A: The project development team will be led by Garfield Public/Private, LLC (GPP) from Dallas, Texas. GPP has over 25 years of experience in developing and financing headquarters hotels that support conference centers, convention centers, and other public facilities.  GPP will be responsible for coordinating the work of planning, design, construction, and financial service professionals and incorporating those elements into a strategic business plan which will serve as a complete blueprint for the development.  With city approval of the strategic business plan, GPP will implement the plan through the final project design and construction phases to opening of the facility.

A: Based on a study of the Jefferson City convention and hotel market completed by CBRE, Inc., a global leader in commercial real estate advisory services, there is significant market demand in Jefferson City for a modern facility to host multiple day conferences, and meetings for statewide professional associations, government agencies, and other group meetings.

Jefferson City, in addition to being the seat of state government, is home to more than 125 statewide trade associations, and many businesses which desire to host conferences and meetings in the capital city. Many of these groups have previously hosted events in Jefferson City, however, in recent years many events have been moved to other cities due to the loss of meeting space with the remaining facilities having insufficient size and quality to accommodate the needs of these groups. A new conference center with larger, modern meeting and exhibit space along with an attached full-service hotel is needed to accommodate the demand that the market desires.

A: The new conference center will attract events back to Jefferson City as well as bring new events that Jefferson City has not previously been able to accommodate.  Increasing group travel to Jefferson City will not only generate economic growth from the hotel and conference center staffing and operations but will also induce additional economic opportunities to business in the downtown area and throughout the city by attracting visitors who will spend money at local restaurants and shops which translates to increased tax revenues that fund necessary city services and infrastructure.

The project will also provide a venue for local events and activities, providing a valuable gathering space for the community; the addition of a new, modern downtown parking facility; and additional job opportunities for the region.   

A: Jefferson City currently has 14 hotels with a total of 1,382 rooms. In the past 10 years, Jefferson City has only net increased 20 new rooms to the city’s hotel inventory.

As of November 2015, Jefferson City lost 22,000 sq. ft. of meeting space when the Truman Hotel closed, which coincides with the downturn in conference & convention event bookings. With the development of Holiday Inn & Suites (2019) and Courtyard by Marriott (2020), 5,178 sq. ft. of meeting space was added between the two new properties, bringing our net loss to 16,822 sq. ft.

A: To meet the anticipated market demand, the CBRE Market Study has recommended the following project program:

Conference Center
       •  18,000 SF Ballroom
       •    7,000 SF Jr. Ballroom
       •    7,000 SF Breakout Rooms
       •    1,500 SF Boardrooms
       •   2,500 SF Pre-Function Space
Total 36,000 SF of Meeting Space

Hotel
       •  250 room full-service nationally branded hotel
       •  Lobby restaurant/lounge & café
       •  Terrace restaurant/lounge
       •  Amenities such as fitness center, swimming pool, and business center.

Optional – Storefronts for leased retail, restaurant, or office spaces.

A: There are many events held annually in Jefferson City which sell out most if not all hotel rooms in the city driving overflow demand to Columbia, Lake of the Ozarks and Rolla. These events include Skills USA Missouri, Lincoln University commencement and homecoming, MSHSAA State Track Championships, and numerous sporting events. Adding hotel room supply will allow more of the participants to stay in the city, increasing the economic impact of these events.

The proposed conference center will also accommodate smaller meetings, banquets, tradeshows, live entertainment, fund raisers, weddings/receptions, and other community events.

A:  The city recently completed a structural evaluation of the existing Madison Street Parking Garage which determined the condition of the 600-space structure has deteriorated to the point that the parking garage should be replaced.

A downtown parking study was also completed to analyze the existing parking supply, the existing parking utilization, estimate the additional parking required to serve the new conference center and hotel, and recommend the size of the new parking garage to accommodate the current parking demand as well as the new demand generated by the development.

Parking counts observed that only 55% of the existing downtown parking supply is currently being utilized during peak periods, indicating there is sufficient parking capacity to satisfy the current parking demand.  It was noted that approximately half of the existing parking supply is operated by the city with the remainder being on privately owned lots. 

The parking study indicated at existing peak demand within the project site is 430 spaces.  The estimated parking demand generated by the proposed conference center & hotel is 360 spaces. The proposed total capacity for the new parking garage is a minimum of 790 parking spaces which will accommodate existing leased spaces as well as daily parking customers.

A: The existing Madison Street parking garage will be in service until the full financing package for the project is in place, and construction of the new facility is assured.  Construction of the new parking garage will begin immediately following demolition of the existing parking garage to minimize the time the garage is unavailable. The exact timing of demolition and construction duration has not yet been determined.

The downtown parking study showed that there is sufficient capacity in existing on-street parking and surface parking lots to accommodate parking displaced during the conference center and parking garage construction.  To mitigate inconvenience during construction the city will consider implementing additional strategies such as extending time limits of on-street parking, utilizing private off-street parking lots, and temporary shuttles.

A: Once preliminary design work and preliminary cost estimates have been completed in the fall of 2024, the city and developer will create a public/private financing structure that identifies the sources of capital necessary to construct the project. Capital sources will include the existing 4% city lodging tax dedicated to the conference center, and bonds secured by revenue generated from operation of the hotel and parking garage.  Other sources may include tax abatements, TIF/CID, grants or philanthropic contributions.

A: In 2011 the voters of Jefferson City approved implementing a 7% lodging tax on all hotel stays within the city.  Three percent of the lodging tax funds the Jefferson City Convention and Visitors Bureau operations and marketing, while 4% is dedicated to fund the construction of the conference center.

 The conference center fund balance is currently $9.3 million and generates approximately $900,000 per year. Collection of the lodging tax is authorized until 2035.

A:  Preliminary planning, design and development of the strategic business plan will take place throughout the remainder of 2024 at which time it will be submitted to the city for review.  With the approval of the strategic business plan by the City Council, detailed architectural and engineering design will commence and is expected to be completed in Summer 2025 with construction starting immediately following.  Construction is expected to take 20 to 24 months, and it is anticipated the conference center will be open for business mid-2027.