Jefferson City residents on Monday will get their first glimpse at possible redevelopment plans for the Missouri State Penitentiary.
An open house will allow the public to interact with two potential developers and learn about their proposals for the redevelopment of the historic prison.
The event won't feature an agenda or any formal presentations, but it will allow people to interact with representatives from the developers and give their opinions, City Counselor Ryan Moehlman said.
The city has been interested in redeveloping part of MSP since the state conveyed about 32 acres to the city in 2018.
The land is between the historic site and Chestnut Street, as well as some right-of-way areas and the old shoe factory, the second-oldest building on the prison site.
Construction on MSP began in 1834, but the oldest existing building is Housing Unit 4, or "A Hall," built in 1868. Many of the buildings on site, including several housing units and the old shoe factory, are more than 100 years old.
The prison was decommissioned, and the last inmates were transferred to the new Jefferson City Correctional Center on the east side of town in 2004.
In 1999, a 24-member task force was created and was made up of city, state, county and local civic organization representatives to create a plan for the redevelopment of the 142-acre site once the inmates were moved. They anticipated legislation would be introduced in 2001 to establish redevelopment guidelines, and they would begin redevelopment in summer 2001.
However, redevelopment did not occur, and the plan was set aside after the move.
Once the 32 acres were conveyed to the city, the idea of redevelopment was once again brought forward.
The city formed the Missouri State Penitentiary Community Partners shortly after the land was conveyed, made up of city, county and state representatives. The MSPCP planned to use the MSP Master Plan, created by the original task force in 2001, as a guide.
In August, the Jefferson City Council approved a developer performance agreement for the prison, which detailed what the MSPCP wanted to see for developer proposals. At the time, four possible development teams indicated they might submit project proposals by the Dec. 1 deadline.
By the Dec. 1 deadline, only two proposals were submitted, Moehlman said. The two potential developers are: Farmer Companies and a group made up of Chesterfield Hotels, Arcturis, Peckham Architecture and Central Missouri Professional Services.
City officials have previously said they expect to select a developer by spring 2020. The city must select a developer within two years of the state conveying the land to the city, according to an agreement between the city and state. The city must also start construction within four years, the agreement adds.
The open house event will allow the council and MSPCP to gauge the public's reaction to the proposals.
"The decision makers are interested in how the public sees these, and each member of the MSPCP and City Council have to decide how much they want to weigh public input," Moehlman said.
The open house will be from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Monday in the police classroom at the Jefferson City Police Department Building, 401 Monroe St. Entrance to the classroom will be on the south-southwest side of the building.