JOPLIN, Mo. —
Residents who want to know more about Joplin’s redevelopment plans are being invited to attend an informational meeting Monday.
The private master development firm hired by the city will have representatives on hand for two sessions — 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. — in the basement conference room at City Hall, 602 S. Main St.
David Wallace, chief executive officer of Wallace Bajjali Development Partners, will make a presentation on potential development projects.
“We will be giving an update on where we are and where we’re headed,” Wallace said. He has given presentations to community groups including the Rotary Club and the Ozark Gateway Association of Realtors.
After the presentation, which will last 30 to 45 minutes, “I’m looking for the citizens to come back and say what they like and what they don’t like about the projects,” he said.
The firm will have tables set up with displays about the individual projects at which people can learn more about each one and can fill out cards with their remarks and preferences, he said.
Wallace said he wants to use an approach similar to that used by the Citizens Advisory Recovery Team. “We want the citizens to give input into the process” and on which projects they support and what locations they prefer for those projects, he said.
“We don’t want it to be a mayor’s project, a city manager’s project or a developer’s project,” Wallace said. “We want it to be a community project, so that residents have input into what is built.”
Representatives of the Citizens Advisory Recovery Team also will participate in the meeting to ask residents what type of community tornado memorial they would like to have, he said.
Wallace Bajjali has proposed about $800 million worth of development projects encompassing housing, retail and commercial expansion, entertainment, and SPARK, the downtown arts and performance complex proposed by City Manager Mark Rohr.
A meeting also is planned for Thursday, Nov. 8, regarding the firm’s proposal to establish a tax increment financing district in the tornado zone.
Wallace said that meeting is intended to be an educational effort about the purpose of such financing.
“Tax increment funding is a funding tool. It is not a new tax,” Wallace said. “It will help fund projects in the TIF plan. We want to sit down with people who live in the district to educate them that it does not adversely affect them. We want to let people put their mind to rest that this is not a tax. It’s not anything that will affect them adversely; if anything, it will affect them in a positive way.”
30 meetings
THE WALLACE BAJJALI FIRM intends to hold about 30 public meetings by the end of the year to discuss proposals and projects with residents.
May 2011 Joplin tornado
Master developer, recovery committee to discuss proposals
- May 2011 Joplin tornado
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Disaster response team to hold tornado memorial ride
A group of motorcycle enthusiasts who focus on disaster relief plan to hold a motorcycle ride through Joplin on the second anniversary of the May 22, 2011, tornado.
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SLIDESHOW: One year later, One day of unity, updated
Photos from a day of events commemorating the May 22, 2011 tornado anniversary
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Interfaith service explores different faiths
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St. Mary’s breaks ground to replace structures destroyed in 2011 tornado
Ground was broken symbolically Thursday to mark the beginning of a new chapter in the life of St. Mary’s parish in Joplin. “Our life is full of many chapters, and so is our parish,’’ said Bishop James Johnston, with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau.
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Attorney general files suit against California contractor
Attorney General Chris Koster on Thursday filed a lawsuit against a California man, alleging he failed to provide construction materials and home repair services that had been paid for by victims of the Joplin tornado.
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Employees of local businesses chip in again with Rebuild Joplin
Precariously perched at the top of a ladder, Jack Quinn maneuvers himself into a position where he can hammer a nail with one hand and stabilize his balance with the other. Catching his breath, he said, “I’m pretty sure I know the reason I’m not a carpenter.”
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Joplin board issues remainder of $62 million in bonds
The Joplin Board of Education on Tuesday authorized the sale of $27 million in bonds to help pay for the rebuilding of schools destroyed by the 2011 tornado.
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Joplin’s rebuilding numbers show no signs of letting up
Though it has slowed from its peak, Joplin’s rebuilding boom shows no signs of letting up.
Building permits totaling about $766 million have been issued by the city of Joplin since the May 2011 tornado. That includes $51 million in the five months since November, which marks the beginning of the city’s fiscal year. -
State allocation would repair Joplin curbs, gutters
Joplin would receive $15 million to repair and replace damaged curbs and guttering under a bill approved by the state Senate. The bill has been sent to the House for debate this week before a final decision is made by the Legislature.
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VIDEO: Youth group builds home to be assembled in Joplin
When the trucks from Elgin, Ill., roll into Joplin in early June, they will be carrying more than just volunteers and a lot of good will. The youth group from Elgin’s First United Methodist Church also will come bearing a house. The group first traveled to Joplin in July 2011 and helped with debris cleanup after the May 22 tornado. In October of that year, the group returned to help a resident put siding on her house.
- More May 2011 Joplin tornado Headlines
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