By Jim Obert

Business Today

Construction activity at Highway 74 (Shawnee Parkway) and Silver Springs Road means more retail and office space development on the west end of the city.

Shawnee Center, containing more than 27,900 square feet of commercial lease space, is being constructed by the Rebel Group, which includes local businessman Virgil Jones.

The development group has assigned the leasing duties to Tom Kelsey, commercial broker and president of Lorimont Place Ltd.

Kelsey said 30 percent of the available space has been leased, even though construction of the commercial development has just begun.

Station West, a kitchen and bath showroom that will occupy 8,600 square feet on the north end, is expected to be the first business to open at Shawnee Center.

Lease sizes will range from 1,500 square feet to 19,500 square feet, said Kelsey, adding that his real estate firm will focus on retail, office, restaurant and service-oriented tenants. The developer will finish lease spaces to suit tenants, and rental rates, which Kelsey said will be very competitive, will depend on size and interior finish requirements.

"The high traffic and visibility location has already attracted several potential rental prospects that like the close proximity of I-55, the new Technology Center, the new high school, Westfield Shoppingtown Mall and the Siemers Drive retail corridor," said Kelsey.

The new development is adjacent to Southeast Missouri Hospital's future West Campus project, which consists of 26 acres along Mount Auburn Road south of Highway 74.