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Commission recommends annexation and M‑2 rezoning for 25‑acre Project Eagle distribution site amid traffic and resident concerns
Summary
Ambrose Property Group pitched a 130,000‑sq‑ft distribution facility (Project Eagle) on 25 acres south of East 32nd; the commission recommended annexation and M‑2 rezoning after developers described operations and job estimates and residents raised traffic and access concerns.
The Joplin Zoning and Planning Commission on March 9 recommended annexation of about 25 acres into the city and forwarded a rezoning request to M‑2 heavy industrial for a proposed 130,000‑square‑foot distribution facility dubbed Project Eagle.
Zach Imbess of Ambrose Property Group said the site, south of the former Blue Buffalo facility along East 32nd Street, is planned for a Class A distribution operation with receiving, storage, staging and shipping inside the building. Imbess told the commission the operation would not be a data center or manufacturing site, that trucks and vans would follow a no‑idle policy, and that the developer will comply with Missouri Department of Transportation requirements for turn lanes and access on East 32nd. "This is not a data center, and this is not a manufacturing facility," Imbess said.
Jason Vanglis, with Ambrose’s economic development team, told commissioners the facility would generate about 100 jobs, with roughly a dozen full‑time leadership positions. Residents who live east of the parcel said they worry about increased traffic, road safety and impacts on elderly neighbors using medical transport vans. James Bycroft asked what controls would limit hazardous materials and where line hauls would originate; Ambrose replied that long‑haul shipments typically come from regional hubs such as Kansas City and St. Louis and that operations are limited to consumer packaged goods and items commonly sold at hardware stores.
The commission voted to recommend annexation of the 25 acres and to forward the rezoning request to city council. Commissioners and the project team stressed that DOT approval is required for East 32nd improvements and that commission recommendations are advisory; the items will go to city council on April 6, 2026 for final action.
