Housing construction to be next phase of 32nd Street project
Jan. 4—While there has been no official word from Menards about construction of a home improvements and lumber supply store in the 32nd Street Place development, the developer of adjacent land said Monday construction will start this year on a housing complex.
Drew Snyder, president of Woodsonia Joplin LLC, the developer of about 75 acres of land south of 32nd Street and east of Range Line Road, told the Joplin City Council on Monday night that construction would launch later this year on multiple 12-plex and 86-plex villa-styled apartment buildings. They are to be located east of Sam's Club and the Menards land.
Snyder did say that Menards has closed on land north of Sam's Club and west of Hammons Boulevard where the new home improvements store is to be located. He also said that Menards owns parcels adjoining 32nd Street where other businesses and restaurants could be built. But Menards has not shared any information with Woodsonia about plans for its property, he said.
The agreement is that Woodsonia will install infrastructure for the project area and develop the east side of Hammons Boulevard while Menards will develop and build the improvements in the area west of the boulevard, Snyder said. He does not know what the timeline or plans are for the Menards sides, he said.
Woodsonia has completed renovation of the former Jim Bob's restaurant southeast of Sam's Club where the BKD accounting firm has relocated. BKD had operated in a building farther north but agreed to move from that site to make room for Menards. It is the first building completed in Woodsonia's project, Snyder said.
In addition, Woodsonia is within seven to 10 days of opening the nearly rebuilt and relocated Hammons Boulevard, Snyder told the Joplin City Council at an informal meeting held before the council's 6 p.m. regular session. There is still some work to do on the road, including the installation of a traffic signal at the entry and exit on 32nd Street.
So far, Woodsonia has sold $14 million in bonds on its community improvement district to fund street and infrastructure work done so far and has $3.3 million in remaining expenses to go to finish that phase. Snyder expects all the street work to be done about June 1.
Next, the developer will activate work on its planned market rate housing project, which will involve eight buildings, five of them 12-apartment villa buildings with detached garages and two four-story apartment buildings that will each offer 86 apartments. The project also is to have a clubhouse, dog park and trail for its residents. Units should be available in late 2023 or early 2024.
"We are excited about it. We believe it will be a great addition to the Joplin community. and we've been in the process of designing and planning for the last six months," he said of the project.
The COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected movie theaters, has slowed the effort to land a commitment for a new movie theater within the development, but Snyder said that could change once theater chains experience recovery from the business interruption.
"Joplin seems like a very attractive market for a new theater," Snyder said.
Woodsonia is about two years into the development of the land, which had been blighted by conditions such as old mines that created hazards on parts of the property. Snyder said there would not be anything built in that area to avoid risks from the mined land.
Councilman Gary Shaw asked when there would be access again to the Victory Ministry and Sports Complex on Hammons Boulevard. Snyder said that will occur in a few days.
In response to council questions about brush piles on the property, Snyder said the Woodsonia property will be cleaned off over the next four months, although he could not speak for the Menards property.
In other business, the council gave final approval to measures that were advanced on first readings last month, including requirements for permitting short-term rentals and requiring business licenses for those operations.
The council also heard a number of zoning requests.
When the regular session ended, council members voted to go into a closed session, citing communications with the city attorney and discussion of a real estate matter.
