KCRag Forum

An article in the Star this morning about Cerner's lack of overall impact in south Kansas City :

https://www.kansascity.com/news/busines ... 01533.html

While much of the article is aimed at the Star's new goal of creating controversy wherever possible, the early indications are that the Cerner campus has had little impact on the community. I think most on KCRAG predicted the same with employees simply bypassing the community on their commutes.

Still, many view Cerner’s 3,000-plus employees more as visitors than members of the community. With easy access to the interstate, most zip off to other parts of the metro at the end of every work day.

When they are there, employees have little reason to leave the gated campus, which contains a food court, a fitness center and a health clinic.

“They put all the needs on the campus,” said Alissia Canady, a former council member who lives in the area. “The only Starbucks in the community is on the Cerner campus.”

To be fair, the Star article is way premature. It's only been 5 years since ground was broken and not even half of the envisioned employee force is in place yet. But results are pretty predictable thus far. KC leaders do not seem to be able to learn from past failed attempts to generate development with similar efforts and never seem to ask the question about whether or not that's even a worthy goal.

I've seen complaints that it's turning into a corporate gated community.

As part of the City participation in the project, there should have been some requirement that Cerner be responsible for overseeing -- with a partner -- the financing and building of near-site housing for a some percentage of their staff. If it is becoming a gated campus, the City should have also required that the area remain open to public passage, and that it be mixed use.

They should have been some provision to stop Cerner from farming out to third-party developers to get out of the minimum minority representation in employment.

Cerner doesn't care about that neighborhood, and they don't care about KCMO per se. They just want a cheap place to operate, and taxpayers to help fund it. The project isn't that far along, and they are already looking for loopholes.

I mean.. what do you expect from a private, gated business place who's parking lot you can't even enter without a special pass?

Is Cerner is having some internal struggles? Wonder why are all these long time execs are leaving all of a sudden? Could Cerner end up being bought out or merge with someone else. Cerner also seems to be losing marketshare to companies like Epic
https://www.kansascity.com/news/busines ... 22258.html

A friend worked for them recently as an IT architect and told me they are stuck in the past with too many legacy systems that need to be modernized yet they are investing in other areas, possibly the wrong areas. However he said some key Epic systems also are not as modernized as they should be. Probably good that they remove the old guard and get some fresh thinking at the top. They have enough scale to correct past mistakes.

FangKC wrote: ↑Sun Nov 03, 2019 9:47 pm
They should have been some provision to stop Cerner from farming out to third-party developers to get out of the minimum minority representation in employment.

What "minimum minority representation in employment" agreement are you referencing? Did Cerner sign something like this with the city or county? If so, please link to it in your reply.

herrfrank wrote: ↑Thu Nov 07, 2019 10:31 am

FangKC wrote: ↑Sun Nov 03, 2019 9:47 pm
They should have been some provision to stop Cerner from farming out to third-party developers to get out of the minimum minority representation in employment.

What "minimum minority representation in employment" agreement are you referencing? Did Cerner sign something like this with the city or county? If so, please link to it in your reply.

He is probably referring to the KC Star article: https://www.kansascity.com/news/busines ... rylink=cpy

The original TIF plan called for Cerner to build about 250,000 square feet of retail space along with a 121,000 - square-foot hotel along Bannister. But the company now plans to hand off the commercial development projects to other developers. It will soon seek a fifth amendment to its plan with the Kansas City TIF Commission.

That change will excuse the third-party developers from meeting requirements to hire a certain percentage of minority and female-owned businesses that Cerner is bound to, said Heather Brown, executive director of the TIF commission. While Cerner won't build on the site, the projects will still receive tax benefits, Brown said.

To clarify -- the reference is to minority-owned and woman-owned business allotments for construction work (which the city of KC has required for years, commonly known in the building trades as "set-asides"), not anything to do with direct employment by Cerner.

No one said anything about direct employment by Cerner.

I was in town over Christmas. I see this multi billion dollar development has spurred the development of a Quik Trip...

Maybe after the another four buildings are built, a Wendys will go in.

Love how you can't get within a mile of the office towers unless you work there. This could have been the development of a a lifetime for KC, even in South KC with just a little bit decent urban planning thought put into it.

Where for Quik Trip?

GRID wrote: ↑Thu Jan 02, 2020 11:16 pm I was in town over Christmas. I see this multi billion dollar development has spurred the development of a Quik Trip...

Maybe after the another four buildings are built, a Wendys will go in.

Love how you can't get within a mile of the office towers unless you work there. This could have been the development of a a lifetime for KC, even in South KC with just a little bit decent urban planning thought put into it.

You missed the new Wendy's on Bannister Rd. See....Cerner has been a huge boost to the neighborhood. (Also, don't forget the new Hardee's and the conversion of the KMart to a self storage facility! Big things are happening!!) (ha!)

slimwhitman wrote: ↑Fri Jan 03, 2020 11:51 am

GRID wrote: ↑Thu Jan 02, 2020 11:16 pm I was in town over Christmas. I see this multi billion dollar development has spurred the development of a Quik Trip...

Maybe after the another four buildings are built, a Wendys will go in.

Love how you can't get within a mile of the office towers unless you work there. This could have been the development of a a lifetime for KC, even in South KC with just a little bit decent urban planning thought put into it.

You missed the new Wendy's on Bannister Rd. See....Cerner has been a huge boost to the neighborhood. (Also, don't forget the new Hardee's and the conversion of the KMart to a self storage facility! Big things are happening!!) (ha!)

Oh wow, I just drove down 87th. I didn't realize that 95th was booming. I guess that 2 billion in incentives was worth it after all. My bad!

With the slow down of new single family home developments across metro, this is an opportunity for existing homes/neighborhoods to upgrade as the housing market tightens. The Cerner mistake has happened and poorly executed. SKC still needs to make the most of it.

Reminds me of the total lack of development along State Avenue east of 435 in Kansas City, Kansas. After nearly 20 years there is no spin-off development from Village West. But hopefully that will start to change with the Menard's opening soon.

Theirs Car Dealerships on the other side,Water Park and so on to.

mgsports wrote: ↑Sat Jan 04, 2020 10:05 am Theirs Car Dealerships on the other side,Water Park and so on to.

Along Parallel, yes, but not State.

earthling wrote: ↑Fri Jan 03, 2020 12:42 pm With the slow down of new single family home developments across metro, this is an opportunity for existing homes/neighborhoods to upgrade as the housing market tightens. The Cerner mistake has happened and poorly executed. SKC still needs to make the most of it.

The glaring problem is still the three terrible school districts. It’s the same problem that prevents development from creeping east out of Village West in Kansas City, Kansas. I’ve worked with paras who show me what goes on in the Central district, the district they fled from They had video.

earthling wrote: ↑Fri Jan 03, 2020 12:42 pm With the slow down of new single family home developments across metro, this is an opportunity for existing homes/neighborhoods to upgrade as the housing market tightens. The Cerner mistake has happened and poorly executed. SKC still needs to make the most of it.

I don't see it. Firstly because if demand was really there for new homes, new homes would be built. But also because the housing stock in SE KCMO in the Ruskin/Hickman Mills area is in reality quite poor. I don't see why relatively high paid employees would want to take on the personal/financial risk of pioneers in a decrepit suburban area when that area has really nothing going for it. It's not quaint a area with cute little houses, nor is it well kept, or dense, and there's very little commercial activity around. Nor is commute time really a problem in KC. I just don't see the impetus. And the schools in the area are problematic with very few private alternatives nearby.

Unfortunately, this is the type of area that only sees development in a metro that is absolutely booming (Denver maybe, not KC) where the low hanging fruit gets developed and it's the next thing in the queue. KC just has way too much low hanging fruit still sitting around closer to the core and in much more desirable locations.

Agreed - Ruskin/Hickman will be booming in about 50 years