Branson/Springfield

[Mith242]

We had a bit of a Branson topic started but there wasn't any mention of Springfield so I thought I'd just go ahead and start a seperate topic for some updates in the Missouri parts of the Ozarks. I don't have any problems with discussing some of this in other topics, I knw we can get off topic at times. But I thought it would make it much easier to find for future reference. I don't know how many posts I've 'lost' because I couldn't remember what topic we where in when an interesting off topic discussion took place.

[Mith242]

We had some interest a little while back and actually had someone from Branson. But she didn't post for long. I also wouldn't mind hearing some basic info on both cities for those of us who may not know a lot about them. Just to go ahead and mention this here too although it's been discussed in other topics before. The Missouri forum seems mainly focused on St Louis and Kansas City. I never could get much interest for some of the other areas of Missouri like the Ozarks. I don't think any of us on the NWA forum mind having some discussions on this area of Missouri for those of you who don't feel wlecome in the Missouri forum.

[slyder1]

Sorry about posting in other topics I just joined and don't know everything, but thanks for starting this new topic. I'll remember next time.

[slyder1]

Those Condos look great, but I wonder if the market would be able to support that kind of development. I guess it would take a while to build them but Im still skeptacle. Im from Springfield and there is always new Condo and Hotel developments going on in our area. For instance 20 minuets south of Springfield, Hammons is building an 18 story 5 star hotel called the Charlevoix (which will include a 5 star spa) next to the existing 10 story Chateau On the Lake. This looks amazing! (as if the Chateau wasn't good enough)

The Charlevoix

The Chateau on the Lake

In addition to these fine developments there will be a 12 story Hilton Hotel along with two 4 story Luxury Condo towers, and Penthouse Condominiums. There will be a 14 story Branson landing hotel and many other Luxury Condos.

Branson Landing(check this website out it is awsome!)

In Downtown Springfield Hammons is planning a 30 story office building and a 22-28 floor Doubletree Hotel.

I will try to find more info on these buildings.

Soon Branson (Taney and Stone Counties) will join Springfield in the Metropolitan Population and will bring us to over 550,000 people in the metro area.(wow) 15 years ago we were at like just over 200,000 thousand.

We will then be called the Springfield Branson MSA.

Please reply.

[Mith242]

Sorry about posting in other topics I just joined and don't know everything, but thanks for starting this new topic. I'll remember next time.

It's no problem. We get off subject quite a bit in the NWA forum.

[slyder1]

Here is some more info on Downtown Springfield, MO

Wallace Theaters To Open Hollywood Stadium 14 Cinemas

Portland, Oregon, August 26, 2005 - Mr. Tim Reed, S.V.P. Real Estate Development for Wallace Theater Holdings, Inc. announced today plans to open a 14-screen, state-of-the art all stadium-seated megaplex cinema in Springfield, MO. The theater will be located within the new development at College Station at the corner of Campbell and College in downtown Springfield. College Station will also house 200,000 sqf. of retail and office space.

The 54,000-square-foot complex, targeted for a fall 2006 opening, will feature "stadium-style" seating, guaranteeing an unobstructed view of the wall-to-wall screens plus extra legroom. Each auditorium will be outfitted with luxurious high-back rocker chair seats with padded cup holder armrests that lift so couples can "cozy-up" during the movie during the movie. Additionally, patrons can expect the latest in acoustic design advances and digital surrounded sound technologies, automated and online ticketing; large efficient concession stands featuring the finest quality movie favorites and daily bargain matinees.

College Station

In the past 2 years almost every building in Downtown Springfield has been renovated. More than 300 lofts have made their home in downtown ranging from $600-$2000. In addition to downtown, many 10-12 story office buildings are breaking ground or are in the process of being built all around Springfield. Also in Downtown, Jordan Valley Park is being built as we speak, and will take up 250 acres of the downtown area.

This includes the already built Ice Park( with 2 ice rinks) Hammons Field (home of the 9,000 seat AA Springfield Cardinals) which is the nicest minor league field in the nation, and the 200,000 sqf. Expo Center.

Go here to see the Park renderings: Jordan Valley Park

The Springfield Airport is the 2nd fastest growing airport in the nation and was recently named the Springfield Branson National Airport. While most airports are having flights taken off their lineup, Springfield is adding flights.

[Mith242]

Those Condos look great, but I wonder if the market would be able to support that kind of development. I guess it would take a while to build them but Im still skeptacle. Im from Springfield and there is always new Condo and Hotel developments going on in our area. For instance 20 minuets south of Springfield, Hammons is building an 18 story 5 star hotel called the Charlevoix (which will include a 5 star spa) next to the existing 10 story Chateau On the Lake. This looks amazing! (as if the Chateau wasn't good enough)

The Charlevoix

The Chateau on the Lake

In addition to these fine developments there will be a 12 story Hilton Hotel along with two 4 story Luxury Condo towers, and Penthouse Condominiums. There will be a 14 story Branson landing hotel and many other Luxury Condos.

Branson Landing(check this website out it is awsome!)

In Downtown Springfield Hammons is planning a 30 story office building and a 22-28 floor Doubletree Hotel.

I will try to find more info on these buildings.

Soon Branson (Taney and Stone Counties) will join Springfield in the Metropolitan Population and will bring us to over 550,000 people in the metro area.(wow) 15 years ago we were at like just over 200,000 thousand.

We will then be called the Springfield Branson MSA.

Please reply.

I responded to part of your post with the Grandview Heights Condos over in that topic. But the rest I will do over here. I do know there are differences in our two metros but I think they also share some similarities as well. I was curious if you thought the growth around Springfield is partly due to Branson. I do know a little bit about that area but I admit I was surprised to see those numbers for the metro. I know a lot of tourist visit Branson but I didn't know there were quite so many people living there. Course I imagine many live outside the Branson city limits. When do you think Branson will be added to the Springfield metro and when do you think the numbers will become valid?

[Mith242]

I forgot to mention earlier about the links. Thanks for posting them. I think I've seen some of those renderings on the Branson Landing site before over here. But I have no idea what topic they were posted in now. I obviously would like to see a development like this in our metro here in NWA too. I think that's one aspect of our metro that's being underutilized. I think this area could become more of a tourist area or even a center for conferences and such if some work were done. Is the Branson Landing development on Lake Taneycomo? It looks rather close to the lake. I think it's set up somewhat like some of the lakes near Hot Springs. Some of the older lakes were set up before the Corps of Engineers were set up. So some requirements don't apply to some of these lakes. Most really restrict development happening so close to the edge of most lakes. Anyway here's a couple of renderings I don't think have been posted over here before that I found interesting.

[Mith242]

After finally pulling out a map it looks like the Branson Landing development might actually be on Table Rock Lake. But I admit I'm just guessing here. Anyway I was also curious what counties make up the Springfield metro curently? I know it's in Greene County but I'm assuming there's more than that, possibly Christian County to the south, any others?

[slyder1]

To answer your question, Branson landing will be on lake Taneycomo. The Springfield MSA consists of Green, Christian, Dallas, Polk, Webster, Dade, and Lawrence counties I believe.

Here are some more Renderings of Branson Landing and other Hotels going up in the Springfield Branson Metro.

[slyder1]

Here is a rendering of the College Station Project in Downtown Springfield. I explained this in one of my other posts.

sorry that wasnt suppose to happen

[strmchsr77]

Here is some more info on Downtown Springfield, MO

Wallace Theaters To Open Hollywood Stadium 14 Cinemas

Portland, Oregon, August 26, 2005 - Mr. Tim Reed, S.V.P. Real Estate Development for Wallace Theater Holdings, Inc. announced today plans to open a 14-screen, state-of-the art all stadium-seated megaplex cinema in Springfield, MO. The theater will be located within the new development at College Station at the corner of Campbell and College in downtown Springfield. College Station will also house 200,000 sqf. of retail and office space.

The 54,000-square-foot complex, targeted for a fall 2006 opening, will feature "stadium-style" seating, guaranteeing an unobstructed view of the wall-to-wall screens plus extra legroom. Each auditorium will be outfitted with luxurious high-back rocker chair seats with padded cup holder armrests that lift so couples can "cozy-up" during the movie during the movie. Additionally, patrons can expect the latest in acoustic design advances and digital surrounded sound technologies, automated and online ticketing; large efficient concession stands featuring the finest quality movie favorites and daily bargain matinees.

Hey Slyder, welcome to NW Arkansas' posts.

Things seem to be going very well in Springfield. It seems like they are growing almost as fast as NWA. So Wallace/Hollywood are opening up a new 14 screen theater in downtown S-field? Sounds pretty good. I used to manage the Spotlight 14 (Hollywood/Wallace) theater in Norman, Oklahoma before I moved back to Fayetteville. They are an average theater company. I would not expect too much in the way of great sound etc. We had 2 theaters that were supposed to be THX certified but they stopped paying the bills, so we lost our certification. And depending on how busy your theater gets kind of depends on if all of the concessions will be open. Our theater was the 2nd busiest in the chain (Killeen, TX was usually #1) and we rarely opened more than 1 stand even though there were 3!. In fact the entire time I was there (99-04) then most I ever saw was 2. I hope that since this is a new theater they will have a great district manager (as long as it is not Rance Blann) and be able to bring in the people. Anyway, keep us updated, and thanks for the info.

[masons_dad1]

Welcome to the Northwest Arkansas Forum Slyder!

I can see that this topic might lead to some competetive skepticism but I think since Springfield is our closest bigger neighbor it's important that we view Springfield's growth patterns and problems as a resource for NWA's own growth.

For example, for our own Northwest Arkansas Light Rail topic it might be informative to look at Springfield's public transportation system and the problems it's facing due to growth. It's best not to compare the pros and cons of each city but Springfield is about 20 years ahead of NWA as far as urbanization goes. One thing to remember is that Springfield is a single city metro and doesn't follow the same growth patterns as a multi-city metro like the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers MSA. Even if Branson is added to Springfield's metro there is a sizable gap between the 2 cities unlike NWA's metro of 3 cities merged into one.

[Mith242]

Welcome to the Northwest Arkansas Forum Slyder!

I can see that this topic might lead to some competetive skepticism but I think since Springfield is our closest bigger neighbor it's important that we view Springfield's growth patterns and problems as a resource for NWA's own growth.

For example, for our own Northwest Arkansas Light Rail topic it might be informative to look at Springfield's public transportation system and the problems it's facing due to growth. It's best not to compare the pros and cons of each city but Springfield is about 20 years ahead of NWA as far as urbanization goes. One thing to remember is that Springfield is a single city metro and doesn't follow the same growth patterns as a multi-city metro like the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers MSA. Even if Branson is added to Springfield's metro there is a sizable gap between the 2 cities unlike NWA's metro of 3 cities merged into one.

Very true. Springfield is the biggest city in the Ozarks and it might be useful to examine it more closely. I'm not positive but I think the NWA metro has passed up the Springfield metro but if they add the counties near Branson that will change. But yes for the moment Springfield has a much more centralized metro. Adding Branson could eventually change that though.

[mcheiss]

I'm glad to see Hammons taking a better effort at downtown Springfield and building a 30 Floor Tower and a 20+ Floor Hotel in the area. The City is practically the size of LR, yet only has a few skyscrapers, while Little Rock has around 30.

[bigboyz05]

Springfield is looking real good and will look even better when all these projects are completed.

[slyder1]

Welcome to the Northwest Arkansas Forum Slyder!

I can see that this topic might lead to some competetive skepticism but I think since Springfield is our closest bigger neighbor it's important that we view Springfield's growth patterns and problems as a resource for NWA's own growth.

For example, for our own Northwest Arkansas Light Rail topic it might be informative to look at Springfield's public transportation system and the problems it's facing due to growth. It's best not to compare the pros and cons of each city but Springfield is about 20 years ahead of NWA as far as urbanization goes. One thing to remember is that Springfield is a single city metro and doesn't follow the same growth patterns as a multi-city metro like the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers MSA. Even if Branson is added to Springfield's metro there is a sizable gap between the 2 cities unlike NWA's metro of 3 cities merged into one.

I see what your saying about the gap between Springfield and Branson but it's not as big as you might think. Most people think Springfield is the growth for the area, not true, it's actually all of the suburbs around springfield that have seen the significant growth. One thing Springfield has going for it is the setup of how the suburbs are located around the city. All of the suburbs are in a circle around Springfield, like St. Louis or K.C. (of course not as big) and will eventually grow into one big blob. The suburbs seeing the most growth are: Nixa, Ozark, Republic, Rogersville, and Willard. With the exception of Rogersville and Willard, the other burbs are expected to grow between 20,000-25,000 by 2010. In the last 10 years Springfiled's never ending south side has seen much growth as well, and with Nixa and Ozark (the two fastest growing cities in the state in the fatest growing county in the state) being to the south there is only about a 15 mile gap to Branson from the true south side of the Springfield Metro.

[bigboyz05]

I see what your saying about the gap between Springfield and Branson but it's not as big as you might think. Most people think Springfield is the growth for the area, not true, it's actually all of the suburbs around springfield that have seen the significant growth. One thing Springfield has going for it is the setup of how the suburbs are located around the city. All of the suburbs are in a circle around Springfield, like St. Louis or K.C. (of course not as big) and will eventually grow into one big blob. The suburbs seeing the most growth are: Nixa, Ozark, Republic, Rogersville, and Willard. With the exception of Rogersville and Willard, the other burbs are expected to grow between 20,000-25,000 by 2010. In the last 10 years Springfiled's never ending south side has seen much growth as well, and with Nixa and Ozark (the two fastest growing cities in the state in the fatest growing county in the state) being to the south there is only about a 15 mile gap to Branson from the true south side of the Springfield Metro.

So, do you think Springfield and Branson will one day merge?

[Mith242]

I'm glad to see Hammons taking a better effort at downtown Springfield and building a 30 Floor Tower and a 20+ Floor Hotel in the area. The City is practically the size of LR, yet only has a few skyscrapers, while Little Rock has around 30.

I could be wrong but I guess I didn't think Springfield was quite that large. Maybe it has more to do with Little Rock having more population spread out outside it's city limits. I also think Little Rock has the advantage of being the state capitol too.

[Mith242]

I see what your saying about the gap between Springfield and Branson but it's not as big as you might think. Most people think Springfield is the growth for the area, not true, it's actually all of the suburbs around springfield that have seen the significant growth. One thing Springfield has going for it is the setup of how the suburbs are located around the city. All of the suburbs are in a circle around Springfield, like St. Louis or K.C. (of course not as big) and will eventually grow into one big blob. The suburbs seeing the most growth are: Nixa, Ozark, Republic, Rogersville, and Willard. With the exception of Rogersville and Willard, the other burbs are expected to grow between 20,000-25,000 by 2010. In the last 10 years Springfiled's never ending south side has seen much growth as well, and with Nixa and Ozark (the two fastest growing cities in the state in the fatest growing county in the state) being to the south there is only about a 15 mile gap to Branson from the true south side of the Springfield Metro.

Thanks for the info, I was wondering a bit about some of that. I didn't know what was necessarily driving Springfield but it sounds like much of it is occuring outside it's city limits. I hope you don't mind if I keep asking some questions here but I'd like to find out more. What provides most of the jobs around Springfield? I think most of us know that Branson is tourism driven. But surely all the people moving into the Springfield/Branson area are retirees. They must be working somewhere. I do know Associated Wholesale Grocers have offices and warehouses in Springfield. But other than that I don't know of any others. So is Springfield doing much to improve itself or is it just basically riding the wave that the suburbs and Branson are creating?

[slyder1]

Thanks for the info, I was wondering a bit about some of that. I didn't know what was necessarily driving Springfield but it sounds like much of it is occuring outside it's city limits. I hope you don't mind if I keep asking some questions here but I'd like to find out more. What provides most of the jobs around Springfield? I think most of us know that Branson is tourism driven. But surely all the people moving into the Springfield/Branson area are retirees. They must be working somewhere. I do know Associated Wholesale Grocers have offices and warehouses in Springfield. But other than that I don't know of any others. So is Springfield doing much to improve itself or is it just basically riding the wave that the suburbs and Branson are creating?

Springfield's area of economic influence reaches 27 counties and 936,502 people. The Springfield metro workforce has grown more than 16% in the past 10 years and in 2004 accounted for more than one-third of Missouri's total job growth. The area unemployment rate has been below 4.5% for over ten years.

Approximately 92% of all area employers have fewer than 25 employees. The health care industry employs 25,000 people (15% of the total workforce) with a multi-billion dollar economic impact. Springfield's economic output (gross metro product) doubled in the past decade--fastest growing in MO, top 50 in the US.

The manufacturing sector provides a major economic impact and provides well-paying jobs for over 20,000 people. Annual retail sales in Springfield have been over $3 billion and well over $6 billion for the metropolitan area. The cost of living in Springfield stays consistently 10% below the national average.

Springfield-Branson National Airport (SGF) connects to 12 of the nations's largest hubs with more than 38 daily flights. SGF is the 2nd fastest-growing airport in the U.S. and the process to build a new terminal building is underway. The renaissance in downtown Springfield has transformed this historic district into the heart of the Springfield region. Fine dining, trendy retail, a lively art scene, entertainment venues, and an explosion of loft apartments exist at every turn. More than $300 million of private and public money has gone into historic renovations, an 9,000 seat baseball stadium--home to the AA Springfield Cardinals, a new convention center, recreational ice rink, and a nationally ranked park system.

Well-known companies with large operations in Springfield include the following:

Kraft Foods

3M

Bass Pro Shops (headquarters)

O'Reilly Auto Parts (headquarters)

JP Morgan Chase

T-Mobile

Northrop Grumman

MCI Worldcom

Cox Heath System

St. John's Heath System

[mcheiss]

The Thing that makes Springfield so much like NWA is that it is spread out with the close proximity of the cities Branson, Nixa, Ozark, Republic, Rogersville, and Willard. The growth is just probably as visible up there as it is here, if not bigger.

What all is there to do in Downtown Springfield?

[Mith242]

There's one difference that appears between our metros. I'd say the cost of living is really going up quite a bit for NWA. Whereas it sounds like Springfield's is still rather low. I wonder if that might change if growth takes off there like it has for NWA.

[Mith242]

I have another question. We've discussed quite a bit about public transportation here in NWA. Masons_dad1 mentioned it would be good to learn more about Springfield's as well. There was a little mentioned in another topic about the bus sytem. Could we hear some more about it and any other possible options? NWA has at least considered a light rail system even if it never gets off the ground. Is Springfield looking at other options like this?

[slyder1]

Thanks for the info, I was wondering a bit about some of that. I didn't know what was necessarily driving Springfield but it sounds like much of it is occuring outside it's city limits. I hope you don't mind if I keep asking some questions here but I'd like to find out more. What provides most of the jobs around Springfield? I think most of us know that Branson is tourism driven. But surely all the people moving into the Springfield/Branson area are retirees. They must be working somewhere. I do know Associated Wholesale Grocers have offices and warehouses in Springfield. But other than that I don't know of any others. So is Springfield doing much to improve itself or is it just basically riding the wave that the suburbs and Branson are creating?

I couldn't answer all your questions in my last post so I will finish here. Springfield is bringing in more young families than anything, all of the retiries are attracted to Branson. To answer your question on how much is Springfield improving itself, Yes we difinately are. The demand for office space is quite large which is why the are so many 5-12 story office buildings going up around town in addition to all upscale shopping developments like Battlefield Marketplace. Here is some more great news for Springfield:

SPRINGFIELD RANKS NO. 6 ON NATION'S BEST METROS LIST

A top economic development publication has placed Springfield high on its list of the best metros for business expansion. Expansion Management magazine ranks Springfield No. 6 of 331 U.S. metros for business expansion, citing its