In March 2018, Missouri Western reached an agreement with T&G Real Estate Solutions, LLC to begin planning for the possible development of University-owned property.
The agreement with T&G covers approximately 80 acres of land at the northeast corner of 50th Street and Mitchell Avenue, which is east of the main campus and across 50th Street from the residence halls.
T&G has worked on several projects in the Midwest in partnership with other higher education institutions. Their first report, which presented development options, was delivered this past summer and included a variety of ideas for retail, residential and student recreation.
The planning for possible land development began in 2014, when the Missouri General Assembly passed and Gov. Jay Nixon signed into law a bill sponsored by State Rep. Kenneth Wilson ’89, giving universities in Missouri the opportunity to enter into long-term lease agreements of their property.
Missouri Western’s comprehensive master plan that same year identified several parcels of land on the 723-acre campus that could feasibly be developed, and the 80 acres was one of those identified.
Dr. Cale Fessler, vice president for financial planning and administration, said the development project has three goals – generate revenue, create more connections with the community and offer more services for the students.
The Missouri Western Foundation will pay the planning cost of just under $50,000. Other areas of campus could be developed in the future, Dr. Fessler noted.
“With decreasing state allocations over the past several years, it has become important to look for revenue options,” Dr. Fessler said. “This is the first step in a long-term project.”
EMS Memorial
Because of the change in the long-term lease law, the University recently signed a 99-year lease with the Missouri EMS Memorial Foundation to locate a memorial honoring fallen emergency medical service providers on campus. The memorial will be located on the south side of campus, near Mitchell Avenue, on land where the president’s house once stood before it was destroyed by fire on New Year’s Eve in 1981.
The memorial will be a pavilion approximately 50 feet by 50 feet with flagpoles, benches and stone markers. A Memorial Wall of Honor will feature the names of 27 EMS providers who have died in the line of duty in Missouri. Those who have faithfully dedicated their lives to EMS will also be honored, with names engraved in Service Walls flanking the Memorial Wall of Honor.
The memorial will be visible from Mitchell Avenue and accessible from a parking lot on the south side of campus. The Missouri EMS Memorial Foundation will be responsible for the construction, maintenance and repairs of the memorial and its landscaping.