Metro North Mall

GRID · Post by **GRID** » Tue Dec 02, 2003 12:02 am

We ended up at Metro North over the weekend and I know it's been said a million times over, but I will say it again.

Why has this mall not gone through a major expansion and renovation?

With the addition of some destination stores in a classy new mall, this place could trully kick some butt and be a powerhouse indoor mall in the KC area along with Independence Center and Oak Park serving the three primary suburban areas of the city.

Sure you have a ton of new lifestyle centers or whatever going up in the northland, and I really have little interest in malls myself, but this seems like such a wasted opportunity.

Plus I just get tired of hearing that Oak Park it the only place to shop in this town.

scooterj · Post by **scooterj** » Tue Dec 02, 2003 12:32 am

GRID wrote:Plus I just get tired of hearing that Oak Park it the only place to shop in this town.

Oak Park Mall is a bland boring overcrowded shoebox with crappy parking where you can't find much men's clothing and where the JC Penney is only really half of a JC Penney.

Metro North and Independence Center may have parking messes (especially Independence Center) but they at least have character. Lots of character.

(Call me old-fashioned, but I LOVED Independence Center before they renovated it and removed all the ramps.)

Post by **dangerboy** » Tue Dec 02, 2003 1:23 am

Yeah I also miss the ramps at Indep. Center, but it's much better having a top-shelf mall that is no longer on the verge of being conveted into a prison. Now if they could only follow through on bringing JC Penney back to Jackson County....

But on topic, Metro North is definitely a waste. The location and future demographics are amazing. However, if the New Urbanist areas like Shoal Creek Valley and Zona Rosa are successful, then there may be less of a need for an enclosed regional shopping mall in the Northland.

ShowME · Post by **ShowME** » Tue Dec 02, 2003 3:29 pm

Since management doesn't plan on upgrading Metro North anytime soon I hope Zona Rosa and the Shops at Shoal Creek just kick the crap out of it. Hopefully no one shops at that eyesore any longer. How long has the Monkey Wards and old cinema building been vacant? The whole mall scene is KC is pretty sad. I remember in college visiting friends who lived in Tulsa which had a better selection of mall's. Oh well at least we got the Plaza.

KCN · Post by **KCN** » Tue Dec 02, 2003 4:34 pm

If Metro North completely folds I will not be at all sad to see it go. That heap is wasting valuable space.

QueSi2Opie · Post by **QueSi2Opie** » Tue Dec 02, 2003 10:29 pm

dangerboy wrote:Yeah I also miss the ramps at Indep. Center

When I was a lil' kid I use to run up and down the ramps hiding from my grandma! I miss those damn ramps too!

Anyhow, the recent Kansas City Visitor's Guide mentions every mall and neighborhood shopping area (Brookside, Plaza, Parkville, etc.) in the metro except Independence Center? I thought that was ridiculous because it mentions all the crappy malls in Missouri (Ward Parkway, Bannister, Blue Ridge, Antioch, Metro North) and then Oak Park Mall, Mission Center, Town Center and Great Mall of the Great Plains in Kansas. Wonder why Independence Center was excluded? It's the best mall on the Missouri side of the metro. Oh well, jus' something I noticed.

GRID · Post by **GRID** » Tue Dec 02, 2003 11:50 pm

That's because those are payed spots. Aparrently the Center doesn't think it needs to advertise. I've noticed that too.

Post by **bahua** » Fri Dec 05, 2003 4:04 pm

I think it'd be a great place to build a beautiful, productive cornfield.

FangKC · Post by **FangKC** » Wed Dec 10, 2003 1:31 pm

I have no opinion one way or another on Metro North. However, I will tell you that my mother and sister live 35 miles NW of St. Joseph near the Kansas/Nebraska lines. They drive 75 miles to do their holiday, and other major shopping (school clothes, etc) at Metro North--completely bypassing East Hills Mall in St. Joseph because it's so pathetic.

I'm sure that Metro North pulls in people from all over the area north of Platte City and Liberty. There are people living in rural areas that are willing to drive 100 miles to shop there. Obviously, there is a great need for additional retail in the Northland.

Zona Rosa will fill a great need for these folks. For example, my mother and sisters consider a trip to the Plaza a big treat. They get to feel all sophisticated and "urban" when they go there. Each of their towns has only one grocery store. They both drive 35-40 miles to St. Joseph to do their grocery shopping because their hometown groceries are so limited.

On another note, my hometown newspaper actually prints news clips in the "society" section whenever anyone in town goes to Kansas City and has lunch on the Plaza.

It is evident that Zona Rosa will find a following similar to that of the Plaza--in time.

trailerkid · Post by **trailerkid** » Wed Dec 10, 2003 2:22 pm

The mall is excellent for rural people, but it is pathetic for a booming suburban population. I do agree that the St. Joseph mall is also even more pathetic.

They should rebuild Metro North the way they did West County in St. Louis: shut it down and replace with a supermall with Nordstrom and Galyan's and better stores.

GRID · Post by **GRID** » Wed Dec 10, 2003 6:44 pm

trailerkid wrote:The mall is excellent for rural people, but it is pathetic for a booming suburban population. I do agree that the St. Joseph mall is also even more pathetic.

They should rebuild Metro North the way they did West County in St. Louis: shut it down and replace with a supermall with Nordstrom and Galyan's and better stores.

exactly

I also know many people that drive hundreds of miles to "shop" in KC and don't go past Summit Woods or Independence Center. I sure the same goes with Great Mall etc.

QueSi2Opie · Post by **QueSi2Opie** » Wed Dec 10, 2003 9:10 pm

trailerkid wrote:The mall is excellent for rural people, but it is pathetic for a booming suburban population. I do agree that the St. Joseph mall is also even more pathetic.

I actually think the mall in St. Joseph is better than Metro North...at least they were near 100% occupancy the last time I visited our Pony Express neighbors.

Post by **dangerboy** » Wed Dec 10, 2003 9:24 pm

GRID wrote:I also know many people that drive hundreds of miles to "shop" in KC and don't go past Summit Woods or Independence Center. I sure the same goes with Great Mall etc.

Well there isn't much past those places that would draw people, except for the Plaza. And for most people the Plaza is not an everyday kindof shopping trip. Indep. Center, etc. probably meets the shopping needs of 95% of the people coming into the metro from outlying areas.

trailerkid · Post by **trailerkid** » Mon Dec 15, 2003 4:24 pm

UMKC has bowed out of Metro North and will take a spot near KCI because of cheaper rent and utilities. It's really sad when a mall is forced to bring in non-traditional tenants and loses them to other centers. Maybe they could put in a Salvation Army and homeless shelter in the old space.

RicKC · Post by **RicKC** » Sun Jan 25, 2004 10:29 pm

I rarely get to Metro North Mall however I'd visit quite a bit if there was a Nordstom. I keep asking Nordstrom when they are going to add a second store in KC. They keep staying this is a one Nordstrom town. I tell them that there are a lot of people north of the River that refuse to shop at Oak Park Mall.

Nordstrom only goes in to malls -- they stay away from "strip" malls. Metro North would be a great location for them if the mall would make an effort to go after them.

The Summit · Post by **The Summit** » Sun Jan 25, 2004 10:34 pm

Simon needs to get a hold of Metro North.

What they have done with Independence Center is amazing, not only does the mall have a waiting list and could now used a major expansion, the entire area around the mall is blowing up and some of that could be due to the success of the mall itself.

RicKC · Post by **RicKC** » Sun Jan 25, 2004 10:37 pm

Honestly I'd love it even more if Nordstrom or another high class tenant would move into Indp. Center. I work in the area around Little Blue Parkway and I agree with you it is amazing to see all the growth taking place. If the rumors are true about Bass Pro then the sky is the limit for that whole area.

trailerkid · Post by **trailerkid** » Sun Jan 25, 2004 11:44 pm

Metro North needs Simon or anyone else with working brain cells.

There is no way in hell that Metro North could even get their phone calls returned from Nordstrom at this point in the game.

I knew someone who worked at Oak Park Nordstrom and she said the company had even expressed interest in Town Center Plaza so I definitely think they would expand in the metro. They wanted a store at the Plaza years ago and I bet they would not hesitate to sign a another store there. I think expansion plans are somewhat secretive as they are always trying to one-up any competition.

RicKC · Post by **RicKC** » Sun Jan 25, 2004 11:56 pm

I've heard rumors that Nordstrom may consider Zona Rosa but I cannot get any confirmation.

GRID · Post by **GRID** » Mon Jan 26, 2004 12:01 am

Considering that there is still a ton of people from the Missouri side that shop in Kansas. Everytime I am at Oak Park or Town Center, I swear 40% of the cars have Missouri tags, but at major shopping centers in Missouri, you would be hard pressed to find a JoCo car (I trully don't think they think there is anything outside of JoCo). There is plenty of room for more upscale retail on the Missouri side.

Having said that, a Nordstroms in the Northland would probably have a pretty serious effect on Halls in Crown Center and we want places like that to survive.

BTW, the Independence Center area is just getting started, that area will out retail every other area in the city in less than five years.

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