LOCAL GOVERNMENT Review
CITY OF ASHLAND: Lakeside Ashland And Ranken Technical College Ashland Campus Opened in September 2022, Lakeside Ashland is an outdoor event venue featuring a 70-foot drive-style movie screen that doubles as an outdoor amphitheater for other entertainment options. The facility also includes a full-service concession stand/restaurant and a grass seating area for moviegoers to enjoy the outdoor venue. Future phases include the development of the lake into a swimming area with adjacent pickle ball courts, full service restaurants, and a hotel/indoor event space. Learn more at https://www.lakesideashland.com/. Breaking ground in 2022 with a planned opening in fall of 2023, Ranken Technical College, in partnership with Southern Boone County R-1 School District, the city of Ashland, and the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is constructing the Central Missouri Workforce Development Center. This will be a construction trade, medical services, information technology and industrial engineering technology training center. The EDA has awarded a $4.5 million grant to make the project possible. It is anticipated that the campus will create 163 jobs and inject $9 million in private investment into the community.
CITY OF BELTON: Southview Commerce Center Belton’s all new Southview Commerce Center, developed by NorthPoint Development, is a state-of-the-art flex-industrial park with more than 2.3 million square feet of real estate with three fully leased buildings: Progress Rail, a supplier of railroad and transit system products and services, became operational in 2020; Chewy, Inc. the largest online pet retailer, began fulfilling orders in 2021; and BoxyCharm, a BFA company, began shipping beauty subscription boxes in 2022. Southview Commerce Center’s fourth building welcomes Hillman Group Inc., a leading North American hardware company, that recently announced tenancy, bringing 120 new jobs. The building still offers 200,000 square feet of flex-industrial space available for a future co-tenant. The fourth building also houses the Training & Technical Center of Cass County, a collaboration between the city of Belton, West Central Missouri Community Action Agency, Belton School District #124, Metropolitan Community College and Northpoint Development. All entities are working together for the purpose of workforce development to serve the employers, citizens and students of Belton and Cass County. With more than 1,600 new jobs, NorthPoint Development saw an opportunity to construct an additional housing option, The Encore, a 322-luxury unit apartment complex located one mile from the Southview Commerce Center. www.mocities.com
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