City Beat: Council approves land sale to MSU

During its Aug. 25 meeting, Springfield City Council approved the sale of five center city properties to MSU for the university’s planned IDEA Commons, a group of facilities meant to enhance innovation, design, entrepreneurship and arts.

The commons idea is centered on the Jordan Valley Innovation Center research facility at 524 N. Boonville Ave. and Brick City, a renovated warehouse at 305 W. Mill St., set to house MSU’s Art and Design Department.

Per the council deal, MSU will pay $450,000 for the three acres of property that will allow the university to expand JVIC.

School officials say the expansion will create high-paying jobs necessary to attract professionals to the area and retain college graduates. University leaders say the 60 employees of the various JVIC corporate affiliates earn an average of $60,000 a year, more than double the per capita income for the Springfield metropolitan statistical area, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The sale passed unanimously, though Councilman Doug Burlison expressed concern about selling the land for less than the nearly $680,000 the city originally paid for it.

“It wouldn’t be prudent at this time to oppose any bill that creates jobs in the area, especially with the jobs we’ve lost recently,” Burlison said at the meeting. “But when we have real estate and we basically exclusively offer it to one party above all others, I worry about the precedent that we set.”

City Attorney Dan Wichmer said that the university was the only potential buyer that fit the criteria council had set for the properties’ use and had the ability to buy the property without the city needing to first pay for environmental cleanup.

MSU has agreed to sell the property and split the profit evenly with the city if the university is unable to develop it within 10 years.

U.S. highways 60 and 65

Council also considered a bill to allow the Missouri Department of Transportation to begin the bid process for improvements to the interchange of U.S. highways 60 and 65.

If council approves the bill at its Sept. 15 meeting, the $60 million project could go out for bid in January, with construction beginning in summer 2009.

Plans call for replacing two of the cloverleaf intersection’s ramps with flyover ramps, which should be complete in 2011. The entire project, which also includes a bridge over the nearby train crossing and widening of Highway 60 east of 65, is slated for completion in 2012.

Councilman John Wylie was especially excited about the grade separation with the railroad tracks just west of 65.

“If you’ve ever come across that area when people are getting off work and the train is there, it backs up traffic clear past National,” he said. “These improvements are definitely needed.”

Public Works Director Marc Thornsberry told council that the project would be paid for at the state level through Amendment 3 bonds. He said the project is a top priority for the region, giving MoDOT access to federal grant money for construction.

Thornsberry said the city’s expected contribution is $100,000.[[In-content Ad]]