Council advances Woodsonia Marketplace CID for large Prospect Village redevelopment

The Joplin City Council on Nov. 3 advanced a petition to create the Woodsonia Marketplace Community Improvement District, the second CID tied to the Prospect Village redevelopment, moving the measure to a second reading after a public presentation and questions.

City staff said the petition covers roughly 388 acres on the city’s east side and would enable local tax tools to pay for public infrastructure, environmental remediation and site work needed to redevelop a long‑vacant, blighted former industrial site. Leslie Haas, a city staff member, told the council the city has already approved a separate sports‑facility CID and a TIF for parts of the overall project; the Woodsonia Marketplace CID would fund additional site improvements and property acquisition, and the petition proposes a 1% district sales tax that would end after 27 years or when project costs and bonds are repaid.

Developer Drew Snyder (Woodsonia) presented renderings and a project summary, saying the full Prospect Village package includes an approximately 135,000‑square‑foot indoor sports complex, two artificial turf outdoor fields, about 186,300 square feet of retail and hotel space tied to a major anchor tenant, and — after a planned FEMA flood‑plain amendment — an anticipated 375 multifamily housing units. Snyder gave a total project budget figure of about $366,000,000 and described a financing mix that includes two CIDs and a TIF: “Total project cost is $366,000,000,” he said in presenting the budget breakdown and schedule.

Snyder and staff described environmental constraints: part of the site is a former Superfund parcel and requires cleanup and coordination with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources through the state voluntary cleanup program and a Corps of Engineers permit for work affecting federal waterways. Snyder said VCP submission was completed and the team expects the Corps permit in mid‑January, with mass grading targeted for summer 2026 and initial vertical construction by mid‑2027, contingent on remediation approvals.

Councilors asked about an anchor tenant and timing; Snyder said there have been progress in negotiations but declined to name the prospective anchor publicly. Staff emphasized the CID’s governance would include a board appointed by the mayor with council consent and an ex‑officio city representative with access to financial records.

The council accepted a staff motion to advance council bill 2025‑542 on first reading, which would form the Woodsonia Marketplace CID; if approved at second reading, the district’s additional 1% sales tax would begin collection after state processing, projected in spring 2026. The council recorded an 8‑0 vote to advance the bill (1 member absent).