ST. JOSEPH, MO-The Shoppes at North Village, a $70-million outdoor retail center will break ground this fall at the confluence of Highway 169 and Interstate 29 in north St. Joseph, a city of 74,000 people located 55 miles north of Kansas City on the Kansas-Missouri border.

RED Development and The R.H. Johnson Company are partnering on the 595,000-sf development, which will be next to an existing Wal-Mart Supercenter and part of a broader 244-acre development proposed by Buchanan County. The county has approved tax-increment financing for the project. Groundbreaking for the retail center is projected for late fall 2003 with grand opening tentatively planned for fall 2004.

RED targets growing communities for its retail centers. The R.H. Johnson Company has a strong presence in Kansas City and relationships with many national, regional and local retailers. Both companies are based in Kansas City.

No retailers apparently have committed to the retail center, but R.H. Johnson Chairman Bob Johnson says early response from retailers has been outstanding. “Traditionally, residents of St. Joseph have had to travel to Kansas City for their shopping, dining and entertainment,” adds Dan Lowe, partner and lead developer for RED Development. “The Shoppes at North Village will provide northwest Missouri and northeast Kansas with a destination that is unique in both its tenant mix and outdoor design.”

Jantsch + Slaggie Architects of Kansas City, Mo. is designing the mixed-use development. Olsson Associates (Omaha, Neb.) will handle the civil engineering. The architectural design of the center will incorporate elements of the city's historical downtown buildings, which were built in the 1850s.