PIC West property labeled as state Certified Site

A 51-acre site in Springfield's Partnership Industrial Center West has received a special label from the state Department of Economic Development.

The property, adjacent to Interstate 44 and the Springfield-Branson National Airport, has been designated as Missouri's second Certified Site.

The Certified Site Program designates potential development sites as ready for development based on a number of factors, including availability of utilities, site access, environmental concerns, land use conformance and potential development costs, in an effort to entice developers.

"You can drive up and down any highway in America ... and see signs that say 'Will build' or 'Industrial park ground available,'" said Greg Williams, senior vice president of economic development for Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce. "What this certified program does is prove to our target audience - manufacturing entities - that we have done all the work on the front end. There's no messing around with the permitting process or zoning or extending (infrastructure)."

A 10-person review team approves Certified Site applications. Sites must be 10 acres or larger, marketed primarily by local economic development organizations for business recruitment, and have at least water, sewer and electric infrastructure on site. The program's first site, Ewing Industrial Park in Columbia, was certified in May.

“The Certified Site selection process, with its stringent technical review and validation of site resources and amenities, will ensure that these sites are competitively positioned to create hundreds of new jobs in their local areas which will positively impact our statewide economy," DED Director David Kerr said in a news release.

There are 10 existing facilities at PIC West and nearly 200 acres available, including the 51-acre certified site, with development sites selling for $60,000 an acre. The industrial center is within the boundaries of the Springfield Enhanced Enterprise Zone.

Current PIC West tenants are Crosstech Construction Products; Executive Coach Builders; Glanbia Nutritionals Inc., formerly Seltzer Companies; Gold Mechanical; Green Seed; Northstar Battery and Stamina Products.