City targets third shovel-ready site

by David Reed

December 14,2009

At its winter retreat, City Council members expressed support for City Manager Bill Watkins' plan to buy a 214-acre tract along the Route B industrial corridor to develop as Columbia's third "shovel-ready" industrial site.

The property is on the northeastern corner of Route B and Waco Road between Kraft Foods and the city landfill. Watkins estimated the purchase price would be about $4 million, but he said Saturday that he'll negotiate with the landowner and come back to Council with a contract proposal for it to consider.

Watkins said the landowner is receptive to selling a 114-acre tract, the eastern portion that would buffer the landfill, for $1 million, and giving the city the option of buying the western portion for an additional $3 million at any point during the following five years. The city would seek to get the land designated as a state-certified site and make it available for industrial users. The certification is a draw for recruiting industries because the necessary infrastructure and zoning would be in place.

There is already a state-certified, privately owned "shovel-ready" site along Route B, the Ewing Business Park, that is targeting data center developers, and a second industry-ready site along Route Z on the north side of Interstate 70, the Mid-Point Business Park, owned by the Columbia Area Jobs Foundation.

Fifth Ward Council Representative Laura Nauser said the Council's support would demonstrate the members are friendly to economic development, and the timing would be good because land prices are relatively low.

Several council members said they particularly liked one aspect of the plan: about half of the land, heavily wooded and sloped, would be used as a buffer between the industrial corridor, Hinkson Creek and the city landfill.

"We could have economic development and environmental protection at the same time," Sixth-Ward Representative Barbara Hoppe said.

The property, referred to as the Sutter site, is owned by a California-based trust set up by members of the Henrikson family who inherited the land from the Sutter family.