Scott City subdivisions building up steam

Monty Keesee thinks the future of Scott City lies in a subdivision at the edge of town, near Old Illmo.

He sank a fortune into a subdivision called Park Estates, with 39 lots in the first building phase alone. The streets and lights lay in wait, the underground utilities in place, anticipating the day the plain will be filled with new homes -- those homes in turn filled with the people that will help grow the city.

"What I want to draw to this community is nicer houses at an affordable price," Keesee said.

The developer has already put up four houses, each one different in appearance, and has broken ground on the fifth. He's done this in about two years on ground he bought from Union Pacific Railroad in 1999. He has plans to build more.

He admits the development has gone slowly so far, but expects business to pick up now that nearly five are completed. Part of the delay, he said, is that he builds each house himself, finishing two or three a year.

But he remains optimistic.

"It's a slow start-up," said Keesee said. "It takes four or five homes to go up, then all of a sudden it takes off."

The houses are affordable, modest family dwellings, where buyers can have suburban-style homes in a small town, he said.

Keesee sees subdivisions like his as the future to Scott City's growth, a growth he thinks will continue.

"One day we're going to be like a suburb of Cape," Keesee said.

Keesee is one of several developers who are looking to the Scott City area to sell houses and lots to individuals and families wanting to save money on a home -- and to experience the small-town atmosphere.

Two subdivisions are currently under construction in the city limits with another just outside the city. Developers are also putting up houses on Mary Street, even though that project isn't a subdivision.

Andrew Bard, owner of Computer 21, made the move from Cape Girardeau with his family in May when he bought a home in Keesee's subdivision.

"There was an enormous price difference," Bard said. "The house we built here in Scott City ... suffice it to say it would have cost me 60 percent more in Jackson, for half as much land and the same house. It's insane."

Not everything is perfect, but close enough for Bard to stay awhile.

"Don't get me wrong, we have a train in the backyard, but for $90,000 I'll put up with a lot," Bard said.

He said he lives in a flood zone and has less access to nightlife than Cape Girardeau, but those aren't enough to defeat the deal. And so far, he's been impressed by the city's kindergarten, where his daughter goes to school.

Scott City may seem to some like an unlikely place for such development with a population of only 4,591 at the 2000 census, up from 4,292 in 1990. Scott City doesn't have the industry and services of Cape Girardeau and Jackson, but those banking on the town say a low tax rate and lower property values could change the face of the city in the coming years.

Scott City's real estate tax rate is about $4 per $100 assessed valuation lower than Cape Girardeau or Jackson.

"Scott City's a good place to live; it's got an awesome school system, and it is a little more economical," said Mayor Tim Porch. "As far as a place to live and raise your kids goes, you can't beat it."

Porch is looking for the city to grow, not only as mayor but as a businessman. Along with his wife, Sally, and Larry and Robin Huffman, Porch is developing a subdivision called Northfield. Porch's subdivision isn't quite as ambitious a Keesee's -- only 14 lots, with six of them possibly turning in to duplexes -- but it has the same goal.

Porch wants to pull people in who are looking for affordable housing, making them a part of Scott City.

"Rather than see a field with 3-foot-high grass on it, we'd rather see a $200,000 home," Porch said.

Porch and Keesee are both aware of Scott City's reputation for bad appearances, and that's what they're trying to combat. On of the first sights seen upon entering the town is a trailer park, and the city has battled MoDOT and Union Pacific over tall weeds.

The city government has also had to battle its own residents on beautification. This summer the mayor and police went on an aggressive campaign of tackling dilapidated structures and yard nuisances like junk and high grass.

The hope is that the subdivisions could help change that image.

Like Keesee, Porch is looking to attract people looking for homes in the $100,000 to $200,000 price range.

So are James and David Messmer, who recently bought lots on Mary Street to sell houses. One has already been sold, and the developers are working on the second house.

Real estate agents have been working to sell the lots, and one person was able to use a rural development loan to buy a house, something she couldn't have with a house in Cape Girardeau.

Development is also occurring outside the city limits, in the land around the Mississippi River. That's where Debbie and Derek Wilson and Ben and Merline Jeffries have started a subdivision on undeveloped land.

Mississippi Landing hopes to cater to people who want to get out into the country.

"It's for the people who like a nice view, who want to get out of Sikeston or Cape," Derek Wilson said.

The streets for the subdivision are almost finished, and two lots have already been sold without advertising, he said.

The property features 11 lots surrounding an 8.5-acre lake. Wilson said a great selling point is easy access to Cape Girardeau via Route AB, but also being near Scott City for the basic services.

All the developers are hoping the small-town appeal and affordability will help keep the city on the growth track, especially with new projects like the Ramsey Creek bridge and new businesses like Buchheit coming in to town.

Scott City is small, said Porch, but the town can still provide good schools and good jobs for people who want to make the switch. The city's new water treatment plant was built with just that kind of growth in mind. If Scott City can sell its niche as an affordable small town, the growth may continue.

Keesee hopes to be a part of that growth, and to make a little profit in the meantime.

"As long as this type of house keeps selling, I'm going to keep building," Keesee said.

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182