GDDA meeting to define downtown boundaries tonight

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KCPowercat
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GDDA meeting to define downtown boundaries tonight

Post by KCPowercat »

Can anybody make this meeting? I have a dinner thing with the in-laws so I can't make it.

The GDDA will hold a public forum to discuss what they should use as the downtown boundaries for the MoDesa legislation. My feeling is they will probably do river to just south of crown center but maybe not all the way to 31st street. The only "rule" in MoDesa is that it has to be less than 10% of the total area of KCMO.

The forum is from 4-6:30p at the EDC offices at 10 Petticoat Lane.

If anybody goes, give us a report....thanks.
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bahua
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GDDA meeting to define downtown boundaries tonight

Post by bahua »

Well, less than ten percent of the city area rounds out to about 30 square miles, which far outsizes almost anyone's definition of downtown. Would it be advantageous to gerrymander it to a broader area?
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tat2kc
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GDDA meeting to define downtown boundaries tonight

Post by tat2kc »

for the puroses of this legislation, i'd rather see a bigger area defined. That way more areas of midtown could qualify for the tax breaks and such.
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GDDA meeting to define downtown boundaries tonight

Post by KCLofts »

Just read in the Biz Journal that no decisions were made. It looks like it will be at least another month before a decision is made.
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GDDA meeting to define downtown boundaries tonight

Post by trailerkid »

With no decision comes battle lines....literally.

Mayor Barnes wants a big definition of downtown going along with her RiverCrownPlaza model. She faces "loopers" like Downtown Council Chairman John Lancey who want downtown to be the loop alone.

To me, the "loopers" ideas don't make sense. They argue that a large concept will dilute the impact, yet they don't realize that a taxbreak for a specific project in the River Market, on Southwest Blvd., or in Westport will not necessarily mean that it is choosing those locations over the loop. It is not an all or nothing game. The tax breaks and incentives can put more projects on the table for every part of "downtown" not just for the loop. I agree that the loop is one of, if not the most important piece in bringing downtown back, but we must not choose one area over another. This is not a war of priorities....let's develop a wonderful city on every side and district.
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GDDA meeting to define downtown boundaries tonight

Post by dangerboy »

Laney isn't saying that areas outside the loop shouldn't get tax, but rather that the biggest tax breaks (i.e. MoDESA) should be reserved for the area that needs it the most - which is the Loop, and probably 18th & Vine as well. The current Downtown Council definition of the river to 31st Street is a good compromise between the Loop and the ridiculous River-Crown-Plaza idea.

As the core of the Greater Downtown, the Loop should be the most important focus. Areas like the River Market and the Plaza are doing just fine with the existing tax breaks and incentives, they don't need even more public assistance.
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GDDA meeting to define downtown boundaries tonight

Post by bahua »

That(using a tax reprieve to encourage development) looks like an admission that our current tax scheme hurts neighborhoods. If our system of taxing property is hurtful, then why use it when there are perfectly viable, and even more useful alternatives?
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