The development is going up in part thanks to a new interchangefor the highway at Discovery Parkway, that will be next to about$1.3 billion in new campus projects going up for the University ofMissouri, including a new life sciences incubator and healthsciences building. The new mixed-use development would also bebuilt across Highway 63 from the 114-acre Discovery Ridge researchpark. A new 500-acre park, that will include a lake, as well as newsoccer and baseball fields, is being developed by the city next toDiscovery as well. "Columbia is a very vibrant town," Lindner says."We're in a perfect spot."

There's demand for all of the uses, Lindner says. "There's a lotof big box retailers who want to get into the city, but there's noplace for them to go. We've got a few letters of intent for theretail." He says the company also has an office user that's takinga planned three-story building totaling about 100,000 sf. The namecan't be disclosed yet, he says. "We should be making anannouncement about that in the next 30 to 60 days," Lindner tellsGlobeSt.com. "We'll have the ability to accommodate up to 500,000sf in shovel-ready office sites. We'll probably end up with sevendifferent office sites." He says the company is not ready to breakdown amount of retail stores, or the split between the proposedcondos and apartments.

The interchange work is expected to be complete this year, andthe firm will start construction on the Discovery project inmid-2009, he says. "It's a five-year project. By the time retailcomes back and we get a few office users, I think you're looking ata 2014 to 2015 time frame," Lindner says.