Capping the Loop

[DColeKC]

How much influence does Rag have then?

Probably none, we are a small subset of development enthusiasts. You can get influence if you work in local government or go to neighborhood meetings.

I would be surprised if someone doesn't monitor the site for information and ideas but I bet it's no more used than any other source of public information. I bet the mayor has someone documenting everything that's sent to him on his number for the same reason.

The more data points you have the more you can get an idea what the public wants.

I've received a few private messages on here from local media outlets asking for more information. I don't respond but there's no doubt certain people are watching.

[WoodDraw]

I got quoted in the star calling transit stupid for creating a stoned frog mascot.

[Riverite]

I got quoted in the start calling them stupid for creating a stoned frog mascot.

We have a mascot?

[FangKC]

Modot has been talking about widening I-70 from St. Louis to Kansas City for more than 20 years, and still hasn't accomplished it. Funding is always an issue.

[Riverite]

Modot is pretty useless, but you can also blamethat partially on the low gas tax

[FangKC]

They did raise the gas tax though.

Governor Parson Signs Off On Missouri's First Gas Tax Hike In More Than Two Decades

Missouri drivers can expect to pay more for gas this fall after Gov. Mike Parson signed the state’s first fuel tax raise in decades into law today.

The measure will gradually raise the state’s 17-cents-per-gallon gas tax by 12.5 cents over the next five years. The tax will go up 2.5 cents a year starting this October.
...

https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-07-13/go ... wo-decades

[WoodDraw]

I got quoted in the start calling them stupid for creating a stoned frog mascot.

We have a mascot?

It’s been put out to pasture I am sure. I apologize for linking this but it was hilarious everyone picked it up.

https://www.tonyskansascity.com/2008/08 ... ously.html

A certain moderator who I won’t name pmed me, rightly so, and said stop being a dick.

This place used to be wild.

[Riverite]

I got quoted in the start calling them stupid for creating a stoned frog mascot.

We have a mascot?

It’s been put out to pasture I am sure. I apologize for linking this but it was hilarious everyone picked it up.

https://www.tonyskansascity.com/2008/08 ... ously.html

A certain moderator who I won’t name pmed me, rightly so, and said stop being a dick.

This place used to be wild.

Ughh just looked and that pos website is still going strong.

[WoodDraw]

We have a mascot?

It’s been put out to pasture I am sure. I apologize for linking this but it was hilarious everyone picked it up.

https://www.tonyskansascity.com/2008/08 ... ously.html

A certain moderator who I won’t name pmed me, rightly so, and said stop being a dick.

This place used to be wild.

Ughh just looked and that pos website is still going strong.

I didn’t even read through it to see David was quoted.

I hope you take my belated apologies

[GRID]

Money is a huge issue, especially with MoDot, but I still think leadership is the bigger issue at both the local and state level. When it comes to infrastructure, KC just seems to get the shaft because I don't think enough of the people in KC that have the ability to make things happen care honestly.

Even St Louis has much better general highway/interstate infrastructure than the MO side of the KC area does. MoDot has STILL not properly rebuilt I-70 between downtown and 470 and even east of 470 should be 8 lanes by now with at least six lanes to Grain Valley. Meanwhile, StL has rebuilt everything in the entire metro area. Driving through KC on 35, 70, 470 or 435 (except the south leg) is like going back in time 30 years compared to most large metros including St Louis.

At the same time, KC area highways are a never ending construction mess of patches and bridge repairs because it's never fully replaced and rebuilt.
It's just done in constant mini band-aid projects. That's a lack of local leadership that should be telling Modot "enough is enough". Spend some money rebuilding and modernizing the KC area highways so they can be left alone for a while. Modot jacked with the 70/435 interchange for years before finally deciding to properly rebuild that.

If KC really wanted to deck 670, it would be done by now as part of a master plan along with the new hotel and the ballroom across the highway. Based on watching projects like this happen in other cities, the simple fact that actual well thought out 30% engineered renderings of what could be done there have yet to even be created tells me that this is still either still way out in the future or whatever happens will be a super cheap, not very well designed slab of concrete over the highway.

I just don't see the excitement from the city, state etc to create something special. That's the problem with KC. I never see that in projects like this. Same with the Broadway Bridge etc. KC had that for a few years with Barnes (the only reason the new Bond bridge doesn't look like the 435 bridge today).

Off topic, but I don't think KC would have the Sprint Center and P&L district and now the streetcar today if it didn't have Barnes as Mayor to get things going. That administration flipped KCMO and KCMO has not really be the same since she has left. It's progressing, but it doesn't have that type of leadership to get exciting things done in a town that hates spending money and change in general.

[AlkaliAxel]

^Concur. Although the only mayor I've read about who seemed to really *fight* was Barnes. And maybe Sly? But I read the war stories about Barnes and she seemed like a warrior.

To GRID's point, I do agree that is what we're lacking now. Nobody is advocating for shit. Terrible leadership.

[GRID]

^Concur. Although the only mayor I've read about who seemed to really *fight* was Barnes. And maybe Sly? But I read the war stories about Barnes and she seemed like a warrior.

To GRID's point, I do agree that is what we're lacking now. Nobody is advocating for shit. Terrible leadership.

She made the Sprint Center happen. It would not have happened without her and KC would still be using Kemper as the primary arena today. It was a very controversial project. This is why I think a downtown baseball stadium is a pipe dream unless it's 100% privately funded and that's not likely, especially for a MLB caliber stadium. Sprint Center was a very small project compared to a baseball stadium.

Had the Sprint Center vote not passed, the P&L district would have either never gotten off the ground or it would be a fraction of the size it is today. H&R Block would not have built their HQ downtown either without Barnes and that also would have had a major impact on the P&L district even happening.

While the KC BRT lines are too dumbed down IMO, it was still a massive improvement to the bus system at the time and she also spearheaded that. They did try hard to get a LRT proposal passed, the only time the city has really even tried. I guess it was too big of a starter system. But oh man, had that been built, KC would probably be building extensions to the suburbs by now.

She was even for a new airport terminal at the time, but she just didn't have the council support. Just think if the new terminal had opened back then. KC would likely be a very major focus city for Southwest and the airport would probably be getting expanded right now.

Modot wanted to do the bare minimum with the Paseo Bridge (like they do with all KC area projects) and Barnes pushed hard and found the money to make sure it was a little more than bare minimum.

Most of all, she was passionate about bringing 30-40k new residents downtown and played a major role in getting people moving downtown.

She was a mayor of vision and was able to get the entire city behind ideas and projects.

I guess people didn't like having tower cranes downtown and thought she was too pro development because they were pretty tired of her by the time her second term was done. That is why they elected Funkhouser who proceeded to set KCMO back four years. Sly was a drastic improvement over Funkhouser, but he was no Barnes. Don't know much about the current mayor. He seems somewhere between Funkhouser and James.



I think a downtown baseball stadium would be awesome and could happen if KCMO had a great mayor that wanted to see it happen. That's not the case. So it's not going to happen or happen "right". If KCMO had a mayor like Barnes today and a good council and city manager to go with them, then I would be 100% for a downtown stadium because I actually think there is a chance it could happen. I also think all the other things that need to happen (major investment in other downtown infrastructure and regional transit) along with a downtown ballpark would also have a much better chance of happening.

[flyingember]

I guess people didn't like having tower cranes downtown and thought she was too pro development because they were pretty tired of her by the time her second term was done. That is why they elected Funkhouser who proceeded to set KCMO back four years. Sly was a drastic improvement over Funkhouser, but he was no Barnes. Don't know much about the current mayor. He seems somewhere between Funkhouser and James.

Funkhowser was more or less a do nothing mayor. The council at the time didn't stretch much and used incentives to get what they wanted

James was energetic but was hobbled by public works dragging it's feet and a city manager and leadership group who clearly was ready to quit in hindsight.

Lucas has the luck of a largely positive council and a new energetic city manager and senior staff. It seems like they're focused on the basics more than anything and if they can make 100 small changes with a real impact we'll all come out ahead

[normalthings]

TS very focused on moving the city forward. Not sure why you’d think otherwise

[DColeKC]

Mayor Lucas has hitched his wagon to the “affordable housing” train. So that puts him in a complicated situation when it comes to supporting basically any project that’s considered a luxury.

He could spin it as bringing jobs downtown I guess.

[chaglang]

If anything, he's hitched his wagons to a lot of trains and it looks like a lack of direction or leadership. And Lucas has never been shy about unhitching from something when it suited him.

NB: seems pretty common that everyone's sick of the mayor by the middle of their second term.

[KCPowercat]

Mayor Lucas has hitched his wagon to the “affordable housing” train. So that puts him in a complicated situation when it comes to supporting basically any project that’s considered a luxury.

He could spin it as bringing jobs downtown I guess.

Not mutually exclusive. More housing opens up supply. Luxury housing that asks for a ton of incentives for garages maybe. Not the same as supporting any housing project.

[AlkaliAxel]

The way I see it, Sly got us the new airport and both streetcar extensions. What is Lucas doing or even wanting to do? I’ve heard nothing from him on any big projects he wants like that.

[swid]

I'm pretty sure the only answer to that question is "deciding which higher office to run for next, with Plan B being replacing Cleaver when he retires".

[normalthings]

The way I see it, Sly got us the new airport and both streetcar extensions. What is Lucas doing or even wanting to do? I’ve heard nothing from him on any big projects he wants like that.

Agreed. Sly and Schulte also got Loews done which is just almost as important as those 2.