KCPowercat wrote:
Ok so those who claim its not working.....what is your standard that would change your opinion to say its a success?
I am not saying it is not working, it is just not working the way many expected it to work or performing up to its full potential.
One of the problems I see is that with all of the money put into the project one would expect a bigger bang than what is present now. Even before the year 2003 the CVB talked about the need of an "entertainment/shopping district" to attract conventions, and that is after a ballroom was approved that was needed to attract conventions. Well, as one knows for the most part the convention business locally is craps and now the talk is we need a 1,000 room convention hotel.
Another problem is the lack of local residential support, not that the local don't support it now - there just isn't enough of a local population to support it.
A major problem was just the way the project was sold to the public. If the council had gone to the voters to issue general obligation bonds instead of using TIF then the current tax subsidy wouldn't be an issue, which probably creates most of the ill feelings by KCMO citizens. Also, I would say that many expected this project to be the high dollar free agent home run hitter or the high dollar free agent 20 game winner the local team signs that would it to the playoffs and only 15 HR's are hit or only 10 games are won - not bad just not what was expected for the money.
Judge it to be a success? OK, a plus to the city's budget instead of it receiving a subsidy. Something that is not just a hotspot for the younger crowd but something that also draws the oldsters time and time again and not just because of a downtown event. Judge it like you would the Plaza.
I may be right. I may be wrong. But there is a lot of gray area in-between.
