Trouble for Northland retail

trailerkid · Post by **trailerkid** » Fri Feb 07, 2003 1:23 pm

Kevin Nunnick predicted problems for new retail in the Northland in today's Star just as stated many times on this board:

Trouble also may be brewing in the Northland, he said, where three shopping center projects -- Zona Rosa, the Shops at Boardwalk and La Bella Vita in Briarcliff -- are competing for many of the same retail tenants.

With all these big boys going head to head for the same names, hopes of reviving Metro North seem dead. A mall that doesn't even recruit tenants or update the environments will fall prey to these bloodthirsty projects. I realize the explosive growth going on up there, but there's no way Gap, Abercrombie or Express want three brand new stores withing a few minutes of each other. Something's got to give.

KCN · Post by **KCN** » Sat Feb 08, 2003 11:43 am

With all these big boys going head to head for the same names, hopes of reviving Metro North seem dead. A mall that doesn't even recruit tenants or update the environments will fall prey to these bloodthirsty projects. I realize the explosive growth going on up there, but there's no way Gap, Abercrombie or Express want three brand new stores withing a few minutes of each other. Something's got to give.

I have lived in the northland all my life (until 4 years ago when I moved out of KC, but still call Gladstone home and visit all the time, spent all last summer there).

Metro North is a disaster. Always has been. The only reason behind this is extremely poor management. Metro North right now probably has one of the best locations in the city, being right at the intersection of 152 and 169 which are both booming corridors. But the owner drives everyone out with unreasonable rent and such. My dad opened a blood donation center for the American Red Cross and the 200-year old goat that owns Metro North ran them out with rediculous rent and he was unreasonable about everything. There is absolutely no reason why that mall shouldn't be in the same league as Independence Center and Oak Park, but the fact is, it's got almost an entire wing empty and tenants will continue to flock out of this armpit until the entire mall gets bulldozed to the ground. They had their chance and finally new developers have swooped in and taken advantage of northland growth.

As far as the new shopping centers opening, I don't really see a problem. Shops at Boardwalk is just another strip mall and La Bella Vita is geared toward much more upscale demographics. They may be competing for the same tenants but I'm sure there are plenty of other tenants to go around. Zona Rosa looks to be the big player and I'm sure will attract the typical retailers that would otherwise have been at metro north (AE, Hollister, Abercrombie, Victoria's Secret). I'm sure many will vacate Metro North to be at one of these three anyway.

Don't forget Rennaisance North to the east. No official tenants yet, but I think this one could share some of the same retailers that will settle in the I-29/Barry Rd. corridor. The reason being that the northland is beginning to become "polarized" in development along either end of 152. The growth in Liberty is astounding as well. Did you know they are opening up a 14-screen movie theater at 152 and Brighton? Folks in the northland tend to go where things are closest. So the 25,000 or whatever new residents slated for the new Shoal Creek development will stay to the east with the Clay County population, and the platte county crowd will stick to Barry Rd./I-29. I am not sure exactly how much retail is proposed for R.N. but I wouldn't even be surprised to see yet another large retail development near Liberty within the next ten years.

But Metro North will sit there right in the middle of all of it, sitting on its hands until eventually is demolished for a lake or something.

Good2Great · Post by **Good2Great** » Sat Feb 08, 2003 2:04 pm

Bella Vita may just be a pipe dream at this point. Three years ago at the INternational Council of Shopping Centers annual convention in Las Vegas (the BIGGEST such convention) La Bella Vita really "blew its wad" on advertising and pimping the project in a major way. Everywhere in Vegas you'd see La Bella Vita ads, shopping bags, promo posters, etc.

ALL of the big biys in retail and retail development were there...NO ONE EVEN NIBBLED.

I have no clue as to the difficulty in getting this project administered? It was conceptualized LONG before Zona Rosa, yet ZR has put on a full court press while Bella Vita has sat the bench.

KCgridlock · Post by **KCgridlock** » Sat Feb 08, 2003 3:33 pm

Glad to have a new member that seems to know what's going on up north!

I agree with everything you said KCNorthlander. I do believe that Metro North still has a shot at being at the same level as Indep Center and Oak Park. There will always be a demand for a major indoor mall with good tenants, but not till the mall is sold to someone that knows what the hell they are doing. The Northland is the Fastest growing part of the metro area and has the most potential for retail because the area is not over retailed like JoCo. 300,000 people now call northland home, there is plenty of room for Zona Rosa and all the others. People don't realize how many northlanders leave the northland to shop in JoCo, the Plaza and eastern Jackson County.

I just want Zona Rosa to do at least a decent project, I drove by that Boardwalk and that thing is a joke. A strip mall squeezed between a freeway and a walmart? Why are they even giving Zona Roso problems?

Also, I agree that you will see the east side of the Northland (152 between Antioch & 435) explode in the next few years as I-29 has.

Briarcliff is just messed up, I don't know much about it, but as Goodtogreat said, they have been messing around forever and will probably miss the boat all together if they down't act fast. That corridor of the northland (Briarcliff, Parkville ect) is on par with southern Leawood when it comes to income levels so I'm sure something very upscale will eventially go in there.

The people that own Indep Center should buy Metro North. That mall is HOT right now with a waiting list to get in and reatail going in all around it.

ShowME · Post by **ShowME** » Sat Feb 08, 2003 8:31 pm

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not to familiar with the Northland. First of all does anyone see the downturn in Metro North as the rise of retailers in the I-29 corridor or a Clay County v. Platte County thing? Or am I just showing my southland views such as Jackson County v. Johnson County? Personally I think the I-29 corridor is one of the best locations in the metro based on location alone. Think about how many people travel through Platte County on there way to the airport. Just give people from Jackson, Johnson, Cass, Wyandotte, Clay a reason to relocate there home or business to this county and only developments such as these will do this.

KCN · Post by **KCN** » Sun Feb 09, 2003 1:24 am

Nah, there are some petty rivalries up north (Oak Park vs. Park Hill for one) but basically the northland is all one community. What I meant to say was that both ends of the Northland should have enough population to support competing retailers.

You're right about the location of I-29. You've got a straight shot to downtown down I-29 (can see the skyline from the area), and with the new 71 it's a straight shot to the plaza as well. Airport, casinos, worlds of fun, (soon to be) good shopping, restaurants, and great schools surrounded by beautiful rolling hills and lakes. Also the attitude up north is more the friendly "what you see is what you get", opposed to the pretentious types of, you know where. Of course not everyone up there is a precious gem either. Still, I'm surprised it took this long for that area to develop. Just waiting for me to leave I guess.

My question is, is this explosion of housing adding to the increase of the metro population, or just furthering the "donut" effect?

KCgridlock · Post by **KCgridlock** » Sun Feb 09, 2003 1:47 am

KCNorthlander wrote:My question is, is this explosion of housing adding to the increase of the metro population, or just furthering the "donut" effect?

I lived in the I-29 corridor for two years. I always say the area is JoCo without the JoCo attitude. The lakes, hills, trees and cliffs and proximaty to KCI, Downtown, Casinos, Shopping, Jobs, WoF etc are an added bonus.

.

I will never understand what took the area so long to develop, but the snowball has just left the top of the mountain, the Northalnd IS going to be the region's growth engine for some time into the future.

As far as how it is growing in relation to the rest of KCMO? South of the river is stabalizing now (much of it has started to increase again). The northland is just catching a big chunk of new KC area residents.

Eastern Jackson county is also doing this, but I believe that area will reach build out much quicker with all the lakes, rivers and just an already congested area. Northland has just has amazing potential.

BTW, I agree, there is not much division within the northland, even between the cities, NKC, Liberty, Parkville, Gladstone, KCNorth etc. Just one big area.

Another area that is about to take off like crazy is the I-435 corridor south of KCI. Parkville annexed it and that area has awesome terrain.

kcmajik · Post by **kcmajik** » Sun Feb 09, 2003 2:48 pm

I agree as well, the Northland does seem very united in the fact that no matter where you are north of the river, people will always mentally think, "Northland." Not like in JOCO where you're in Leawood or OP or Lenexa. From practically Kearney to Parkville and Platte City to south Liberty, it's just commonly know as "Northland" and i really like that. So yes i do think that each section of the Northland can and will support it's own retail. BTW does anyone know about how the Liberty Triangle development is going to turn out?

ShowME · Post by **ShowME** » Sun Feb 09, 2003 8:49 pm

One thing I've noticed about residents who are new residents to the Kansas City area, especially the Midwest is that they locate to certain area's. For example I know ALOT of people who used to live in Wichita, Western Kansas, Oklahoma move to Johnson County. I know ALOT of people who are from Central Missouri and St. Louis live in Eastern Jackson County. And I know alot of transplants from Des Moines and Omaha locate to the Northland. Just something I've always noticed.

QueSi2Opie · Post by **QueSi2Opie** » Mon Feb 10, 2003 1:30 pm

kcmajik wrote:Not like in JOCO where you're in Leawood or OP or Lenexa.

Get it straight, people in Lenexa, Shawnee, Overland Park, etc. say they live in JOCO. It's only the snobs in Leawood and the hicks in Olathe that want to be segregated. Sorry, StLDan

KCRag Forum