Government plaza work progresses in Ozark

Work is progressing on a 39-acre parcel being developed into a government plaza by Christian County officials, and five lots are ready for commercial development.

The future plaza is located on Missouri Highway 14 off U.S. Route 65, just west of the intersection with North 25th Street, the location of Mercy Clinic Family Medicine, Big Whiskey’s and B&B Theatres Ozark/Nixa 12.

Heintz & Nunn Group at Murney Associates, Realtors has listed the commercial lots for sale on the south and east borders of the property. The lots range in size from 1.45 to 3.44 acres, and prices are $367,000-$746,000.

The average weekday traffic count along Missouri Highway 14 past the site is 13,000, according to Missouri Department of Transportation numbers.

The plaza development plans also include public walking trails and an amphitheater, according to Christian County officials.

Jason Nunn of Heintz & Nunn Group noted, “I think the idea is that it will be a destination, not only for those businesses but for the public to come in and enjoy.”

Brett Heintz said there has been interest in the properties already after only a little over a month on the market.

Two commercial plots front Missouri Highway 14, while three are on North 25th Street, behind Mercy and across the road from Big Whiskey’s. Nunn said he could imagine office developments on 25th Street.

“There’s less traffic flow, which makes them great for corporate offices,” Nunn said. “There are nice spaces for employees to enjoy on their lunch breaks, and you also have the people that are coming to the restaurants or whatever on 14th to enjoy the space.”

The corporate and adjoining county offices will provide a built-in customer base for a retail or restaurant businesses on Highway 14, Heintz said.

Because the new Christian County government campus is already underway, one hurdle to the project has been overcome, Heintz said.

“Sometimes there’s a grand plan and they take forever for anything to happen,” he said. “Everyone waits for the first person to build in a development like that, but they have a major portion of it, and they’re developing. Your anchor’s there.”

Making progress
Todd Wiesehan, director of resource management for Christian County, said the government plaza project is making progress, with water and sanitary sewer lines extended through the entire property. K&B Equipment LLC was contracted by the county to install utility infrastructure, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting, and $1.1 million was budgeted for that part of the project. A full cost estimate is not available.

He said one of the first parts of the project to be completed will likely be the walking trails on site.

“We need to get the grading aspect completed and detention basins in before we can permanently lay down the gravel and so forth to help create the walking path, but that’s one of the first things people will be able to do,” he said.

The trails will include two small pedestrian bridges to cross over wet-weather drainage creeks, and abutments are nearly done, he said.

“We can start getting that shaped up,” he said, adding gravel is already on site and ready to be spread.

Wiesehan said the economic development community is excited about the project, while the public seems to be taking a wait-and-see approach.

“We really believe that we are a first-class county now, and the public deserves this,” he said.

Most county offices are currently located in the Christian County Courthouse, a three-story building in the Classical Revival style erected in 1920 on the Ozark town square. That building will continue to house most county officials well into the future, Wiesehan said.

He noted a request for proposals is currently active for a county operations building to house staff from multiple departments. It is the first new building planned for the government plaza site. Structures are also planned to house a recycling center, maintenance and storage.

The centerpiece of the development will be a larger county building to house the offices of elected officials, but that is years down the road, Wiesehan said. He said the county is trying to develop the site without any financing but instead to progress in the project as funds become available.

A new Christian County Circuit Court building opened in 2019, and Wiesehan said the county is still paying for it.

He said the historic Ozark square is a great space, but there was a realistic need for space in the 21st century.

“Once it’s done, it will help the county present a progressive, current image to folks from outside the area,” he said.

Over the next couple months, Wiesehan said, officials expect to begin some substantial site grading and to get the commercial property pads flattened out and completed. The operations building is being paid for partly through American Rescue Plan Act funds that must be obligated by the end of 2024 and expended by the end of 2026, and Wiesehan said the county is on track for that.

“Once we get the commercial lots developed, things will take shape and be easier to imagine,” he said.

Business sector expansion
Kristen Haseltine, president and CEO of economic development agency Show Me Christian County, said the Christian County Commission had a vision for a centralized location with efficiency and accessibility to serve the county well.

“With limited shovel-ready sites for businesses, they saw an opportunity to not only construct a needed campus but also to attract new businesses, thereby increasing the daytime population,” she said in an email.

Haseltine said Christian is one of the state’s fastest-growing counties, so expanding the business sector is vital to supporting its communities.

“There is potential for some retail in this development, but there’s also an opportunity for corporate offices to build in a prime location perfectly situated between Nixa and Ozark, and Springfield and Branson,” she said. “As these lots sell and more corporate offices locate in Christian County, it’s the community charm that will be our catalyst for business growth.”

She added that the development will draw workforce.

“Talent attraction is crucial for businesses, and this project highlights Christian County’s appeal: a blend of small-town charm and metropolitan access,” she said. “Residents seek local work opportunities to enjoy nearby amenities like trails, restaurants and kayaking, celebrating the beauty of community living.”