Curators OK development for MU farm

By JOSH FLORY

ST. LOUIS - The Philips tract isn't the only new development on the horizon for south Columbia.

The University of Missouri curators yesterday adopted a proposal to designate a portion of the university's South Farm as a research park. The 1,452-acre property is owned by the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources on the Columbia campus. The farm is located just east of Highway 63, south of the Grindstone Avenue/Route AC intersection.

Under the new plan, a 58-acre chunk of the farm will become home to several buildings leased to private-sector tenants that have ties to university researchers.

Those tenants could be businesses that market products developed at the university, or that work collaboratively with University of Missouri-Columbia faculty on research and development.

While the new park will take a chunk out of property designated for the agriculture school, Dean Thomas Payne said Thursday that he's excited about the idea. Payne said he was concerned at one time that the property would be developed for housing, but he likes the current proposal.

"I think it's a great place to bring economic development to the area. It's a great place for us to showcase what we're doing and also entertain other kinds of research going on on-campus," he said.

John Gardner, the university system's vice president for research and economic development, presented the idea to curators yesterday, and the designation was approved with little discussion.

In an interview, Gardner said Columbia, Boone County and the Missouri Department of Transportation will all be involved in efforts to build infrastructure at the site, including a new interchange on Highway 63 that will require some use of university property. Ultimately, he said, the idea is that a new arterial road will connect that interchange with Rolling Hills Road.

Gardner said the new interchange is scheduled for construction in 2008 but said it's possible that construction at the research park could begin as early as next summer.

Reach Josh Flory at (573) 815-1719 or jflory@tribmail.com.