BUILDING BOOM: CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY IN CAPE GIRARDEAU WILL TOP $33.1 MILLION IN 1994

A flurry of new construction plans in Cape Girardeau could boost construction activity here past the 1993 level of $33.2 million, second best in the city's history.

Through the 11 months of the year, building permits have been issued for more than $32 million, with almost half of that amount for residential construction.

"We're ahead of last year's totals at this time," said Rick Murray, building inspector and supervisor of Cape Girardeau Inspection Service. "This translates into a busy year here, for residential and commercial."

More than 700 permits have been issued. Permits are issued for all new constructions, renovations, signs, demolition of buildings, carports, decks, swimming pools and more.

On some projects as many as 50 on-site inspections are required from start to finish.

"These include inspections for footings, plumbing, electrical work, sewers, water, mechanical (gas lines and venting), and more," Murray said. Although official totals are not immediately available through November, more than 3,500 inspections were recorded through August. A total of 4,600 inspections were conducted last year.

The biggest permit construction category to date is commercial construction and expansions, which total more than $15.1 million, with more than $11 million for new construction.

One of the largest permits issued during the third quarter is a permit for a $2.4 million building for Target Stores Cape West Business Park.

Groundwork has been completed for the new 97,000-square-foot Target building, and construction is under way on walls.

The business park, west of Interstate 55, already is home to two large retail centers -- Lowe's Home Center and Wal-Mart. Recent additions to the business park near the I-55 and Route K intersections are a Shell service station and convenience store, a Drury Suites Hotel and McDonald's Restaurant.

Under construction in the same general area are a Hampton's Inn and Hardee's Restaurant. The new Target store will be built just south of the Hampton Inn site. Target, a division of Dayton Hudson Corp., has more than 500 stores in 32 states. The company handles a variety of merchandise, including apparel for men, women and children, jewelry and accessories, housewares, health and beauty aids, pet supplies, hardware, paint and wallpaper, and many other items.

On the other side of the interstate, construction is continuing on a Ryan's Steak House, and a new office building.

Ryan's Steak House, a chain based in Greer, S.C., is building a 10,000-square-foot restaurant immediately south of the Drury Lodge, at I-55 and Route K. The new restaurant will seat between 375 and 400 people.

Drury Southwest, a Cape Girardeau real estate and motel developer and outdoor advertising company, is constructing the office building to the east of the Drury Lodge and just west of the Drury offices. The new building will house Drury Southwest corporate offices and will consist of about 9,500 square feet on each of two floors. Completion is scheduled for early November, Westrich said.

Drury Southwest has also announced plans for a commercial retail complex at the southeast corner of Route K and Mount Auburn Road.

Groundwork is under way for the first of seven or eight buildings. The project, "Auburn Park Place," will include 60,000 square feet of commercial rental space in a strip shopping concept, a multi-level office building and a four-level parking garage.

Another big construction project has been completed with the opening of a Walgreens Co. store at the intersection of Independence and Kingshighway last week. The new business opened Wednesday in its new 13,000-square-foot building.

Another major category is residential housing, where more than 100 permits have been issued at a valuation of $14,127,902, for an average of about $135,000 each.

"People are building more expensive homes this year," Murray said. "We haven't had many permits for homes under $100,000."

During the past four months, 30 home permits have been issued, with only five under $90,000.

Apartment and duplex construction has also been healthy. Permits have been issued for a dozen projects with projected costs of more than $1.7 million. Projects include a number of duplex units and some four-unit buildings.

City building permits for more than $33.2 million were issued in 1993, the second highest year ever. The biggest year was 1992, when permits were issued for more than $47 million in construction, including major multimillion dollar projects at Southeast Missouri Hospital and the Health Service Corporation of America (HSCA).

1995 could be another big year in Cape Girardeau.

"We are really optimistic for next year," Murray said. "We're looking at some major projects."

Anticipated big projects, which could shove construction activity past the $50 million range, include a new D&K Wholesale Drugs warehouse, at a cost of about $4 million; The Boyd Gaming Corp land-based operation, scheduled to open during the winter of 1995; new construction, expansion building projects at St. Francis Medical Center, and the Auburn Park Place project.

D&K Wholesale Drugs, headquartered in St. Louis, announced recently it will move its Cairo branch operation to Cape Girardeau, where it will build a $4 million distribution center. Work on the new center is expected to start in 1995, with the move to be completed by spring 1996.

Boyd Gaming Corp., which has announced plans for $51.1 million gambling boat operation along the Mississippi River in downtown Cape Girardeau, met with city officials last week. Over half of the total cost of the project -- $26.4 million -- will be for the land-based parking garage and operations center.