KC developers to build Branson business park

The Branson Board of Aldermen Aug. 14 gave final approval to the 350-acre Branson Commerce Park, to be located on Highway 248, west of the Tri-Lakes Center. Kansas City-based Branson Commerce Park LLC has acquired the land and will lead its development.

The idea is not a new one – Springfield boasts several similar parks, a success story that Mike Rankin, Branson’s economic development director, said is a reason Branson is on board with its own. City officials had been kicking the idea around for nearly four years before the right piece of land became available; the lot was originally slated to be a golf course.

Officials are targeting light industrial companies, which could mean anything from a laundry business that serves local hotels to a food-preparation company that serves the convention center now under construction at Branson Landing. Those are services that Rankin says the city’s tourism industry is lacking.

Rankin said city officials are open to a mix of warehousing, regional distribution and call centers, as well as commercial and office space. He would not disclose the names of possible tenants, but he said there are a number that have expressed interest.

Housing help

In a unique twist for a business park development, at least 150 acres will be set aside for housing.

Nick Blasi, a managing member of Branson Commerce Park LLC, said the housing will include about 750 units in single-family homes, town homes, duplexes and condominiums, with houses priced between $100,000 and $200,000.

“The city of Branson hired a third party to do a study a few years back that really showed the tremendous shortage of affordable housing,” Blasi said. “We really feel like we’re going to cater to that need.”

Rankin said the city has added a focus on residential development in the last couple of years.

Blasi hopes to begin the business park’s infrastructure Jan. 1 and start selling properties next fall. Rankin said he expects the area to accommodate between 15 and 25 tenants.

The advantages of locating to a business park are many, Rankin says, especially in Branson, where new tourist attractions are popping up every year, most notably the $420 million Branson Landing shopping district completed in May. A major driving force in establishing the park was the recruitment of families to the area.

“The breadwinner … could work in the business park, and the family could work in the tourism market,” Rankin said.

The park will have full infrastructure and utilities, Blasi said, and tenant sites are priced and ready for move-in. Companies also would have the area’s lakes and attractions to entertain clients, Rankin said.

The business park is tucked away in a service-themed area of the city, so its traffic won’t interfere with the traffic along Branson’s tourist strips.

Rankin also assures Branson citizens that they will not be footing the bill for the project. The park will be in a neighborhood improvement district and a community improvement district, allowing it to fund itself through self-imposed sales taxes. Those tax rates are not set.