(UPDATED)

O'FALLON, MO. - The City Council on Thursday night voted unanimously to hire a consultant to analyze ways O'Fallon could build an "alternative energy technology" research park in the southwest corridor.

The city plans to spend $60,000 from a federal energy grant to determine the feasibility of building a business park focused on technology and alternative energy research.

O'Fallon spokesman Tom Drabelle said the city is looking at a roughly 110 acre-site owned by THF Realty near Highway DD and Highway 40 / Interstate 64 near the August A. Busch Conservation Area.

The city is contracting with JGB Advisors, a St. Louis-based real estate consulting firm, to study the feasibility of such a plan, including developing a market assessment, technology goals and identifying sources of financing.

The site city officials are considering for the research park surrounds the land that last year had been picked for a proposed "multipurpose arena" to become the new home of the junior league St. Louis Bandits hockey team.

The arena proposal, which a consultant predicted would cost up to $47 million to build, has stalled since it was introduced last fall.

(Mark Schlinkmann of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.)