Tuscany Village seems to have sputtered in its attempts to become a shopping center.
The developers maintain they are still active in the project, but construction and announcements of new stores have been in short supply.
Tuscany’s corner may find new life, however, as a convention destination.
If the Buchanan County Commissioners get their wish, an ag expo center will be built on the northeast corner of the intersection at Interstate 29 and U.S. Highway 169. The county is enthusiastic about the plan and believes the center could be booked for livestock exhibits and trade shows on a regular basis. The idea, although an expensive one, would piggyback well with the initiative to develop St. Joe’s animal health industry.
A hotel would be a logical development catty-corner from the expo center on the Tuscany site.
St. Joseph hotels had a fairly high occupancy rate of 73 percent last year, according to the St. Joseph Convention & Visitors Bureau. Growth in the economy could justify adding bed capacity for overnight guests. The Air Force training center at Rosecrans is expanding for one thing, contributing to a possible increase in demand.
Tuscany launched with great hopes of attracting retail to supplement the Shoppes at North Village. The local developers showed a good grasp of the needs and demands of shoppers in Northwest Missouri. For whatever reason, however, the project has not gained much traction, although it still may be a contender for a relocated J.C. Penney store.
One partner left the business for personal reasons. The site seems like a ripe candidate for a buyout from an out-of-town developer looking to score big in St. Joseph.
A hotel was among the original plans for Tuscany, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see one pop up at what has become one of the busiest interchanges along our stretch of interstate.
The rest of that intersection is ripe for development as well. One idea that’s been floated is a large-scale auto mall, but that’s apparently in the very early stages of planning.
If the county goes ahead with plans for the ag expo center, it makes sense to combine the project with a conference center that can be used for a variety of meetings and attract visitors from throughout the region.
The community needs to evaluate the recurring dream of building a downtown convention center before it duplicates services that could be combined to create one, first-class facility in an easily accessible location.
The Tuscany project has made progress on the corner, and there are sure to be more developments ahead.
