Branson skyscraper resort project needs final approval

At its Sep. 11 meeting, by a vote of four to two, the Branson Board of Aldermen gave initial approval for the planning and zoning changes necessary for the construction of Branson’s first skyscraper, a 300 foot, 25 story building, to be constructed as part of a proposed $ 100 million multi use retail and resort complex. Proposed for construction at the junction of U.S. Highway 65 and State Highway 248 in Branson, the complex is being jointly developed by HCW Development Company, of Branson, and Evergreen Investments, of Lebanon.Because of a deadline to purchase the property, that the proposed complex will be located on, of Sep. 15, the developers asked the board for a “second reading”, which would have constituted final approval of the planning and zoning issues necessary for the project to proceed. After objections to the project were raised by opponents, and discussion, the board voted unanimously to delay the final vote until its Sep. 25 meeting.The major objections to the project relate to its compatibility with the existing Branson and the expectation of Branson’s current guests. Most were concerned with the impact of the proposed skyscraper on the areas beauty and that one of the first things that people would see as they came into Branson would be concrete and glass, not the beauty of the Ozarks. Alderman Ron Huff, who voted for the project, indicated that project like this keep Branson alive and vibrant and will become an attraction just like Branson Landing and “The Strip.”The proposed up scale complex would include one of the tallest buildings south of Kansas City and St. Louis containing, among other things a spa, office paces, hotel rooms, condominiums, a restaurant and bar, and parking facilities. Earlier reports also indicated that the complex would have a museum that would feature the classic car collection of Bob Plaster, one of the principals of Evergreen Investments and a restaurant, located on the 25th floor, with a water feature shooting streams of water.