CAPE WEST BUSINESS PARK; MORE THAN 20 BUSINESSES, OVER 650,000 SQUARE REET UNDER ROOF

A new, 37,600-square-foot mail processing center opened near the south end of Cape West Business Park in November 1991.

More than five years later, on April 23, 1997, a 114,000-square-foot Sam's Club opened its doors near the north end of the same business park.

In between, more than 20 businesses, covering more than 650,000 square feet of space under roof, have opened in Cape West Business Park, which stretches for more than a mile alongside Interstate 55 from Route K to Bloomfield Road.

The city's newest business park is where a lot of the Cape Girardeau construction action has been during the past five years.

The 160-acre tract of what was once farmland has proven a fertile field for economic growth, harvesting a bumper crop of new businesses since that initial mail processing center opened.

Today, the business park is home to 24 businesses with at least three new ones to open this year.

The businesses include the sprawling Wal-Mart Supercenter, which was the first retail giant in the park, opening in February 1992; Lowe's Home Center, which opened in 1994, Target Store, 1995, and Sam's Club, in the 100,000-square-foot or more category.

The growing list also includes McDonald's, Hardee's and Outback Steakhouse restaurants, a Shell service station and convenience store, Bluff City Beer warehouse and Drury warehouses, Stone Mountain Carpet Outlet, Drury Suites and Hampton Inn motels and a number of other retail outlets.

Coming up

Coming up are Goody's Family Clothing, which opens early next month, a 14-cine theater next fall, and Bud Shell Ford Co.

The business park offers high visibility, easy access and convenience in an attractive setting, said Dennis Vollink of Drury Southwest Development Co. of Cape Girardeau.

Drury Southwest is one of the developers of the park, along with Druco Inc., headquartered in St. Louis. Both companies market the park. Lots range in size from 150 to 350 feet of frontage, with depths of 200 to 500 feet.

The park is within a designated Missouri Enterprise Zone.

Not an overnight project

This was not an overnight thing, said Vollink. Years of work went into laying the groundwork for the business park.

Developers started purchasing property more than 15 years ago. Some groundwork started in 1989, with the first building opening in 1991.

"This was all farmland at one time," said Vollink, engineer and president of DSW Development, a subsidiary of Drury Southwest. "We had to do a lot of work before we got the first business in."

More than 400,000 yards of dirt was moved to prepare the park and bring it above flood plain requirements," said Vollink,

Park preparations also included paving the main roads, and installing gas and water lines and new sanitary sewers.

More than 60 acres have been developed in the 160-acre tract. The south end is being developed for warehouses and office buildings, while the north end near Route K is being developed as a retail area.

The park has proved popular with businesses because it offers good visibility and has easy access to I-55.

It is a good site in other ways, said Vollink. Cape West Park is less than a mile from West Park Mall, St. Francis Medical Center and Doctors' Park. Kingshighway is only minutes away via Route K (William Street) or Bloomfield Road.

The park is four miles from the Mississippi River and downtown Cape Girardeau, three miles from the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport and seven miles from the cities of Scott City and Jackson.

When the new Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge, linking Missouri and Illinois, opens, a new four-lane highway will connect with an interchange on I-55.

Another project this year will hook Siemers Drive into Highway 74.

"We'd like to have Siemers ready for the hookup at the same time 74 is completed, tentatively in November." said Vollink.

5-year happenings at the park

Here's what has happened in one of city's newest business/industrial parks.

-- November 1991, U.S. Mail Processing Center opens.

-- January 1992, Bluff City Beer Warehouse, opens.

-- February 1992, Wal-Mart Supercenter opens.

-- May 1992, Bluff City Beer headquarters building opens.

-- August 1993, Stone Mountain Carpet opens.

-- February 1994, Lowe's Home Center.

-- May 1994, Drury Suites opens.

-- November 1995, Target Store Opens.

-- December 1996, Alliance Blue Cross Blue Shield opens.

-- April 1997, Sam's Club opens

-- May 1997, Goody's to open.

-- Fall 1997, West Park 14-Cine to open.

-- 1997, Bud Shell Ford to open.

Other businesses to have opened in Cape West Business Park.

-- Staples Office Supplies

-- Shoe Carnival

-- Dollar Tree

-- Factory Cards

-- McDonald's Restaurant

-- McDonald's Restaurant inside Wal-Mart.

-- Hardee's Restaurant

-- Outback Steakhouse

-- Shell Service Station and Convenience Store.

-- West Park Motors

-- Hampton Inn

-- Drury warehouse.