McDonald County tidbit

[KJW]

"...developers are 'bombarding' the city (Jane, MO) with inquiries about the area..."

Haven't joined in the "Future predictions" thread yet but one of mine is that something big is going to happen to this county before the next 20 years elapse, and that with the increased revenue the county is getting they'll finally cave in and build a new high school (schools have been a big negative against a lot of development in McD, though I'm not sure how much merit there is to that argument) - both factors influencing growth north of B'ville and Bella Vista, in addition to the better highway system coming in place.

Seriously, you've got Bentonville/BV - what many say is the hub of NWA...think of every other major city (i.e. Dallas, Atlanta, St.Louis) with suburbs radiating like spokes from the hub of a wheel. In Bentonville's case to the west you've got miles of cookie cutter houses on the tree-denuded prairies of Centerton. To the east, Rogers, with its urban traffic jams. To the south, Lowell/Cave Springs, much the same save for the XNA to Siloam corridor which itself is being built up.

To the north? McDonald, with miles of pretty, undeveloped land. Seems like an opportunity to me.

BTW, they're doing a lot of grading work immediately northwest of the Jane W-M Supercenter, for what I know not.

[KJW]

Decisions, decisions...do I put this in this thread, the thread about "the future" or the "I-49" thread? It's relevant to my last posts in all of them.

[KJW]

Oh, my.

We've talked before about how studies can say anything, but I hadn't heard this one...the 10-15 year projection would put the McDonald County district about 3,000 students more than the JOPLIN district currently is (and unless they build a 2nd high school) would put McDonald County High at over 3,000 students, on a par not only with Bentonville (right now) but also the biggest St. Louis / Kansas City high schools, and would put the county's population (rough estimate) at about 60,000 in 10-14 years based on last year's estimate of 22,000 residents!

Given recent stories that developers are "bombarding" Jane with potential requests contingent on new sewer service, which appears to be a go, this still seems to ring true:

A consultant hired by the McDonald County school district in advance of a bond issue approved in April 2006 projected the district, which had about 3,700 students at the time, would have 5,000 students in five years and 10,000 students in 10 to 15 years based on growth trends.

Today's lead story in the Joplin Globe.

Interestingly, this article cites Joplin as the driving force behind far SW Missouri growth. If that's the case I wonder why Neosho is advertising itself on NWA TV, and why Arkansas played such a prominent role in the recent opening of the final 4-lane Missouri stretch of U.S. 71?

[KJW]

It appears that they're starting to actively build the clinic/hospital in Jane (A branch of Joplin's Freeman Hospital, I believe). They've got stakes marking out areas of the ground and there's a lot of heavy construction equipment there now.

Again, I almost find it hard to believe that, according to the Joplin newspaper link above, McDonald County schools will have 10,000 kids in the next decade (making McDonald County High a few hundred kids smaller than what 3,400 strong Bentonville High is now). That means a 40,000 person increase...and it seems likely that most of those folks would be in the Jane/Pineville area. Imagine Jane being almost as big as Bentonville is now...that, too, will be significant someday regardless of whether NASCAR comes here or not.

[KJW]

It appears that they're starting to actively build the clinic/hospital in Jane (A branch of Joplin's Freeman Hospital, I believe). They've got stakes marking out areas of the ground and there's a lot of heavy construction equipment there now.

Again, I almost find it hard to believe that, according to the Joplin newspaper link above, McDonald County schools will have 10,000 kids in the next decade (making McDonald County High a few hundred kids smaller than what 3,400 strong Bentonville High is now). That means a 40,000 person increase...and it seems likely that most of those folks would be in the Jane/Pineville area. Imagine Jane being almost as big as Bentonville is now...that, too, will be significant someday regardless of whether NASCAR comes here or not.

The voters in McDonald County yesterday gave approval to the new sewer bonds for Jane, so it looks like the additional water supply line will be built.

Now we'll see if the builders do indeed come...

[KJW]

There are going to be five (count 'em, FIVE) stoplights between the Jane/Noel Missouri turnoff and Bella Vista in Missouri...that's five times as many stoplights as Bentonville itself had not much more than two decades ago. I drove by the site of the new hospital and it's going to be significant, and they're building a stoplight at the entrance to it, which will mean people coming off the interstate from Winnipeg/Omaha/KC/Joplin will encounter:

1. A stoplight (with a warning light ahead of it) at the Jane/Noel turnoff (forget the routhe name).

2. A light at Larry Neff Dr. (the new Freeman Hospital)

3. A light at Commercial Dr. (Wal-Mart/McDonald's/Gordon Hollow Rd.)

4. A light at Route 00 (Macadoodles/Forest Hills Dr. in Bella Vista)

5. A light at Bear Hollow Rd. (State line/Wal-Mart computer center)

MAN, that decision by Arkansas to footdrag on their portion of the BV bypass (causing Missouri to divert funds from the same project, postponing their side of it) is looming larger and larger, IMO...

[KJW]

McDonald County may be getting a branch of Crowder (2 year) College of Neosho. Maybe a second high school, too.

(Both pieces of land purchased are at U.S. 71 and Route 90 (the Jane/Noel turnoff), which is the "first" of the five McDonald stoplights before Bella Vista I spoke of above.)

[PinkTiger]

McDonald County land prices are inflated beyond reality. Most of the land won't appraise for what people want. For example, this fellow in Jane wants $2.6 Million for his farmland, mostly scrub, some pasture, with only rural water to the road and no sewer. What is he thinking? No developer will buy this land Most of it is unusable for building a large-scale development, and the utilities are years away, if ever.

But I have another concern: I understand that Freeman may not build this facility. They have posted a for sale sign on the land they were preparing for the Medical Center. Does anyone have information on this?

[KJW]

McDonald County land prices are inflated beyond reality. Most of the land won't appraise for what people want. For example, this fellow in Jane wants $2.6 Million for his farmland, mostly scrub, some pasture, with only rural water to the road and no sewer. What is he thinking? No developer will buy this land Most of it is unusable for building a large-scale development, and the utilities are years away, if ever.

But I have another concern: I understand that Freeman may not build this facility. They have posted a for sale sign on the land they were preparing for the Medical Center. Does anyone have information on this?

Good news on the second paragraph, PinkTiger.

Freeman Hospital now has a large two sided sign advertising that their hospital at the intersection of Larry Neff and 71 will indeed be built. The Freeman sign is on the southeast side of the junction - the "For sale" sign is on the northeast side of the junction.

[KJW]

I've chronicled here the parade of diverse folks I see at the Jane, MO Walmart.

Here's probably the most unusual groups I've seen, who appear to be fellow residents, and I'll be cautious how I say it.

The last couple of visits there (in the span of weeks) I've seen multiple customers who appear to be of northeast African descent. Not Arab, nor even (southern) Sudanese, but more like Ethiopian/Eritrean/Somali...living in Atlanta I met more than one individual from that region and they are distinctive looking and distinguished. The women who are with them wear long chador headdresses, though I've also seen these women shopping and leaving by themselves. One man by himself was wearing what some used to call a "Kente" hat but I'm not sure that's the right word - he was circling the bath area talking in his native language on a cell phone. Even with the diversity in the area I thought maybe they were U.S. 71 travelers the first time I saw them but given I've seen this ethnic group on multiple visits and apparently shopping separately they look to be our new neighbors. I had heard that Somalis elsewhere were becoming workers at chicken processing plants and there are large such operations at Noel and Southwest City in "Mac County"...that may be why they've moved here.

Some, in this day of heightened awareness of terror, might be uneasy. I am thinking these customers were here for American and its opportunity, and quite probably that of NW Arkansas. I only wish the true story of the changes of this area would be told by more people - our area really is an incredible story of this decade.

[KJW]

Taco Bell will be opening up near the Jane, MO Boonslick Motel within 2 weeks, I'm told. Now "County" will have a McD's, a Bell and a Subway within a mile of each other on the southern border with Bella Vista.

[Mith242]

Something I saw a little while back. A few years ago there was someone trying to build a NASCAR quality racetrack in McDonald County. Apparently that's fallen through. Apparently there was a problem with a local landowner. Although this is outside our metro. Apparently the same guy is now trying to build it just north of the Arkansas state line further east. It would be south of the Branson airport.

[KJW]

It's not every day that NWA gets a brand new campus of an established college, but I discovered that's what's happening in Jane Missouri about a block north of the Taco Bell/Boonslick Motel:

 

http://fourstateshomepage.com/fulltext?nxd_id=340662 (video), and;

 

 

http://www.fox14tv.com/story/19172724/crowder-college-looks-to-expand-in-mcdonald-county

 

 

Dirt is already starting to be moved for the Jane branch of Crowder College out of Neosho.  It sits at U.S. 71 and Larry Neff Drive, where (I think earlier on this thread) at one point Freeman Hospital of Joplin was planning on opening a branch.  They still own land there.  The drawing in the video is kind of rough.  I discovered this by accident last night leaving the Taco Bell and saw that there appears to be a better illustration on a billboard there...I'll try to get a picture if time allows.  Crowder has been holding nursing classes at McDonald County High which will be moved here, so there will still be medical activity of sorts.  The facility is expected to open in the latter part of next year.

[KJW]

On the way north yesterday I stopped and shapped this picture. Sorry I couldn't resize it.  If this scale is true this looks to become the tallest non-industrial (feed mill towers at Anderson, Noel and Southwest City would top it) building in McDonald County.  Tells me that, as articles above say, they're expecting a lot of Arkansas students.  There's also a large tract of ground being broken on the west side of U.S. 71 across from the Jane, MO McDonald's and Taco Bell for something, though I couldn't see any signs.  Again, the Crowder site is on the east side of U.S. 71 one block east on Larry Neff Drive, approximately 2 blocks north of Taco Bell.  (UPDATE: the facility being built on the west side of 71 is an Orscheln Farm & Home supply, identical to the big one just commissioned in Tontitown):

 

[UrbanArkie]

I don't see this being built as the renderings imply.

[KJW]

I don't see this being built as the renderings imply.

 

UrbanArkie, we won't know until this progresses further but, there were several people working at both this and the Orscheln site today when I ate at Taco Bell.

 

And, MAN, they can't get I-49's Bella Vista bypass built soon enough.  Knowing the BV traffic at rush hour, if Crowder/Jane has even a significant fraction of the traffic like NWACC has that could significantly contribute to the bottlenecks.

[KJW]

On the way north yesterday I stopped and shapped this picture. Sorry I couldn't resize it.  If this scale is true this looks to become the tallest non-industrial (feed mill towers at Anderson, Noel and Southwest City would top it) building in McDonald County.  Tells me that, as articles above say, they're expecting a lot of Arkansas students.  There's also a large tract of ground being broken on the west side of U.S. 71 across from the Jane, MO McDonald's and Taco Bell for something, though I couldn't see any signs.  Again, the Crowder site is on the east side of U.S. 71 one block east on Larry Neff Drive, approximately 2 blocks north of Taco Bell.  (UPDATE: the facility being built on the west side of 71 is an Orscheln Farm & Home supply, identical to the big one just commissioned in Tontitown):

 

 

 

The metal for this is up now.  I've been told that this will indeed be the Nursing campus of Crowder.  No word yet, obviously, if there will be more classes added.  The Taco Bell manager south of this told me his business has nearly doubled already with this plus the construction crews of the Orscheln across the street.  Again, I-49's "Bella Vista bypass" can't be built soon enough, given the potential traffic bottlenecks this may make at the U.S. 71/Larry Neff Drive interchange.

[KJW]

Update: NWA metro's newest college will open in January 2014.  The Orscheln store here near it will open two months before that.

[KJW]

I don't see this being built as the renderings imply.

It seems to be pretty much faithful to the rendering.  Unfortunately, my cell camera didn't get that great an image tonight.  Inside they're using these light fixtures that are multiple flourescent tube lights hanging together vertically.  Interesting touch:

 

[UrbanArkie]

just like the renderings... except the timber work was greatly minimized, the glazing completely value engineered, and the overall structure look substantially shorter.

It still looks nice.

[KJW]

just like the renderings... except the timber work was greatly minimized, the glazing completely value engineered, and the overall structure look substantially shorter.

It still looks nice.

 

You know your architecture better than I, UrbanArkie, but respectfully said it looks about as tall in person as it did on the rendering, and the main entrance structure actually looks a bit wider than on the rendering.

[UrbanArkie]

If a structure like that showed up in the small Kansas town I grew up in, it would be town changing. Just like when Walmart opened there 30 years ago.

[wmr]

The built structure is much shorter than the rendering.  Look at where the arch begins in the rendering, versus where it begins in reality.  It looks like they took at least a full floor out of the finished building.

[KJW]

Very nice front page story in the Benton County paper today about the new Crowder College/Jane.  ($ - pay link).

 

Basically, they're saying neither Crowder nor NWACC are in competition with one another, but that both are getting Arkansas and Missouri students.  The nursing program at the new college starts this week; the general program starts next.