MU bioscience park in Blue Springs

[DaveKCMO]

wtf? why not build this thing on the UMKC campus, which is, uh, right next to stowers?

http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking ... 37703.html

[dangerboy]

wtf? why not build this thing on the UMKC campus, which is, uh, right next to stowers?

Um, perhaps because UMKC and Stowers aren't in Blue Springs?  But seriously, Blue Springs has been trying for years to develop a "Corporate Woods" along Adams Dairy Parkway, so I imagine it was the suburb that initiated this effort.

Besides, where would you find 500 acres adjacent to UMKC or Stowers?  UMKC tried to develop a research park in the early 90s, but failed.  The land was then sold to Kauffman for their building and the Conservation Department.

[GRID]

This is interesting.  This could be the turning point of this area becoming more white collar and competing with JoCo.  I kind of wish something like this would go near Independence Center to help stabilize that area rather than create more sprawl, but I guess BSMO wants this pretty bad and are going to help fund it.

Here is another story and a graphic:

http://www.examiner.net/business/x10498 ... Springs-MU

[KCMax]

This is interesting.  This could be the turning point of this area becoming more white collar and competing with JoCo. 

And Kansas City.

[KCTigerFan]

First, the City of Blue Springs has been aggressive in luring this development.  Two, MU and UMKC, while part of the same University System, are different entities.  This is an MU (as in the Columbia campus) initiative not a system project. 

wtf? why not build this thing on the UMKC campus, which is, uh, right next to stowers?

http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking ... 37703.html

[GRID]

And Kansas City.

This is a new project that is mostly supported by MU (who probably would like the campus to be along I-70 a bit closer to Columbia).

Let me know when a major company is lured from KCMO to any MO side suburb,  I think JoCo has about a 25 year head start on this practice anyway.

Nobody said a thing about the Kstate thing not going in by KU med or in Downtown KCK though.

I was the first to say that I wish this project would go to more of an infill location like Independence, since I doubt they even seriously considered an urban location due to cost and convenience.

Blue Springs is stepping up and bringing something new to the region not just taking something from KCMO or Lee's Summit or NKC.

Interesting concept.

[KCMax]

This is a new project that is mostly supported by MU (who probably would like the campus to be along I-70 a bit closer to Columbia).

Let me know when a major company is lured from KCMO to any MO side suburb,  I think JoCo has about a 25 year head start on this practice anyway.

Nobody said a thing about the Kstate thing not going in by KU med or in Downtown KCK though.

I was the first to say that I wish this project would go to more of an infill location like Independence, since I doubt they even seriously considered an urban location due to cost and convenience.

Blue Springs is stepping up and bringing something new to the region not just taking something from KCMO or Lee's Summit or NKC.

Interesting concept.

I hope then this ends the criticism for Sprint and Embarq not relocating to KCMO.

[LenexatoKCMO]

Nobody said a thing about the Kstate thing not going in by KU med or in Downtown KCK though.

I am pretty sure that the KState  project is fairly livestock/acreage dependant - I know that KU med has bought a lot of land lately but were you really hoping to see cattle pastured accross the street from Jazz?  Way to make sure you get that Kansas bitch in using the most irrelevant analogy possible though - big bonus points. 

[mean]

And Kansas City.

Is it ironic then, that they announced this thing at a press conference on the Plaza?

[DaveKCMO]

meh. job sprawl begets other sprawl. the fact that it will consume 500 acres doesn't mean it needs 500 acres. i'm sure most of that will be for low-rise buildings spread out amongst surface parking lots.

[GRID]

Have you even read the articles?, this project sounds pretty similar to the project in Olathe.  It needs lots of land and it sounds like Blue Springs is ready to hand over the golf course if needed.

My point was that the project in Olathe was not even questioned while everybody screams about this project not going to the urban core.  Even though Olathe, Lenexa, OP, Leawood etc announce a new sprawling office building every few weeks while this is the first real project for Blue Springs.

Why didn’t the Olathe project go to KCK, that city is about half open land.

I don’t care about the Olathe project.  I never said a thing about it.  It was nice to see something going into a JoCo business park that didn’t come from KCMO.  Hell, most of the companies that now sit on Renner, College and I-35 etc came from KCMO.

The other half came from Overland Park, which is starting to get a taste of its own medicine.

I’m not buying into the story that the MO burbs steal from KCMO just like JoCo does.  It doesn’t happen.  As a matter of fact, most companies that start out in the MO suburbs tend to migrate toward the city as they grow larger, not further away from it.

Comparing Sprint to the MU/Research campus is asinine and that just shows how far you guys have to go to justify how JoCo interacts as a regional county.  But I have said this over and over again.

I wouldn’t want Sprint to be in Lee’ Summit any more than Overland Park.  A company like that in a city of our size should have at least a large and high profile presence in the city.  I think Sprint dropped the ball and they continue to drop the ball.

This specific project, like the research park in Olathe should “add” to the area.  I think this will create opportunities to compete with Columbia and suburban St. Louis more than JoCo because I have yet to see a JoCo business take the idea of moving to a MO suburb even remotely seriously.  What I meant by compete with JoCo was that it will bring more white collar jobs to an area that right now lands few white collar jobs making the area a more economically viable and an alternative to JoCo for white collar jobs and residents, jobs that otherwise wouldn’t be in the metro, including the urban core.

Does this mean that in ten years Blue Springs will be sucking large corporations, banks, insurance firms, engineering companies, law firms, etc from KCMO into large office parks along I-70?

I seriously doubt it.  But you can bet JoCo will be still doing it so mark this thread when this is built out and there are 2000 “new” jobs in the area, then drive down to K-10 and check out the millions of sq feet of office parks that will line that corridor in the same time period and tell me that the majority of those office users didn’t come from KCMO and other JoCo cities.

But nobody has a problem with this…

I am not fan of Blue Springs, I live there, but really, I don’t care for the city much.  I just find it amusing that a MO suburb finally might land a new project (not something from KCMO) to the area and so that puts the MO suburbs on par with JoCo which has done nothing but suck companies out of KCMO for the better part of three decades.

Sure, whatever…

[LenexatoKCMO]

My point was that the project in Olathe was not even questioned while everybody screams about this project not going to the urban core. 

Who said anything about the urban core?  Anybody paying attention would realize that locating what bassically amounts to a large fancy farm in the core is ludicrous.  However, KCMO does have lots of incorporated rural fringe and I don't see where the harm is in lamenting the fact that the jobs didn't wind up in the city tax coffers. 

[KCTigerFan]

KCMO has some serious structural issues that don't help its case.  Anyone who has to deal with the City knows what they are.  The 1% earnings tax being the least of them. 

That being said, it sure appears to me that Blue Springs worked hard and got the deal done.  Good for them. 

Who said anything about the urban core?   Anybody paying attention would realize that locating what bassically amounts to a large fancy farm in the core is ludicrous.  However, KCMO does have lots of incorporated rural fringe and I don't see where the harm is in lamenting the fact that the jobs didn't wind up in the city tax coffers. 

[GRID]

KCMO has some serious structural issues that don't help its case.  Anyone who has to deal with the City knows what they are.  The 1% earnings tax being the least of them. 

That being said, it sure appears to me that Blue Springs worked hard and got the deal done.  Good for them. 

Wouldn't the 1% actually benefit in this case since it could be one source of income that could be redirected back to the project.  Isn't the P&L district and H&R block tower in a super tiff?  I know the Block tower is.  1% of H&R blocks income and payroll is a lot of money to get to keep.

I would have liked to see this built in KCMO city limits etc.  It could might have been a perfect tenant for the Hillcrest/Bannister Mall project.

But I think it's still a great project for the region.

[dangerboy]

I would have liked to see this built in KCMO city limits etc.  It could might have been a perfect tenant for the Hillcrest/Bannister Mall project.

But I think it's still a great project for the region.

Especially next to the new Stowers campus at Bannister, think of the synergy!  But yes, it will be great to have anywhere.

[valcour]

Why didn’t the Olathe project go to KCK, that city is about half open land.

I don’t care about the Olathe project.  I never said a thing about it.  It was nice to see something going into a JoCo business park that didn’t come from KCMO.  Hell, most of the companies that now sit on Renner, College and I-35 etc came from KCMO.

This specific project, like the research park in Olathe should “add” to the area.  I think this will create opportunities to compete with Columbia and suburban St. Louis more than JoCo because I have yet to see a JoCo business take the idea of moving to a MO suburb even remotely seriously.  What I meant by compete with JoCo was that it will bring more white collar jobs to an area that right now lands few white collar jobs making the area a more economically viable and an alternative to JoCo for white collar jobs and residents, jobs that otherwise wouldn’t be in the metro, including the urban core.

The KSU Bioscience project went to Olathe because the city gave them the land and a great deal.  KCK or any other city could have done the same thing.  Olathe was prepared when the opportunity arose and had the land.  It sounds like Blue Springs did the same type of work Olathe did. 

It looks to me like the MO suburbs are as attractive as the JOCO suburbs, so as long as they have good plans together they will be able to attract businesses away from JOCO.  Some of it is just luck - the right staff person hears about the right opportunity at the right time.  Some of it is geography and demographics.  When the Bannister site was proposed for the Wizards stadium, I (as an Olathe resident) had to agree that was a far better location than the one proposed in Olathe. 

[voltopt]

Um, perhaps because UMKC and Stowers aren't in Blue Springs?  But seriously, Blue Springs has been trying for years to develop a "Corporate Woods" along Adams Dairy Parkway, so I imagine it was the suburb that initiated this effort.

Besides, where would you find 500 acres adjacent to UMKC or Stowers?  UMKC tried to develop a research park in the early 90s, but failed.  The land was then sold to Kauffman for their building and the Conservation Department.

It would be easy to find 500 acres near UMKC & Stowers.  First off, the project on Adam's Dairy is slated to use 500 acres because of its location - there is an abundance of cheap land.
Second, there are hundreds of sites that come to mind that are along blue parkway or cleaver II, within 1-2 miles of the stowers campus to the east and north.

Its not as if the Kauffman foundation and conservation center were built on undeveloped land.  Many, many houses were demolished...

[warwickland]

How does this project compare with the UM-Missouri Research Park in St. Charles Co?

Not surprised its 20 miles from downtown KC, Missouri Research Park is 38 miles from downtown STL currently via I-64 detour...

[rxlexi]

  this project sounds pretty comparable to the UM Research Park in suburban StL, Warwick, although that area certainly has a substantial head start - a number of functioning facilities (I believe) vs. what is currently a plan floating around in Blue Springs. 

  the first time I drove past the UM Park in StL, on my way into the city, I couldn't believe that such semi-high profile academic/office space could or would locate so far from the city's major research and business institutions.  Oh what I've learned since then 

[warwickland]

  this project sounds pretty comparable to the UM Research Park in suburban StL, Warwick, although that area certainly has a substantial head start - a number of functioning facilities (I believe) vs. what is currently a plan floating around in Blue Springs. 

  the first time I drove past the UM Park in StL, on my way into the city, I couldn't believe that such semi-high profile academic/office space could or would locate so far from the city's major research and business institutions.  Oh what I've learned since then   :?

Its just going to get worse when I-64 is completed in St. Charles county all the way to I-70, and rebuilt all the way to Kingshighway. The only good thing is that much of the south side of that corridor is nature preserve.