Dirt turned for long-awaited College Station

City officials and other community leaders broke ground Dec. 28 for the $20 million, two-acre development, bound by Campbell and Market avenues and College and McDaniel streets.

College Station, led by developer Scott Tillman, is one of the largest public-private redevelopment projects in Springfield’s history. More than 100 people attended the ceremony, where guest speakers included southwest Missouri congressman Roy Blunt; Springfield City Councilman Ralph Manley; Mayor Tom Carlson; John Askew, regional administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Tim Rosenbury, of Butler, Rosenbury & Partners, the project’s designer; and Rusty Worley, executive director of Urban Districts Alliance.

Greg Steinhoff, director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development also was on hand to announce the state’s contribution to College Station: $7.167 million through the Missouri Downtown Economic Stimulus Act – or MODESA Lite – program, which allows sharing of additional state sales tax revenue created by downtown redevelopment. That funding could grow to $11 million depending on how many jobs are created as a result of the project.

“We believe this will stimulate multiple times private investment and will actually become a stimulus for many, many projects to come,” Steinhoff said at the event.

Additional funding will come from $3 million from the city of Springfield’s Section 108 Loan Guarantee program, $8.8 million worth of council-approved bonds and an EPA brownfield grant.

Project delays

In its original timeline, College Station was slated to open in fall 2006. Now, project officials predict a spring 2008 opening.

One major delay was the redesign of the 393-space parking garage to be built with the project, between College and McDaniel streets and Market Avenue. The redesign began in early 2006 when construction bids came in about $2 million over budget. In November, City Council accepted DeWitt and Associates’ $8.69 million bid for the deck, which will have 35,000 square feet of retail space on its ground floor.

Another element of the mixed-use complex will be a 46,000-square-foot Hollywood Theaters cinema.

Project leaders have yet to announce other tenants, though UDA’s Worley has said he expects national franchises to show some interest.

Tillman could not be reached for comment.

Qdoba Mexican Grill is a strong possibility, according to Jennifer Cannon, marketing representative for the restaurant’s local franchisee, Burrito Concepts LLC. Qdoba has sent a letter of intent to Tillman but hasn’t received a response.

Cannon said Qdoba is actively seeking locations north of Sunshine Street, particularly in the area surrounding Missouri State University, Ozarks Technical Community College, Drury University and Hammons Field.

“Our target audience is that area – people either living, working or seeking entertainment,” she said. “We see a good pocket of population spending money in that area.”

If chosen as a tenant, Qdoba could open at College Station as early as the end of this year, Cannon said.

Despite rumors – and even a MySpace blog campaign – that a Trader Joe’s grocery store would be coming to College Station, company spokeswoman Alison Mochizuki said it’s not in Trader Joe’s two-year plan.

As for whether the Monrovia, Calif.-based company would reconsider if Springfieldians showed enough interest, Mochizuki said that isn’t factored into the company’s business development planning.[[In-content Ad]]