Official "what's coming to the speedway?" thread

trailerkid · Post by **trailerkid** » Fri Aug 08, 2003 12:20 am

From all indications, RED's Legends is supposed to be a "destination" retail center. In the Omaha paper story on the Mart they said this...

Carol Marinovich, mayor of the unified government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kan., said the next part of the development will be the Legends, a village-style shopping mall designed like a stone-and-brick freight house district.
Planners hoped to attract "destination retailers" like the Mart and Cabela's, she said, meaning people will drive out of their way to come to the stores.

I'm really puzzled as to what they're going to put in this shopping center that will make people drive. I know that RED is pouring a lot more money into the building materials and design than they do in their other malls. If they build a mall with similar tenants as the Plaza, Oak Park or Town Center, I have a feeling his project will fail in West Wy Co. So I guess "tourist retail" (Virgin, Gameworks) must be what they're looking for. What can they build at Legends that would make people from all over the region drive there?

KC_JAYHAWK · Post by **KC_JAYHAWK** » Fri Aug 08, 2003 7:26 am

I'd like to see a D & B's in the KC metro area. That would probably lure me out there, plus a Virgin Records.

Rooster_Ties · Post by **Rooster_Ties** » Fri Aug 08, 2003 7:45 am

I doubt that we would ever get a Virgin Records here, though I suppose stranger things have happened. And still, if there ever were one â€“ it would probably never be in Wyandotte County.

Also, remember â€“ Streetside recently closed their store at 90th & Metcalf, and they used to have another Streetside (briefly) near Town Center Plaza â€“ that was only open barely a year or two.

All the WareHouse Music stores closed too (the entire chain went belly-up, nationwide â€“ you might remember they were formerly Blockbuster Music). There used to be WareHouse Music stores on Rainbow near the K.U. Med-Center, and at about 74th and Metcalf, and perhaps another location I wasn't aware of. (Their prices were ridiculously high, and frankly I'm amazed anyone ever bought anything there in the first place.)

And all over the country, Tower Records is having huge problems (hovering near bankruptcy for a couple years now, with ever-thinning inventories at even their mega-stores), and I think it's not just Tower that's hurting. All of the â€˜really hugeâ€™ music-store chains are struggling.

KCPowercat · Post by **KCPowercat** » Fri Aug 08, 2003 7:54 am

Applebees and Arthur Bryant's I know I've heard.

Good2Great · Post by **Good2Great** » Fri Aug 08, 2003 1:38 pm

How about another Burlington Coat Factory?

Post by **dangerboy** » Sun Aug 10, 2003 10:41 pm

Rooster_Ties wrote:All the WareHouse Music stores closed too (the entire chain went belly-up, nationwide â€“ you might remember they were formerly Blockbuster Music). There used to be WareHouse Music stores on Rainbow near the K.U. Med-Center, and at about 74th and Metcalf, and perhaps another location I wasn't aware of.

There is one left in KC, at Noland Road and 40 Hwy.

trailerkid · Post by **trailerkid** » Tue Aug 12, 2003 1:32 am

Seriously, if they don't pull in stuff that's brand new to KC and/or we have to drive to Chicago to go to...Legends WILL become Great Mall Part 2. They've done a great job so far with Cabela's and NFM, this shopping center will have to make a good impression on KC to suceed.

GuyInLenexa · Post by **GuyInLenexa** » Tue Aug 12, 2003 6:35 pm

Even though Nebraska Furniture Mart is there, I think an Ikea would generate a lot of people from every direction.
I could see Virgin going to The Plaza, not out there.
I hope it is not another attempt to build another outlet type mall, however Grapevine Mills at DFW has a Virgin Megastore, Sawgrass Mills in Fort Lauderdale is cool too, I was there week before last.
This would kill The Great Mall.
The same company has similar stores all over.

trailerkid · Post by **trailerkid** » Wed Aug 13, 2003 2:23 am

From what I understand, the Mills Corp. submitted a proposal that was in competition with the current development. Now, the Mills has no interest in the site.

Good2Great · Post by **Good2Great** » Wed Aug 13, 2003 8:20 am

I htought the original intention of Village West was to create an outlet mall that didn't look like an outlet mall?

Cyburbia · Post by **Cyburbia** » Sat Aug 16, 2003 2:26 pm

I just hope that they don't become a redneck super center of sorts, reinforcing one of KCK's negative images. I think NFM certainly helps, and it should be an anchor to draw some businesses that don't appeal to ... uhh, those with a blue collar rural/country cultural orientation.

If Ikea ever expands beyong the coasts, Village West would be perfect, despite the presence of NFM.

ShowME · Post by **ShowME** » Sat Aug 16, 2003 6:27 pm

This would kill The Great Mall.

AMEN TO THAT!!!!!

trailerkid · Post by **trailerkid** » Wed Sep 03, 2003 3:29 pm

Uhhh guys...RED announced in the business journal last week that Legends was going to be 1,000,000 sq. feet instead of 500,000. That's quite a change. This has to be the biggest project RED has ever done. I'm seriously dumbfounded as to what will be over there besides stuff like Gap and Old Navy.

LATEST NEWS
August 26, 2003
Legends developer: Project will hit 1M square feet

The developer of a much-anticipated shopping center near Kansas Speedway said Tuesday that he expects the project's size to double its original projection of 500,000 square feet.

Dan Lowe, a partner with RED Development, said he hopes to begin announcing retail, restaurant and entertainment tenants for The Legends in about 30 days. The project will open next year.

Lowe said he's waiting for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kan., to sign a company to operate a proposed movie theater multiplex at The Legends. An earlier agreement with Warren Theatres of Wichita fell apart.

Bill Crandall, a senior vice president with Zimmer Real Estate Services Inc., said he could name a new movie theater operator within several weeks. Zimmer is developing the Village West tourism district around the Speedway for the Unified Government.

The most recent addition to the Speedway complex, Nebraska Furniture Mart, has drawn big crowds since opening three weeks ago.

Nebraska Furniture Mart and Cabela's Inc.'s outdoor outfitting store, which opened almost a year ago near the speedway, aren't included in Lowe's 1 million-square-foot goal. This size matches that of the Country Club Plaza, No. 5 on The Business Journal's list of the Top 25 area shopping centers.

KCgridlock · Post by **KCgridlock** » Thu Sep 04, 2003 10:21 pm

Holly shit

Go KCK, hope they do it right.

QueSi2Opie · Post by **QueSi2Opie** » Fri Sep 05, 2003 1:40 am

I'm predicting a Dave & Buster's comin' to the KC area.

GuyInLenexa · Post by **GuyInLenexa** » Fri Sep 05, 2003 10:31 am

Funny thing D&B started in Little Rock before moving their headquarters to Dallas, I agree.
If it comes, The Plaza or OPK would be likely place for it to be.

trailerkid · Post by **trailerkid** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 1:24 pm

I will preface my comments by saying that having a strong suburban tourist district is indeed important to KC being competitive in the region and nationally. Every big city in America has big suburbs with big attractions...look at LA for God's sake!

I think Village West should try to attract Ripley's Entertainment to build a complex or series of attractions at Village West. They operate Ripley's Believe It or Not! museums http://www.ripleys.com/broadband/home.html as well as Louis Tussauds Wax Musuem http://ripleys.com/tussauds/ . In Dallas and San Antonio they operate the two attractions under one roof near other suburban attractions such as Six Flags. One stumbling block would be the fact that Ripley's is already in Branson, but I believe that a development in KC wouldn't hurt the Branson market as it is already a fully actualized tourist center. In Niagara Falls, Ripleys is planning to build a $200+ M aquarium in connection to a new Great Wolf Lodge.

Right now, Village West lacks a destination attraction that offers more than shopping or sports. Ripley's Entertainment would bring the development full circle and add quite a bit of punch to an otherwise tame development. Village West with a new privately run aquarium, a Ripley's Believe It or Not! museum and a Louis Tussaud's Wax Museum would further create Village West as a very strong regional surburban tourist districts.

Here's some pics of what Ripley's has done in other places:
Ripley's Believe It or Not! in Niagara Falls...

Ripley's Aquarium adjacent to Great Wolf...

Ripley's in Branson...

Ripley's Palace in D-FW...

tat2kc · Post by **tat2kc** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 1:37 pm

Definately something Kids would like. I did see the worlds largest hairball at a Ripley's near Pidgeon Forge, TN, home of Dollywood. If one is "under the infulence", a Ripley's is just the place to freak you out.

ON a related note, the husband of one of my coworkers works for BPU. There have been some permit paperwork he's seen for a restaruant under the Emeril flag. She's not sure if it is more than inquiries at this point.

trailerkid · Post by **trailerkid** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 1:41 pm

tat2kc wrote:BPU

Sorry ???....

Missionite · Post by **Missionite** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 7:11 pm

trailerkid wrote:
tat2kc wrote:BPU
Sorry ???....

I think he's referring to the Board of Public Utilities.

Matt

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