Ozark, chamber team up for economic development

Ozark is open for business.

That was the message delivered at the Oct. 22 Economic Development Dinner presented by the Ozark Chamber of Commerce and the city of Ozark.

During the event, attended by about 110 people including developers, Realtors and design professionals, City Administrator Steve Childers promised a new vision for development in the city.

The foundations of that vision are better communication between the city, citizens and developers, and better development processes - addressing everything from zoning and residential lot sizes to tax increment financing districts and community improvement districts.

"We are willing to consider new and aggressive approaches to land development as long as it comes with the quality of development I think we're looking for as a community," Childers told SBJ in a Dec. 1 interview.

A new face for growth

The city and chamber are partnering on economic development as never before, including co-funding the chamber's new $35,000-a-year executive director position.

Christopher Stone, 28, was hired for that role in September. Stone handles the day-to-day business of the chamber, as well as working alongside Childers on economic development issues.

A former field representative for Sen. Jim Talent and a captain in the Air National Guard, Stone brings communication skills, as well as the military disciplines of efficiency, organization and effectiveness to the job.

The chamber has been without an executive director for a year and a half, Stone said, but in two months, he has made up a lot of ground, establishing active committees, partnering with the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau and increasing chamber membership and benefits. The chamber's last monthly lunch meeting drew a record crowd of 71.

Stone is actively promoting Ozark on radio, in print interviews and on YouTube, where he has plans for programs focused on specific industries, and where viewers can now access the Economic Development Dinner presentation online.

Stone also is working directly with developers, national retailers and the Ozarks Regional Economic Partnership, and building coalitions with other organizations - from the Nixa Chamber to the Finley River Community Foundation.

"Ozark Chamber of Commerce and the city of Ozark are open for business, and we're here to show that this economy won't hold us back," Stone said.

Stone reports to the Ozark Board of Aldermen each month on his chamber and economic development activities.

City and chamber efforts are aided by the local Economic Development Advisory Board, which includes a broad range of community including the city, chamber, schools, Realtors and other stakeholders.

The city and chamber partnered early this fall to bring a film crew to the Ozark square to shoot a commercial on behalf of the Bob Woodward Foundation, generating $15,000 in economic impact for Ozark and, ultimately, powerful public relations, for the community.

Changing times

While construction and development have slowed to a crawl in the down economy, "it's allowing us to identify new opportunities with land development, new land development techniques, new styles and new designs," Childers said.

He thinks builders and developers are having to re-evaluate what sells in the current marketplace.

"Obviously, today it's a different marketplace than it was eight months ago or even six months ago," he added.

Childers said his sense is that when lending opens up, "developers are just as hungry to develop as they ever were," and Ozark will be ready for them.

The slowdown also gives Ozark the luxury of planning growth, something that was virtually impossible during the mostly residential construction boom of the last decade.

The sheer volume of development overwhelmed Ozark city staff and led to a "shotgun, leapfrog" pattern of development, Childers said.

"When you do that, you put additional stress on your infrastructure that creates a situation where you cannot be efficient with managing that infrastructure," he added.

The future of development in Ozark is to fill in the holes.

"Now we're able to practice infill development, where our infrastructure can support it instead of going way out here or way down here," Childers said.

In the past, aside from the overwhelming amount of construction, a significant handicap was the city's lack of a comprehensive plan. As a small town that became a small city almost overnight, Ozark was working with a city plan that was 25 years out of date, Childers said.

Needless to say, that plan never anticipated the kind of growth that keeps Christian County among the 50 fastest-growing counties in the nation.

A year ago, Childers said, he sat down with the community to come up with a new comprehensive plan that considered demographics, future land use, infrastructure and zoning issues.

The city will offer new flexibility on zoning for mixed use and multifamily development, while maintaining appropriate buffers and aesthetic considerations. "We want to be able to take all of the situations that you deal with as a developer and create the most flexible zoning ordinances that allow for creative design," Childers said.

Revitalizing the downtown central business district is also a priority, with a TIF district redevelopment plan ready to roll.[[In-content Ad]]