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Brooksider wrote:The Roe and Johnson Drive intersection is open.

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Mission has designs on increased retail sales
By:Nathan Dayani, Sun Staff Writer December 25, 2003
The Mission City Council will consider in January whether it should adopt building design guidelines for the Johnson Drive shopping district that could generate $50 million more in retail sales by 2007.

Mike Scanlon, city administrator, said the guidelines could increase patronage in the Johnson Drive corridor by establishing a set of standards to improve the shopping district's appearance. Scanlon said the changes could help downtown businesses better compete with the nearby Country Club Plaza and Westport shopping districts in Kansas City, Mo.

"Those are areas that people are driving to and shopping at," he said. "And we're trying to get the people of Johnson County to shop in Mission where there's an ambiance right around the corner."

The design guidelines were developed by local consulting firms Theis Doolittle and Brent Bowman and Associates. In a prelude to their report, the firms cited a recent study stating that Mission's shopping district captures about 33 percent of its potential retail sales. With a concerted effort to promote business that includes aesthetic improvements, the shopping district could increase that share to 39 percent by 2007 and thus capture $50 million more in annual sales, according to the study. Such revenues would bring $500,000 more to Mission, based on the city's 1 percent retail sales tax.

Martin Rivarola, public works director, said the guidelines would be an important step for the city to increase retail sales along the corridor.

"It's certainly possible," Rivarola said of reaching the $50 million goal. "But the design guidelines by themselves are not going to do it."

Scanlon said once the guidelines were implemented, it would take time for them to have a significant impact.

"The real test for whether or not this works won't be for another five or 10 years," Scanlon said. "This is just the first step."

If approved by the City Council, the guidelines would affect new businesses and major renovation projects enacted by already established businesses in Mission. The guidelines outline policies concerning building facades, size and proportion to adjacent and nearby buildings, materials, roofs, display windows, entrances, awnings and canopies, signs, lighting, and parking structures.

"The intent would be to encourage high-quality building in the city," Rivarola said. "But there is some flexibility within the guidelines."

If the program is approved, Rivarola said, consultants from Theis Doolittle would help redesign six businesses along the corridor as part of a pilot project to demonstrate how the guidelines could improve the corridor's look. This complimentary consultation could encourage other businesses to update their architectural designs, Rivarola said.

Mission's planning commission has unanimously approved of the design guidelines. Richard Peak, chair of the planning commission, said he hoped the guidelines would foster the addition of offices and apartments to the top of one-story buildings. Both the guidelines and recent zoning changes would allow for such additions, Peak said.

"I'd like to see people living downtown so Mission doesn't look deserted at night," he said. "And it would be safer because people are keeping an eye on things, and they're another resource for business."

Additionally, the guidelines forbid new curb cuts along Johnson Drive, which effectively stops any new automobile-dependent businesses from opening along the corridor, such as car washes, drive-through restaurants and banks, Rivarola said. Peak also supported this proposal, adding that it would encourage more small specialty shops to move into the area.

However, the flood plain along Rock Creek just south of Johnson Drive remains a major obstacle, Rivarola said. He said businesses located in the flood plain couldn't collect insurance on major upgrades if flooding were to occur. Consequently, the public works department now will turn its attention to addressing the flooding issue, Rivarola said.

"Now we're down to the infrastructure improvements that we need to be tackling," he said.

Mission also has been tackling the issue of tax increment financing (TIF) in recent months and could consider TIF to support upgrades along the corridor within the next year, Scanlon said. He said Mission would need about six to nine months to establish TIF zones and policies before it could support TIF projects.

Tax increment financing allows the property tax that would otherwise be due on improvements made as part of a development project to be used temporarily to fund qualifying portions of the project.

"TIFs need to be both for new business owners and current owners," Scanlon said. "The benefit for TIF should be felt by people who already own businesses here."

©The Johnson County Sun 2003

dangerboy wrote:The vibrancy of the mom and pop stores may be the biggest problem for Mission Center. I patronize Johnson Drive quite often, but have only been in the mall 2 or 3 times in the last five years. That mall is just too small compete with the full-sized malls like Oak Park or Indep. Center, and it's too isolated to compete with Johnson Drive.

cdschofield wrote:If Ikea had proposed a 200,000 sq. ft. blue and yellow big box for the Mission Center site would everyone be so happy for the rezoning? Just a gut check.

cdschofield wrote:I'm no Wal Mart booster but I just think the city council should have taken a more cooperative approach with Copaken. If the city council wants to redevelop the Mission Center site they are going to have to deal with developers and pissing on one of the biggest developers in KC is not the way to accomplish that goal.