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Kirksville Exploring Business Opportunities Along New Highway

Kirksville City Council and the Adair County Commissioners are looking into developing new businesses along the new Highway 63.

By Christian Bryant (Columbia, Mo.)

Kirksville City Council members met with Adair County Commissioners during a work session this week to explore ways to keep tax dollars within the city. The new highway, which opened last week, allows for traffic to bypass Kirksville and there are concerns drivers will be less prone to stop.

One idea discussed at the meeting was the possibility of a new truck stop to bring business to the area along the highway. Even so, Adair County Commissioner Mark Thompson said rezoning would be an issue and the Commission isn’t interested right now.

“Most of that bypass is within the city limits, so the county wouldn’t have any input as far as who or what they could do, and like I said earlier, we’re not interested in county zoning. ”

Thompson believes the new highway will have a negative impact on both the city and the county. In the meantime, Kirksville City Council and Adair County Commission are exploring other options to develop the area around the new highway.