Gans Creek Recreation Area

Table of Contents

About Gans Creek Recreation Area

Gans Creek Recreation Area is a 320-acre park in southeast Columbia on E. Gans Road off of Highway 63 at the Discovery Parkway exit. The park was planned together with A. Perry Philips Park, which is located on the north side of E Gans Road, so that together the parks would make up a southeast regional park to serve Columbia and surrounding communities. Gans Creek Recreation Area has multipurpose sports game fields, a concession/restroom, and is the the home of Columbia’s premiere cross county track that serves as the home course for the University of Missouri.

Park amenities

Game Fields

Cross Country Course*

Concession/Restrooms

  • Concession Building/Restrooms (closed Oct. 15 – April 14): Building address: 3100 E Gans Road  

Park history

The City of Columbia purchased the Crane property on September 14, 2007 for $8 million. (See related Council Items.) This property lies one tract directly south of the Philips Park property. This land acquisition fulfilled the need identified in the 2002 Parks Master Plan for a second regional park to be located in southeast Columbia.

The site’s proximity to Rock Bridge State Park, Philips Park and Nifong Park make it an important link in an ever-growing park system. The site, which includes a portion of the sensitive Gans Creek Watershed, offers opportunities to protect natural areas and provide open areas suitable for active recreation. The Crane property will be easily accessible to the proposed extension of Gans Road west to Providence Road and the new Gans infrastructure.

The purchase price for the Crane property was $8 million, plus $75,000 in cost of issuing debt and related closing costs. The City’s agreement with the seller allows the seller to remain on the property for one year after the sale closing date.

The park was officially named “Gans Creek Recreation Area” at the 7/21/08 Council Meeting. The master plan for the park went through an extensive public input process and was finally approved by the City Council on May 3, 2010.

funding source amount
Park Sales Tax $3,500,000
Capital Fund $800,000
Financed* $3,375,000
TOTAL $8,075,000

Financing through special obligation bonds to be repaid by Park Sales Tax over four years.

While still undeveloped, the Gans Creek Recreation Area was added as a location for the City’s Deer Archery Hunting Program.

Park dedication

Dedication date: September 27, 2019

Gans Cross Country Course dedication programopens PDF file

Various elements of Gans Creek Recreation Area have been completed. However, the park development will be accomplished over decades, similar to Cosmo Park. When the cross country course was completed, a dedication for the course complex was held in 2019.

Capital improvement projects and council items

year completed project description council items
2007 Council Item: Crane property acquisition View Council Item
2008 Council Item: Property annexation View Council Item
2008 Council Item: Officially naming park View Council Item
2010 Southeast Regional Park Planning View Council Item
2017 Council Item: Agreement for Solar Eclipse Event View Council Item

2015 – Parking lot, multipurpose fields

2018 – Concession/ restrooms

2019 – Cross country course

2021 – Champions Plaza

Southeast Regional Park – Gans/Philips Phase I View Council Item

 

Gans Creek Recreation Area Improvements 00866