Branson News Guide

Projects top $180 million through October

The value of new construction in the city of Branson through October has totaled $181 million, breaking a record that was set in 2005 of $173.6 million. And with two months to go in 2006, new construction could reach $200 million.

“It’s phenomenal the number of new projects in Branson that can be attributed to the board of aldermen’s decision to use TIF financing for the Branson Landing and Branson Hills Plaza developments,” said City Administrator Terry Dody. “ A domino effect has occurred as developers, investors and businesses now want to be a part of the increased national attention and additional visitors that the waterfront project has generated.”

Branson Economic Development Director Mike Rankin says the numbers continue to demonstrate the strong business economy here in Branson that is now known globally.

“These exciting figures reflect the pro-business attitude of our mayor and board of aldermen’s efforts to improve the quality of life for Branson’s citizens and guest,” Rankin said. “Where else in the country can you have the amenities of convenience in a small town environment?”

Several of the high-dollar building permits issued in 2006 were located in Branson Landing like Bass Pro Shops and Marina; Sullivan’s Steak House; and the Branson Convention Center and Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel.

Other commercial projects permitted in 2006 include:

* Branson High School Stadium and Activities Complex
* Chappy Mall at 204 North Commercial
* Chili’s Bar and Grill at Branson Hills Plaza
* Arvest Bank
* Sight and Sound Theater on Shepherd of the Hills Expressway
* MPI Office Building on Gretna Road
* A & B Office Building on Buccaneer Drive
* P. Graham Dunn on Gretna Road.
* Suds Carwash on Green Mountain Drive

Thirty-three single-family homes were also permitted during the first ten months of 2006.

According to Dody, this kind of growth and enhanced economic activity benefits the community by providing greater business opportunities, more employment prospects for residents, a higher standard of living for citizens, and even more reasons for people to visit Branson.

BOARD APROVES HIGH RISE HOTEL

By a 4-3 vote, aldermen approved a bill that will allow a 300-foot high-rise resort hotel at U.S. Highway 65 and Missouri Highway 248. This action reverses a decision by the Board two months ago to scale down the 25-story hotel to 12 stories. At the September 25 meeting, the ordinance allowing the 300-foot hotel was amended and approved that scaled down the hotel to 12 stories. But the motion that amended the ordinance to 12 stories did not address the allowed height of the proposed structure in feet. Therefore, the ordinance had to be reintroduced to provide clarification on the actual height allowed by the ordinance. The hotel is part of “The Point Entertainment Complex” that also features a classic car museum and parking garage. At the November 27 meeting, 15 people spoke in favor of the 300-foot hotel while nine spoke in opposition. The bill now goes to a December 11 second reading and final passage.

BOARD VOTES TO PROTECT BRANSON NAME OUTSIDE CITY LIMITS.

Aldermen voted to have the city attorney continue sending letters to businesses outside the city limits that use “Branson” in their name. The letters ask that the businesses get permission from the city to use the name. In more than a dozen letters already sent, not one business has been asked by the city to not use the “Branson” name. The city wants to protect its name by setting a precedent so it can control future adult entertainment or gambling businesses that may open outside the city and use the Branson name.

BOARD APPROVES TIME LIMIT ON TREE DEPOSITS

Developers who remove trees must now pay $50 per tree in the form of a deposit to the city. The deposit is refunded if the developer replaces the trees. However, there is no time limit for this replacement. This ordinance puts a six months time limit for replacing trees or the developer loses the tree deposit. This ordinance was approved on first reading. Final passage will be on the December 11 meeting agenda.

Killian Construction Co. will be holding a “topout” party honoring the workforce and their efforts in completing the roof deck and final portion of the tower structure of the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel on December the 5th, 2006 at 11:30 AM. The event will be held on the first floor lobby level, and will provide special recognition to the workforce signifying the success of topping out the hotel and keeping the project on schedule.

The Hilton hotel is an out of the ground12 story building standing impressively over Lake Taneycomo. At 239,000 square feet, the hotel will offer 261 guestrooms and 33 condo units, and is adjacent to the convention center and parking garage that is being constructed simultaneously. The Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel provides a unique atmosphere operating hand in hand with the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing, allowing guests the opportunity and convenience of the nearby retail environment.

Attending the event will be representatives from HCW, Inc., representatives from the city of Branson, Killian Construction Co., and the workforce and staff that accomplished the structural completion from Donco Construction, Dun-Par Engineered Form Co., Gold Mechanical, Sechler Electric, and Progressive Plumbing.

With a holiday decorating budget of $450,000, Branson Landing has decked the promenade with millions of lights, 11-foot silver deer and Santa’s Tree house.

The blue-and-silver holiday theme is reflected in the lamppost garlands adorned with about 20 million lights, according to Branson Landing Marketing Director Linda Antus. Eleven silver-finished fiberglass deer that stand 11 feet tall add a unique holiday flavor to the Landing.

Another Christmas attraction is Santa’s Tree house near Famous Dave’s restaurant. There, children can visit with Santa and have their photos taken.

There are also new sounds with the fire-shooting fountains at the Town Square including “Rocky Mountain Way” by Joe Walsh and Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas.”

All of these additions are part of the Landing’s holiday Winter WonderLanding season as the lakefront lifestyle center that opened last spring continues to boost sales tax revenue and generate more business development.

Branson city officials have credited the Landing with producing record-setting tax revenues for the city. The 1.5 percent sales tax revenue increased 7.2 percent over fiscal 2005 from October through September, with tourism tax up 6.3 percent. In September, sales tax revenue jumped almost 36 percent over September 2005.

A recent study by local commercial realtors showed that 95 percent of the retail occupancy space in Branson is filled. The properties included in the study were multi-tenant buildings of at least 5,000 square feet. Two new shopping centers are under construction.

The 95-acre Branson Landing is currently 96 percent occupied and commands rental rates above any currently being paid in the area, according to the study.

Steve Critchfield, a Branson commercial real estate broker, says the momentum generated by the construction of Branson Landing has created the spark that has ignited the local retail market.

Construction continues on residential condominiums above the retail shops and on the Hilton Promenade Hotel along Branson Landing Boulevard. Some of the condos are already occupied.

Just west of Branson Landing, construction remains on target for an August 17 opening of the Branson Convention Center and the 12-story, 293 room Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel. The hotel contractor, Killian Construction of Springfield, MO, will hold a “top out” celebration on December 5 honoring the workers and their efforts in completing the roof deck and final portion of the tower structure of the convention center hotel.

February promises to be especially sweet for visitors at the World’s Largest Titanic Museum Attraction Titanic Museum Attraction. Sweetheart Month, which kicks off February 1, will invite guests to celebrate their own love stories as they relive the on-screen romance between “Rose” and “Jack” the star-crossed lovers in Titanic, James Cameron’s Oscar winning movie.

“Romance and adventure were definitely in the air when Titanic set sail on April 14, 1912,” says Mary Kellogg-Joslyn, co-owner of the museum attraction. “Fourteen couples traveling on Titanic were on their honeymoon, nine in first class. There were also young, brides-to-be sailing to America to start a new life there. As you might recall, Rose was among this group.”

“Because so many of our guests have seen the movie they feel they know Rose and Jack and wonder if they will have the opportunity to meet them while visiting us,” explains Kellogg-Joslyn. “We already have a number of character players at the museum attraction who interact with visitors, so we decided to recast the film’s two most famous characters: Rose De Witt Buker and Jack Dawson.”

“For the first time anywhere, our young players will appear in costumes drawn from original designs created by Deborah Scott for the movie. Rose, will be dressed in the elaborate traveling suit and extravagant, wide-brimmed hat she wore on arrival at the ship; ‘Jack’ in the modest clothes that identify him as a third-class passenger.” Says Kellogg-Joslyn. “We feel blending the reality of the Titanic experience with the fictional aspects of the movie will help create a whole, new appreciation of this incredible story.”

The World’s Largest TITANIC Museum Attraction is Branson’s new landmark tourist destination. The 17,000 square-foot, ship-shaped structure - built half scale to Titanic’s original size - towers more than 100 feet above its anchored position on Highway 76. A 90-minute self-guided tour covers 20 galleries on two decks where over 400 priceless artifacts that once belonged to Titanic’s passengers or crew are on display. None of the artifacts were retrieved from the ocean’s floor. A creative mix of music from the period is accompanied by dramatic lighting, ambient sound, photographs, video and hands-on devices give visitors the sensation of being an original passenger on Titanic’s 1912 maiden voyage.

September income up 36%

New developments in Branson this year have boosted the city’s 2006 fiscal year sales and tourism tax revenues to record levels.

The city’s 1.5 percent sales tax revenues increased 7.2 percent over fiscal 2005 and the tourism tax revenues rose 6.3 percent over last year. Branson’s fiscal year is October through September.

Revenue collected by the city in fiscal 2006 from the 1.5% sales tax totaled $13,105,023 and from the tourism tax, $11,017,620. That compares to $12,225,354 for sales and $10,362,329 for tourism taxes in 2005.

Furthermore, for September, sales tax revenues skyrocketed 35.75 percent and tourism tax revenues jumped 10.6 percent compared to the same month last year. Both taxes set a record for September collections.

The 1.5 percent city sales tax, which is a tax on all retail businesses, goes into the general fund to pay for everyday services like police, fire, public works, etc. The tourism tax is only on hotels, restaurants and ticketed attractions. Three-fourths of the tourism tax revenue funds infrastructure like sewers, water and roads while the remaining 25 percent pays for marketing and advertising Branson.

“Branson continues to receive recognition nationally for business development and retention,” said Michael Rankin, the city’s economic development director, “It’s obvious Branson will enjoy development opportunities for many years to come, adding to the quality of life to our citizens and guests.”

The city’s two most recent TIFs were Branson Landing and Branson Hills Plaza where Target and Home Depot are located. The second phase of the Branson Hills Plaza development, also a TIF district, begins construction in early 2008 and will include a Wal-Mart Supercenter, Kohl’s clothing store and about a dozen other retailers and restaurants. TIFs allow the city to capture one half of all sales taxes generated within the district to go for funding specific public infrastructure.

City officials say Branson Landing has been responsible for spurring other non-TIF projects in Branson like Titanic: the Legend Continues and Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theater, both of which opened in 2006 and have generated additional visitors to Branson.

Since 1992, the board of aldermen has approved seven TIF projects that have generated new infrastructure and commercial developments contributing to Branson’s first boom in the early 90’s as well as the most recent growth spurt.

New in 2007, White Water presents its biggest ride ever - a 7-story, 6-slide, multi-experience thrill ride. Higher than White Water’s previous largest slide by over two stories, the new ride will be 75 feet high, with two 300-foot drop slides for top-speed body sliding and four additional 312-foot lane slides for four-lane speed racing.

The new $1.5 million ride adds more ways to glide and slide at Branson’s Beach Within Reach — with nearly 7,000 feet of slides and 12 rides and attractions for the ultimate summer splashdown experience.

With two million gallons of cool, water-drenched indulgence, White Water is an aquatic oasis where guests can swim, surf, splash and slide in water-cooled comfort. Ride lovers will find plenty of fast-paced rides from the new slides to the white-water rapids of the Caribbean Plunge and Tropical Twister. Surf enthusiasts can ride on tubes or bodysurf the breaking waves of the 500,000-gallon wave pool, and leisure floaters can drift with the current of the Lazy River. Families play together in the super-soaked RainTree Island, while kids rule at Splash Island and Little Squirts’ Waterworks.

In a special meeting November 9, the Branson Board of Aldermen approved two ordinances regarding the financing of phases 2 and 3 of the Branson Hills Plaza development that includes a Wal-Mart Supercenter.

In addition to the Supercenter, the project will include a Kohl’s clothing store and about a dozen other retailers and restaurants. This development will be located on the south side of Branson Hills Parkway across from the Target and Home Depot stores.

These ordinances are the remaining steps for activating phases 2 and 3 of the Branson Hills tax increment financing (TIF) district and starting the 23-year clock to capture revenue within those portions of the TIF district. Under the TIF agreement, one-half of new sales taxes generated by the shopping center up to $47.8 million over a 23-year period will be returned to the developer, Ozarks Diversified Properties of Columbia, MO, to pay for public infrastructure like streets, sewer and water.

The city of Branson will not issue the bonds or be responsible to repay bonds for the project.

Following this special meeting of the Board of Aldermen, the city’s Industrial Development Authority met and approved the issuance of the bond notes to finance the two phases of the development.