The owners of a Warrenton-area real estate investment business and local economic development operatives are signaling their intent to bring an industrial or commercial development to a 178-acre property just north of the western I-70 interchange in Warrenton.

The involved parties are seeking to participate in the Missouri Department of Economic Development’s “Certified Sites” program, according to Warrenton City Administrator Brandie Walters. The program designates sites in Missouri that are ideal for industrial or large-scale commercial development. Walters discussed the potential development with city aldermen during a public meeting on Dec. 6.

The property under discussion is owned by Hickory Ridge Family LLC, a real estate investment business run by area residents George and Dana Heath. They are working with the Greater Warren County Economic Development Council to prepare the site for future development, Walters explained.

Seeking recognition by Missouri’s Department of Economic Development is a strong indicator of near-future intent to market the property to a large industrial or commercial company. The department’s Certified Sites program recognizes properties that meet strict criteria related to proper zoning, adequate utilities, and buildable land for industrial-scale, non-retail developers. It’s a label that lets businesses know that there won’t be any impediment to their construction.

For Hickory Ridge to get the certified site designation for its property at the new interchange, part of what it needs is an agreement with the city of Warrenton to provide sewer service, Walters said. That agreement would have Warrenton annex the land into the city and pay for engineering on a sewer connection, steps that Walters said were already in the city’s comprehensive plan for future growth.

“Once they have a set project that’s going to go in there, then we would actually go ahead with the process of bringing the sewer (service) to the property,” Walters said.

Water service for the property would be provided by Montgomery County Public Water Supply District, not the city of Warrenton, Walters added.

Mayor Eric Schleuter commented that city leaders have already met with Hickory Ridge’s owners in the past and gave a verbal agreement to cooperate with them. The landowner is simply seeking to formalize that agreement, Schleuter said.

Steve Etcher, business development director for the Greater Warren County Economic Development Council, told The Record that the property, once certified, should be highly enticing to manufacturing or transportation/logistics businesses looking for a new location.

“Site selectors who are representing businesses looking for new locations, the first thing they typically look for are certified sites, because they know they’re already vetted, they’re more development ready,” Etcher commented.

He added that the site owned by Hickory Ridge is already receiving interest from companies looking for potential locations.

“I think that area, with that immediate access to I-70, really lends itself to a variety of manufacturing,” Etcher explained. “The interest that we have seen in that location thus far has been either in (hi-tech) manufacturing or some degree of food production and processing.”

Most of the work to get the site certified, and thereby make it more marketable to such companies, has already been done, Etcher said. Certification is expected to be complete within three to six months, but there’s no certainty on when that will lead to a new development project, Etcher noted.

“This is really just preparing a site so that it’s attractive to business opportunities,” he said.