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2,500 acres south of 255 - all of which is in the city of Columbia - and 1,500 acres north of the interstate, most of which
lies in unincorporated Monroe County.
The proposed development would range from commercial uses including retail, hotels and restaurants to office and
industrial. Grewe has submitted a conceptual development plan for a first phase of 600 acres around the Fish Lake Road
overpass. The plan includes approximately 400 acres to the south of 255 and 200 acres to the north.
The village of Dupo has teamed up with Clayco Construction Co. in an effort to develop an industrial park on the north side
of I-255, including much of the 1,500 acres covered in the Columbia-Grewe development agreement.
Both the city and the village are seeking to annex the unincorporated area lying between them and have been trying to
negotiate a boundary agreement for the past several months.
Approximately 200 acres north of I-255 are in the city of Columbia; the city recently annexed another 170 acres.
According to Lester Schneider, mayor of the city of Columbia, this recent annexation surrounds an additional 80 acres -
making it impossible for Dupo to achieve the contiguity necessary for annexation.
G. J. Grewe Inc. is a commercial real estate developer based in Crestwood, Mo. Founded by Gerard J. Grewe in 1984, the firm
has developed 14 shopping centers in several states but focuses on properties within a one-day drive of St. Louis.
Grewe's largest project, Gravois Bluffs in Fenton, Mo, includes 1.5 million square feet of retail tenants including Lowe's,
Shop 'n Save, Target, Wal-Mart and Circuit City.
Gerard Grewe, president of G.J. Grewe Inc., envisions something like Gravois Bluffs for Columbia.
"If you like Gravois Bluffs, you'll like what we do in Columbia," he said.
Clayco Construction Co. is considered to be one of the largest general contractors in the St. Louis region. As a real
estate developer, Clayco Real Estate has been involved in the development of more than 7.8 million square feet of office and
industrial buildings over the past 10 years.
John Brancaglione, vice president of Peckham Guyton Albers & Viets Inc., development consultant to the city of Columbia, is
excited by the prospective development.
"This will be the largest initiative undertaken since Gateway Commerce Center on that side of the (Mississippi) river," he
said. "It will be comparable to the combination of Earth City, Corporate Woods and Riverport."
Terry Grewe of G.J. Grewe Inc. said he highly favors the location as well.
"We try to identify growth areas with great potential and then focus on making it happen," he said. "We looked at all that
is going on in South County and decided the next boom area was going to be across the river."
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Both sides agree that the combination of the projects is extremely important, not only to Dupo and Columbia but to the
entire region.
Mayor Ron Dell of Dupo said thousands of jobs could be created and the projects could draw business from nearby south St.
Louis County.
Key to both projects is the construction of a new interstate interchange. Both cities have approached U.S. Rep. Jerry
Costello (D-Illinois) about including funding for an interchange in the transportation reauthorization bill known as the Safe,
Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2003 or TEA-21. After multiple deadline extensions, the bill
remains under Congressional consideration in Washington.
Costello said he has advised both municipalities that there will be funding for only one interchange, and that they need to
agree on the location. This has been a further point of confrontation between the two cities.
Schneider said he is pushing for an interchange at Fish Lake Road, approximately one mile east of the Jefferson Barracks
Bridge. He said this interchange locale was specified in the original plans for I-255 back in 1978, but that the proposed
interchange was later eliminated to reduce costs.
And, he said, Fish Lake Road is the only location that will be able to service the entire area.
The projected cost of the interchange is $19 million, with 80 percent of the funds to come from federal transportation
dollars.
But Schneider is worried that Columbia may not get its long-awaited interchange.
"Unfortunately, politics is sticking its big nose into this situation," Schneider said. "And it's quite possible that the
$19 million that Jerry Costello says is earmarked in the transportation bill might very well go to the Davis Street Ferry or
the Imbs Station location (in Dupo). This would be a terrible mistake. An interchange in that location would only serve half
of a circle," he added.
Costello said politics has nothing to do with it.
"Both municipalities are fighting for their communities, which is understandable," he said. "I have encouraged both of them
to work out an agreement. If they do not, my decision will be based solely on which location is best for the entire
area/region - as opposed to what is best for one community over the other."
Schneider said that if the Fish Lake Road interchange is funded in TEA-21, construction would probably take three to five
years to complete. While the project would be much harder to complete without federal funds, he said Columbia's agreement with
Grewe is that the city will pursue other federal, state and local sources and programs so that it can jointly finance the
project with Grewe.
"The only way to have a true regional development area is through the Fish Lake overpass," Schneider said. "Any other
location is strictly based on a political decision."
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