Council to consider tax breaks for warehouse project

Oct. 4—A Kansas City developer received an initial indication Monday night from the Joplin City Council that the panel would give consideration to a proposal for tax breaks for construction of a large warehouse in a city industrial park.

The proposal, nicknamed "Moody Blues," would bring to Joplin a warehouse location larger than any that exist here on a 25-acre site along 32nd Street next to the current Blue Buffalo Pet Foods plant, said Travis Stephens, president and CEO of the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce. The proposal involves construction of a warehouse and distribution center of more than 430,000 square feet.

Joplin's assistant city manager, Tony Robyn, started working on the effort to bring the project to Joplin 18 to 24 months ago as director of the MOKAN Partnership, an economic development arm of the chamber. The council was told that for the last several years Joplin had been approached by state economic development authorities and others looking for warehouse and distribution or manufacturing space of 75,000 to 150,000 square feet.

"They are typically looking for buildings that are vacant or have leases that are about to expire because they have been approached by somebody looking for space in our community or region," Robyn said.

During the pandemic, there were increased requests from food and beverage manufacturers looking for more space because of demand for those products. Robyn said there were requests for buildings of 150,000 to 250,000 square feet, "which we absolutely do not have of that magnitude in Joplin."

In early 2021, a development group expressed interest in land at Crossroads Center Business and Distribution Park that would be purchased through the Joplin Industrial Development Authority, Robyn said. That unnamed Kansas City developer wanted to know if the council would consider an exemption of local property and sales taxes permitted by Missouri law.

Stephens said the chamber has fielded more calls for warehouse space more than any other type of industry, "so this is very much something that is needed in our area given our location to two intersecting interstates. This is our bread and butter."

He explained state law allows the city to retain title to the property for a specified time so the company does not have to pay property taxes for those years.

"It's just a delay to help these companies get started ... get ramped up to full employment and help offset some of the risk," Stephens said.

Jim Feltner, of Olathe, Kansas, a representative of the development company proposing the project, said that "what makes this work is your proximity to the Midwest. Being at the confines at (interstates) 44 and 49, you're an eight-hour truck drive to 50 million people."

The company he represents landed in Joplin because so many developers are looking for potential development locations in the larger metro areas.

A client is looking for a location that would bring 45,000 trucks annually, which he said would boost the local economy and could lead to other companies coming here in the future.

Councilman Phil Stinnett said city officials typically want to know details of the operation, such as the number of jobs the project would bring and how much those jobs would pay.

Feltner said it is a $33 million project for the developer.

Troy Bolander, the city's planning and development director, said the request for now involves the council indicating whether the request would receive future consideration. At that time, more details, including the name of the developer and more specifics of the project, would be brought forward.

Council members agreed they would move forward with formal consideration of a proposal.

First-round approval

In other business, two Range Line developments received first-round approval for a site plan and rezoning.

One is a review of site plan for what may be a future Whataburger restaurant at 2014 Range Line Road and 2019 Highview Ave.

Bolander said he could not name the restaurant because of a confidentiality agreement. City documents show the applicant as Whatabrands Inc., the Texas corporation that operates the Whataburger chain.

While residents of Highview Avenue had opposed rezoning of the property for commercial purposes, there were no comments Monday night on the site plan review.

The council also gave first-round approval to a rezoning request for what is described as a golf and restaurant development to be built at 1911-2001 N. Range Line Road. The request was advanced last month by the city's Planning and Zoning Commission with a recommendation for approval.

A request by developers of a future Top Golf type of attraction led by George Michalopoulos, of Joplin, for heavy commercial zoning of part of the property was sought. It was tabled last month when the owners and city staff sought more time to work with nearby residents who were concerned about living close to a busy commercial location.

The restaurant site then was reduced in size with new boundaries. Residents withdrew their objections, allowing the council to go forward with the rezoning action.