A major development project is proposed for Joplin. City officials said in a news release that, if it is built, it will be “the largest such project in the city since the 2011 tornado and the opening of the Northpark Mall in 1972.”
The $375 million mixed-use development comes from property developer, Woodsonia Real Estate Inc. The project, dubbed Prospect Village, would redevelop more than 78 acres to include a large indoor and outdoor sports complex, parkland and a trail with water features. Plans also call for an anchor retail space, which developers said would be ideal for a grocery store; 350 units of multi-family housing, hotels and additional retail spaces. The land is located on the former site of the International Paper Company, which has been unused for decades.
According to city officials, the property at 20th St. and E. Range Line Rd, presents several barriers to development, “which Woodsonia is willing to invest to overcome.” Those include an existing regulated floodplain and floodway on the majority of the property; a high-pressure gas main that runs through the site; and a Waters of the U.S. assessment, which found that the site has 1.9 acres of wetlands and an intermittent stream. They said the U.S. Corps of Engineers will likely have to provide special permitting before work could begin. The site has also been designated as an EPA Super Fund Clean Up Site since 1990 due to prior uses for mining and a solid waste landfill.
“This property has been very unattractive to developers for a long time due to all the complicating factors this land faces,” said City Manager Nick Edwards in the statement. “We are thrilled that Woodsonia is looking at this property and willing to go through extraordinary effort to polish this diamond in the rough. This may be the only chance this property gets to be renovated into something that could greatly benefit our community.”
Woodsonia will present the proposal to Joplin City Council Monday, May 20.
City officials said more information and project renderings will be released following Woodsonia’s presentation to the Council.
