Developers pounce on northeast Nixa

Look out Springfield, Nixa is knocking at your door.
Springfield’s southern bedroom community is poised for more growth as developers plan to drop more than 1,600 residential units on 500 acres in northeast Nixa over the next several years.
City Planner Travis Cossey said the building boom, while faster than in the past, is not unexpected.
“Yes, we are growing faster than we have in the past, but we’ve always been a fast-paced growth environment,” he said.
The latest additions are Wicklow and Copperleaf subdivisions in the northeast part of the city.
Wicklow is being developed by Patrick O’Reilly and Ron Middleton and sold by Murney Associates. Michelene Middleton of Murney’s Nixa office is one of the realtors selling homes in the new subdivision. She said the area, which is being built in eight phases, will have approximately 150 homes to start in each phase to fill the 400-acre development. Home prices range from $220,000 to $450,000.
Cossey said those costs are in line with already existing subdivisions in the city.
In addition to the single-family homes, Middleton said the area will feature multifamily residences and businesses.
“The front of (Highway) CC has commercial, and then there’s going to be some condo or multifamily (buildings),” she said. “Then toward the middle, Tracker Road is going to be improved through there, so that’ll be a main thoroughfare through the project, and there’ll be some commercial around Tracker Road. We’re looking at day-use type things – offices, dry cleaners, things like that. That is going to be a service to the subdivision because otherwise you’re having to drive into Nixa for those things.”
Copperleaf is owned by Springfield developer Dick Short. His 100-acre, $10 million development will feature 235 single-family lots, 72 patio home lots and a 168-unit apartment complex. Homes in Copperleaf will be listed between $190,000 and $300,000.

Northeast concentration
Those two areas join the Maplewood development, which broke ground in March 2003 and features about 400 homes, Cossey said.
City officials say they are prepared for the growth.
“Our infrastructure is adequate. We have good water, sewer and electric service,” Cossey said. “We’ve known we were going to be a fast-paced community, so we set ourselves up that way. The only thing we’re behind the eight ball in is transportation. Our street system is in need of some upgrades. It’s not inadequate; it just needs some upgrades to handle the increased traffic.”
The land for these developments has been gradually annexed into the city over the course of the past year, as potential homeowners choose sites in that area and request annexation into the city to allow them to hook up to the sewer system.
Water and electric services would be provided through the city, while gas service would be available through Missouri Gas Energy.
Cossey said the new subdivisions are part of expansion that is happening in all directions from Nixa.
“My strongest concentration of development right now, subdivision-wise, is in the northeast corridor, and that’s because of a regional lift station that the city installed last year,” he said. “That opened up approximately 1,500 acres for development, so that’s my strongest area. Of course, I’ve got development occurring in 360 degrees right now, but the strongest concentration is in that northeast sector.”
Middleton said she understands why there is so much interest in that part of the city.
“I think the draw is the location. It allows you to live outside Springfield, yet you’re in Springfield in five minutes,” she said. “It’s like you’re in Nixa, and you get the benefit of Nixa with the schools and all that, but yet you’re right there on Springfield’s door, so I think that area of town is the hottest area right now.”
Short also understands the draw of the area.
“I think it’s a bedroom community of Springfield,” he said. “The people there have kids and they’re very supportive of the education and the schools down there, and they’re also very supportive of the park system down there. I think that’s a drawing card for Nixa because people are very supportive of what you need to have, which is good teachers and good recreation.”
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