YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY

Springfield, MO

Log in Subscribe

James River planning northeast Springfield campus

Posted online
James River Church in Ozark signed a contract to buy a tract of land in northeast Springfield where it plans to build its third campus.

Chief Operations Officer Kert Parsley said the organization signed the contract about two weeks ago with the Lon Goff Trust for 52 acres just west of Interstate 44 and U.S. Highway 65, between Springfield Golf & Country Club and the Bill & Payne Stewart Golf Course. The deal for undisclosed terms is scheduled to close in June.

The property, 3000 N. Neergard Ave., is listed by Mike Fusek of Sperry Van Ness/Rankin Co. for $1.1 million. The land is currently zoned for agriculture, according to the Greene County assessor’s website.

Parsley said there’s currently no construction timeline for of the campus, but James River hopes to have a temporary preschool facility up at the site this fall and a temporary church structure up year’s end. Both of James River’s current campuses have preschools with some 425 students apiece.

The permanent church would start off smaller than James River’s 107,000-square-foot Springfield campus at 3953 W. Farm Road 168, he said.

“It’s kind of the opposite of if we build it, they will come,” Parsley said, pointing to a study of the church’s visitor demographics. “Looking at this mapping software we use, probably between 600 and 1,000 (people) come from north of Division.”

Parsley said the organization also is running out of room, given the average 10,000 visitors between the Springfield and Ozark campuses each Sunday in the fall. At the Ozark campus, church officials often set up extra chairs for overflow seating and in January opened an additional room with a video screen for extra visitors.

Comments

No comments on this story |
Please log in to add your comment
Editors' Pick
From the Ground Up: Republic Intermediate School

The Republic School District is on track to open its Intermediate School for fifth- and sixth-grade students for the 2025-26 academic year.

Most Read
Update cookies preferences