Cape officials expect annexation boom, plans for future

Since Cape Girardeau was incorporated in 1808, growth has chugged along at a fairly steady clip. In the 1970s, state annexation laws were changed to speed up the process, and since that time the city has had about three annexations per year.

City officials say residents can expect this momentum to go into overdrive in the near future.

"I believe we will experience unprecedented annexation over the next three to five years," said Mayor Jay Knudtson.

Knudtson said the ultimate goal is for the city to take its boundaries all the way to Southeast Missouri State University's planned 410-acre Technology Park complex near Interstate 55.

City planner Kent Bratton agreed with the mayor's assessment, saying development in the north is attractive. That's not only because of university development and the new I-55 interchange, he said. Expansion to the north is also a necessity.

"It's pretty obvious when you look at the map where the city will grow," Bratton said. "You can't go east because of the river, you can't go south because of the bottoms. So the only directions you have left are north and west. And because of where the interstate is, it's going to attract you to the northwest."

Knudtson said this growth is vital to creating the atmosphere of a "city on the move."

"Conventional wisdom will tell you that one of the biggest measuring tools a city has is its population. I'm faced with citizens who come and ask me how come we've been at 36,500 people for the last 25 years when our county is one of the fastest-growing counties in the state," he said. "I can show some of our figures for economic growth, but that doesn't resonate with the casual observer the way population does."

Knudtson said he is eager for the 2010 census. He believes it will show Cape Girardeau exhibiting strong growth.

"We hope to have a large number of folks brought in by that time," Knudtson said.

Map by Spencer Cramer

One builder whose property figures to be part of that growth is Rodney Arnold. Arnold is building the second phase of a 140-lot development commonly called Whispering Oaks. The gated communities Arnold is building are off of Cape LaCroix Road, more than 2 miles north of the intersection of Kingshighway and Lexington Avenue. For Arnold, the location is ideal and convenient, but it's also outside city limits.

Despite that, the city allowed Arnold to pay for city water lines and even shared the cost of extending the city sewer system to the development. The only thing city hall asked for was a written agreement that, when possible, the property would be annexed.

Arnold says leaders are wise to take an aggressive stance on growth.

"If you're not growing, you're dying. That's my business motto," he said. "Sure, we would love to develop within city limits, but I'd ask you to go find the land to do it. It's not there, not for the type of development people are asking for."

Running utilities out to a property is simplified today because of planning that took place more than a decade ago. In 1989, the city finalized its master sewer plan, and since that time has laid a mile of trunk sewer in the city each year. A master water plan followed, and in 1995 Cape Girardeau purchased its water system from Union Electric. These moves, Bratton said, have given the city the flexibility to accommodate developers, like Arnold, who push farther and farther from the city's core.

Arnold said the advantage of being part of Cape Girardeau is obvious.

"When I built out here I didn't have to put homes on septic systems," said Arnold. "We have underground natural gas, city water, city sewer, Charter cable, and these homes are sitting out here one minute away from the new interchange and with an acre of land to each lot. The city was very proactive to make this possible."

This year Cape Girardeau has annexed three pieces of property. The additions were 82 acres north of the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, 86 acres north of County Road 620 and a smaller plot of land south of County Road 206.

All of these are the result of owners petitioning the city to come in. Bratton said the policy of the city is to allow all owners of property contiguous to Cape Girardeau to become part of the city after filing a petition.

The process can be tedious, he said. Each annexation requires a public hearing and four appearances on the city council agenda over the course of two months before it can be approved.

Involuntary annexation, an option the city has used three times since 1989, takes even longer. It requires passing two ordinances, bringing a lawsuit at the circuit court level and calling a special election. The last time the city took this tack was in 1988 and concerned a section of I-55 right of way. The process lasted more than a year.

"We only ever want to do that in extraordinary circumstances," Bratton said.

tgreaney@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 245