlefield chamber, called the community “wide open” for several types of new businesses – if people can get past the misconception that Battlefield is out of the way.

“The main part of Battlefield is much closer than Republic, Nixa or Ozark to Springfield – I can be at (Springfield’s Battlefield) Mall in 20 minutes,” Fry said. “With all the utilities in place and the people who live here already, most are probably driving into Springfield to work, but a lot of them would be interested in staying closer to home and working.”

One of the new businesses joining the area is McDonald’s, which will be located in a combination restaurant and convenience store site slated to open in September at Republic Road and Farm Road 125. The developer of the property is Kim Haase, who built a McDonald’s and convenience store in Willard last year.

Another project that indicates the community’s growth is the planned post office; Hess said the city has received written confirmation from USPS, though plans have not been set for the amenities or location.

Rich Watkins, USPS spokesman for southern and western Missouri, said the decision to add to the list of 37,000 post offices is based on community growth.

“You can only process, sort or deliver so much mail per route before they become overburdened, and that’s when you look to a brick and mortar addition,” Watkins said, noting that once a new facility receives official approval, the time frame is usually 18 to 24 months before opening. “Those (offices) are carefully projected in terms of where populations are shifting and whether neighborhoods are growing.”

Continued growth

Community leaders welcome the new post office as a harbinger of the city’s growth potential. That attitude is indicative of a pro-growth mentality that Russell said is a change for the community.

“I think (city officials) went for a long time trying to not be a city – just being a residential community – but they’ve realized that growth is coming one way or another,” she said. “So they decided to embrace it and try to have a little control over what happens and bring in the kind of businesses that they want, rather than just letting people cherry-pick the best property.”

One business Hess said the city is particularly focused on adding is a grocery store, which he said has been a stated need for citizens.

“I think it would do very well here considering the number of people and the price of gas,” he said. “Anything we can do to make Battlefield more of a city and less of place for people to come home and sleep is what I’m working toward.”