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February 5,2010

McDavid gets business establishment backing

Which candidate for mayor has the backing of Columbia’s business establishment? Boone Hospital Center Trustee Chairman Bob McDavid, almost exclusively, according to the list of people who signed petitions to put candidates’ names on the April ballot. (Find the link to the transcribed lists from a Missourian Web site: thewatchword.wordpress.com.)

Sid Sullivan got Planning and Zoning Chairman Jeff Barrow to sign his petition, along with commercial realtor Paul Land and school board member Ines Segert. Jerry Wade, despite being a council member already, had few recognizable names from the business community.

Here is just a sampling from McDavid’s petition: Chamber of Commerce President Don Laird and Vice President Kristi Ray; Chamber Chairman and ABC Labs President Byron Hill; Jason Thornhill, realtor and Second Ward representative on the Council; Bruce Walker, MU business school dean; Boone Hospital Center President Daniel Rothery; former mayor and MBS Textbooks CEO Bob Pugh; former council member Larry Schuster; and a who’s who of local business executives including Kevin Gibbens, Sabrina McDonnell and Terry Coffelt from Landmark Bank; Scott Atkins, Skip Grossnickle, Charles Digges and Jason Swindle from The Insurance Group, Jay Gebhardt, Bob and Rosie Gerding, Mike Vangel and Rob Wolverton.

Conley Road extension on shaky ground

Have you ever found yourself at the eastern end of Business Loop 70 and wishing you could just zip down past the Walmart to Broadway?

Well, the city has had that idea in mind for years and identified an extension of Conley Road to Business Loop in its Major Thoroughfare Plan. The Missouri Department of Transportation has, too, as part of its I-70 improvement study.

Note to motorists: Don’t hold your breath.

The extension, which would be funded by the Conley Road Transportation Development District, is increasingly looking like it might fall through.

The hang up is over land the district would have to acquire from the Columbia Country Club, which borders the Walmart development, to extend the road. Negotiations between the two parties have been going on for more than four years. The Country Club wants more money for the land than the district thinks it is worth. Add to the mix a recent proposal by the Walmart property owners to rezone an old MoDOT site between the two properties that the Country Club wants a piece of to reconfigure the course, and you’ve got quite a contentious situation.

The Country Club is upset that the MoDOT land is off the table. The TDD’s lawyer, Craig Van Matre, says the district doesn’t have to build the road. And no doubt the city is fretting that they might eventually have to finance the road if the district doesn’t put up the cash.

At the TDD’s recent meeting, Van Matre said negotiations for the right of way were, “still totally up in the air.”

Large commercial development in works

If a rezoning proposal manages to wind its way through the city government, Grindstone Parkway could become an even more prominent commercial hub.

Red Oak Investment Company is applying to rezone 25 acres from agricultural to planned commercial on the south side of the street across from the Walmart. It would be one of the largest commercial rezonings since Crosscreek was approved in the summer of 2008.

The owners say they hope getting the commercial zoning makes the property more marketable (it’s already for sale), but with the commercial real estate market as it is, don’t expect any big projects to spring up soon. But then again, a buyer/developer could hop on the property quickly to secure financing before the Fed raises interest rates, as is expected before the end of the year.

Regardless, the property is in a very attractive area with a busy shopping center across the street and a fully developed Nifong to the west. And perhaps most important for a developer: There’s no unified opposition from nearby residents.

It looks good for the developers so far. The Planning Department staff didn’t have any significant concerns at a recent public information meeting about the proposal, and no nearby property owners showed up. The proposal goes to the Planning and Zoning Commission on Feb. 18.