Between the two proposals that the Jefferson City Council is considering to redevelop the old Missouri State Penitentiary, the Chesterfield Hotels proposal is clearly the better option.
It's the only one that would put a long-desired city conference center at the old prison, and it's the only one that would redevelop MSP in a meaningful and economically viable way.
City leaders for generations have expressed the need for a convention/conference center. Every now and then, the city gets to the point it is now, where it considers proposals from private developers.
But, in the end, it has never worked out.
Now, we have 32 acres of the old MSP and two developers who would redevelop that space, including the building of a convention center.
St. Louis-based Chesterfield Hotels, along with architecture and design firm Arcturis, Peckham Architecture and Central Missouri Professional Services, would divide the $153.7 million project into four phases for different areas:
A private hotel and city-owned, $17.5 million conference center. Both would be operated by the developer. This first phase would also include a city-owned, 360-space parking garage at a cost of about $7.9 million, plus another $2.5 million for street/infrastructure improvements.
A $16.5 million city-owned ice arena, expo center expansion owned by the city and operated by the hotel, and private development of mixed-use commercial buildings.
Private developments that could include a 45,000-square-foot museum and a train station.
A four-story office building, amphitheater and public space amenities. This area would be publicly owned, costing an estimated $21.7 million.
The other proposal is local, coming from the Farmer Companies Team, and contains two proposals, both including a convention center near their new Courtyard by Marriott hotel on Missouri Boulevard.
Option A would be a Veterans Memorial Athletic Complex at the MSP site, with five to 10 artificial turf athletic fields, snack bar, picnic pavilion, walking trails, playgrounds and restrooms. It would be owned and operated by F&F development. This proposal would include a 25,000-square-foot convention center. The estimated total cost for option A is $16.66 million. Lodging tax funds would make up $12.9 million, and $3.76 million would come from developer equity and developer tools in the form of tax increment financing and community improvement districts.
Option B would be a larger, two-story, 50,000-square-foot convention center built by the hotel. The MSP site would be developed into Veterans Memorial Park with a picnic pavilion and restrooms, two playgrounds, walking trails and exercise stations, as well as the built-to-suit restaurant. The estimated cost for option B is $14.1 million, with $12.9 million from the lodging tax funds and $1.2 million from the TIF/CID.
Neither proposal is ideal, but the Chesterfield Hotels' proposal seems clearly better.
We feel strongly that a conference center should be within walking distance from the downtown, the Capitol and MSP. That makes MSP an ideal location.
Due to the 2018 agreement between the city and the state for the conveyance of the land, the City Council faces a July deadline to make a decision.
While we favor the Chesterfield Hotels' proposal, we also question whether now is the right time to pursue a convention center.
At the moment, tourism is practically non-existent due to the COVID-19 pandemic. No one knows what the future holds.
When we do get past the pandemic, will the "new normal" have the same level of in-person conferences? Or will some of them permanently be replaced with Zoom-type meetings? That question alone could determine whether the entire project is economically viable.
The City Council should proceed negotiating with Chesterfield Hotels but do so cautiously with the understanding we might have to wait still longer to make a convention center a reality in Jefferson City.
News Tribune