Downtown developments in the works
Published April 13, 2007
A performing arts center, a music school building, a museum complex and more parking capacity are only a few of the projects inspired by the Campus/Downtown District Opportunities Study. The projects are detailed in the recently updated MU Campus Master Plan.
The University of Missouri, the city of Columbia and Stephens College plan to use the results of the Campus/Downtown District Opportunities Study, conducted last year by development firm Sasaki Associates, to expand the north edge of the MU campus and parts of The District.
The Columbia Special Business District has followed the study and its developments.
"We'd love to see higher density development," Special Business District Director Carrie Gartner said. "We'd love to see multi-story, mixed-use businesses with people living on the upper floors."
Gartner said connecting the campuses and The District would be an asset to the schools.
"What makes students stay at a college is not just the college itself," she said. "If you've got a vital downtown area, if you've got things in walking distance of their classes, they're going to feel more a part of the community instead of transferring somewhere else."
The Master Plan highlights three main areas of development, which include ideas to extend Elm Street to College Avenue, develop Eighth Street into a northern gateway to campus and build on both sides of Flat Branch Park. The performing arts center, museum complex and extra parking would fit within these areas.
Columbia Mayor Darwin Hindman said initiatives such as those proposed in the plan have been successful in cities similar to Columbia.
"I think that with the visualization, you're going to see huge momentum to make it happen," he said.
The city's visioning process is a set of meetings to plan for the growth and the development of the city in the near future.
Campus Facilities Director Phil Shocklee said future development would benefit both the campus and the city.
"We could all work together to improve that area for future development," Shocklee said. "We have a very vibrant downtown, and that is due in part to close proximity to the campus."
"The planning principles were revised last year to give more emphasis to sustainability issues," Shocklee said.
Environmental practices would save the city millions of dollars, Hindman said. "We have a real economic reason as well as a moral and just plain desire to encourage sustainability," he said. "It's a lot harder to put into practice than you might think."