Downtown Mission/ The Gateway

[KC0KEK]

The wild card is Dillards, which owns its parts of the mall. I was surprised that neither the Star nor the Sun bothered to ask Dillards about its thoughts on what, if anything, should be done with the mall. The last I heard, the chain was doing pretty well, but if it fell on hard times, one classic way to raise cash is to sell properties and then lease back, assuming that it wants to stay in those locations.

[Karin]

In my opinion, Copaken should consider selling the property to a national mall development company, especially one that manages and owns smaller size malls as well as large ones like CBL Properties. www.cblproperties.com

The company's mall portfolio includes several shopping centers that are comparable in size to Mission Mall. In addition, their centers are almost leased to capacity with few, if any, vacancies.

However, a sale by Copaken to a competitor in the mall business would probably be unlikely.

[KCK]

I say they let the mall go broke, lose all its tenants, then abandon it leaving a giant piece of blight for those people in Mission to look at for the next 10 years. Meanwhile Mission can suffer the plight of other inner ring suburbs which is declining population, increased crime, blight, and abandonment by business.

[trailerkid]

I say they let the mall go broke, lose all its tenants, then abandon it leaving a giant piece of blight for those people in Mission to look at for the next 10 years. Meanwhile Mission can suffer the plight of other inner ring suburbs which is declining population, increased crime, blight, and abandonment by business.

This site is near the mansions of Mission Hills as well as as the best KS suburbs there are-- PV, Fairway, Coutryside. I said it before...this site should be used as a new urban retail/residential/office project that houses much of the retail that the Plaza rejects-- Bed, Bath and Beyond, Marshall's, Borders, Old Navy, and teen stores like Hollister, Express, Hot Topic, etc.

Time after time I am underwhelmed by the types of commercial projects that happen in suburban KC. Zona Rosa is the only thing built in the last 30 years worth a s---t in the 'burbs. People who go to big cities expect big shopping centers and such everywhere because that's what they see in Denver, Dallas, Chicago, etc. In Dallas, the Galleria sits right next to Valley View Mall-- they are both gigantic and full of different stores and anchors. There is no reason this site couldn't offer a complement to the Plaza.

[Karin]

I agree with Trailerkid's assessment of a lot of the shopping centers in the Kansas and Missouri suburbs. Most cities of any size across the U.S. offer numerous, large and distinct shopping destinations for their residents to choose from. Much of the shopping in K.C.'s suburbs consists of too many bland and boring strip malls.

The indoor malls like Mission Center, Metcalf South, Ward Parkway and Blue Ridge need to either be upgraded to today's standards or redeveloped into unique and upscale shopping venues with architectural appeal. This also would attract people from a broader region, including other K.C. suburbs and rural communities.

[Karin]

Trailerkid--- According to the www.kansascity.com website, your idea about a mini Zona Rosa development is already being discussed by the planning commission for the Mission Mall and Rock Creek site.

The article states that Mission wants to transform the area into a pedestrian friendly mini riverwalk like San Antonio's on a smaller scale. The area where the mall is would be the Zona Rosa type of development.

[ComandanteCero]

that would be interesting, the key is to make things architecturally distinct though. I have a nagging fear that as developers start to cash in on the idea of the mixed-use zone-as-replacement-of-mall they will just continue to try to place replica mini plaza's throughout the city (i.e same color scheme with spanish style roofing etc.) (even Zona Rosa uses spanish words to invoke a Plaza-esque tone) Anyways.....

[trailerkid]

(even Zona Rosa uses spanish words to invoke a Plaza-esque tone) Anyways.....

I believe there is a large shopping district in Mexico City which is the namesake for Zona Rosa. Zona doesn't really use any spanish architecture that I've seen.

[ComandanteCero]

Zona Rosa is a term used to refer to the so called "Red Light District", which is a generic term used in many latin american cities for the part of town that has bars and clubs and restaurants. But yeah, from what i've seen Zona Rosa doesn't look like it's using Plaza architecture, just saying for other projects (town center has a weird kind of amalgam thing going, with plazaesque touches).... ok, or maybe i'm just airing an irrational fear, hehe

[trailerkid]

Zona Rosa is a term used to refer to the so called "Red Light District", which is a generic term used in many latin american cities for the part of town that has bars and clubs and restaurants. But yeah, from what i've seen Zona Rosa doesn't look like it's using Plaza architecture, just saying for other projects (town center has a weird kind of amalgam thing going, with plazaesque touches).... ok, or maybe i'm just airing an irrational fear, hehe

I know that the Plaza is basically the inspiration for many new urban projects of late. I think Steiner even did research at the Plaza when planning things like Easton Town Center, Steiner was originally involved with the P+L district years back.

[KCK]

I say they let the mall go broke, lose all its tenants, then abandon it leaving a giant piece of blight for those people in Mission to look at for the next 10 years. Meanwhile Mission can suffer the plight of other inner ring suburbs which is declining population, increased crime, blight, and abandonment by business.

This site is near the mansions of Mission Hills as well as as the best KS suburbs there are-- PV, Fairway, Coutryside. I said it before...this site should be used as a new urban retail/residential/office project that houses much of the retail that the Plaza rejects-- Bed, Bath and Beyond, Marshall's, Borders, Old Navy, and teen stores like Hollister, Express, Hot Topic, etc.

Time after time I am underwhelmed by the types of commercial projects that happen in suburban KC. Zona Rosa is the only thing built in the last 30 years worth a s---t in the 'burbs. People who go to big cities expect big shopping centers and such everywhere because that's what they see in Denver, Dallas, Chicago, etc. In Dallas, the Galleria sits right next to Valley View Mall-- they are both gigantic and full of different stores and anchors. There is no reason this site couldn't offer a complement to the Plaza.

I agree about the shopping centers around KC, but from the site plan and renderings of the Legends, I could see it being something special as well. Last night during the T-bones game there were literally thousands of people walking around, and unfortunately aside from the restaurants, there was no where to go, hopefully after the Legends is built, it will close the gap.

[ComandanteCero]

interesting article about the appeal of the existing mission strip

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascit ... 532734.htm

Wal-Mart's great, but not quaint

MIKE HENDRICKS


Let's take a stroll through downtown Mission. Maybe then you can begin to understand why so many of us were upset about a super-sized Wal-Mart possibly going up on the east end of town.

Here on the main drag, Johnson Drive, is a family-owned meat market where they make their own sausages. Oh, baby, when they fire up that grill at Werner's on Saturdays, it's enough to make a vegan fall off the turnip wagon.

Across the street is a movie house with just two screens.

A pair of hardware stores are within spitting distance of each other. There's a doughnut shop where the cakes are “fluffy,â€

[KC0KEK]

Interesting to hear Scanlon saying that a Best Buy or Kohl's would fit the city's guidlines for the site.

Also interesting to see the $300K sales tax revenue figure again. This same issue of the Sun has another article (http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?news ... _id=155725) on the Prairie Village Shopping Center, and it's on track to generate nearly $2M this year despite several major vacancies.


City officials ponder future of Mission mall

By: Nathan Dayani, Sun Staff Writer September 02, 2004

A number of questions remain about the future of the Mission Center Mall now that Wal-Mart says it's no longer interested in the property.

"My guess is that the mall doesn't exist in its current state three to four years from now," said Mike Scanlon, Mission city administrator.

Martin Rivarola, community development officer, agrees with Scanlon, and added, "What goes in there is a million-dollar question."

On Aug. 25, the Mission City Council amended zoning ordinances that affect the city's east gateway district where the mall is located. If Wal-Mart were to purchase the mall to redevelop it and open a Supercenter, it would have to conform with city design guidelines and build a multi-level facility.

Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, says that option would not be cost-effective, and its interests in purchasing the mall appear to have waned.

Now, city officials are trying to figure out what's next for the struggling mall, located at 4777 Johnson Drive. Although the mall raises about $300,000 in sales-tax revenues each year for Mission, more than any other retail facility in the city, up to one-third of its estimated 50 stores are vacant.

"For us, the next thing is for the City Council and owners of the mall to meet in a work session and have a frank and honest discussion about the (site's) possibilities," Scanlon said. "Short of someone else coming in and wanting to buy everything and redevelop it, it's probably going to take some assistance from someone to make it work."

However, discussion about redeveloping the site may be premature, said Keith Copaken, representing Copaken, White and Blitt, the property management firm that operates the mall. He said the new city ordinances are overly restrictive and "have made it too difficult to contemplate the redevelopment of the mall."

"The city ordinances will make it more difficult to redevelop the site," he said. "The ordinance really will achieve the exact opposite of what city officials had intended."

The ordinance amendments preclude a large big-box or "footprint" store from occupying the site. The amendments also require that a redeveloped facility would include multi-level parking, landscaping and a look consistent with nearby buildings in Mission's downtown business district.

Another major hurdle for a redevelopment project is the mall site is located on the last choke point of Rock Creek in Mission, making it vulnerable to flooding as stormwater travels downstream, Scanlon said. He said the heavy rains on Friday almost pushed stormwater outside of Rock Creek, which could have resulted in flooding in the mall's lower-level parking lot.

"It's a tough site," Scanlon said.

Kate Michaelis, vice president of the Northeast Johnson County Chamber of Commerce, added, "My best guess is that it's going to take something pretty dramatic to revitalize that area for retail business because at this point it's not working very well."

However, Scanlon and Michaelis agreed the mall site has a number of strengths that make them hopeful about its future. The site is located between two major thoroughfares, Johnson Drive and Shawnee Mission Parkway, both of which are well-traveled, Michaelis said. She added the mall is also near the I-35 exit to Roe Avenue.

Michaelis, Rivarola and Scanlon all agree that the current mall facility is probably not viable in the long term. Scanlon said enclosed shopping malls throughout the country are struggling, as well as local malls such as Metcalf South and Indian Springs. Instead, pedestrian-friendly, outdoor retail shopping centers are becoming more of the norm, Rivarola said, citing the Country Club Plaza and Leawood Town Center as examples.

Mission's new amendments are conducive to such establishments, but the city is unsure what type of development would be best for Mission, Rivarola said.

Scanlon said the amendments exclude discount department stores - such as Wal-Mart, Target, Sam's Club and Costco - from locating at the mall site. However, fairly large retail stores could still locate there, including businesses like Best Buy or Kohl's.

"I think multiple tenants may be possible," Scanlon said.

Another possibility that has been floating around is a mixed-use development, which could include small retail stores, office and apartment buildings, and perhaps other residential developments, Rivarola said. He said the city would have a better grasp on how to redevelop the mall site within the next year after a consulting firm studies the area and makes recommendations.

"What we're going to have to do now is keep our minds open, be creative and think about what could happen," Rivarola said.

He said community involvement would be important to determining the future of the mall. Councilman Phil Perry said although many area residents are fond of the mall because it's not crowded, that affinity should not preclude its redevelopment.

"People love the mall because it's quiet, but that's kind of self-defeating," he said. "If it's not crowded, that leads to its decline."

Although Wal-Mart may no longer be interested in opening up shop at the mall site, there are still a few areas in Mission where it could open a big-box style Supercenter, Michaelis said. One possible site is near Metcalf Avenue and 56th Street.

Perry said Wal-Mart would be a benefit to Mission if it could open a location that would not compromise the look of the Johnson Drive corridor. He said if Wal-Mart could locate to an area where it would not compete with small retailers along the corridor, Mission would benefit from a wealth of sales-tax revenues.

"There's no doubt that it would be a benefit to us. They would still have to meet some design guidelines, but they could fit," he said. "It would just have to be in the right location."

©The Johnson County Sun 2004

[Karin]

Kohl's and Best Buy would be good businesses for Mission.

The more anchor stores the city can recruit, the more likelihood that the redevelopment of the mall will succeed.

[KC0KEK]

I'd be fine with a Kohl's or a Best Buy only if they could fit in the existing mall or if they were part of a redevelopment that fit Mission's guidelines. I don't see how they could pull off the latter, though, considering that their stores are big boxes just like a Wal-Mart.

As for squeezing into the mall, I suppose that's possible if they moved a bunch of the smaller stores into other parts of the wall to free up part of one wing for Kohl's or Best Buy. There's probably enough vacant square footage in there now to fit them in, except that it's scattered here and there rather all in one spot. Of course, they'd also have to be willing to have a two-level store, which Kohl's shouldn't mind because most department stores generally don't view that as a drawback.

[Karin]

Since the mall is anchored by two Dillard's stores, that company should consolidate its merchandise into one store. The vacant Dillard's could then be leased by a retailer such as Best Buy or Kohl's. (Never understood why there were two Dillard's stores anyways.)

Also, bulldoze the parking garage and replace it with another major department store such as J.C. Penney. In my opinion, a mall the size of Mission Center does not need a parking garage.

Such changes may help to revitalize the mall.

[KC0KEK]

My guess is that the garage is there because the zoning regs require a certain number of parking spaces according to the amount of retail space, and they only way they could shoehorn in enough spaces is by going up with parking instead of out.

I actually like the garage. It's great when it's hot, raining or snowing.

[KC0KEK]

So Dillard's wants out. I can't say that I'm surprised, but it's still news to me. I don't recall any Star or Sun articles that mentioned Dillard's feelings one way or the other, and that omission surprised me. Once again, the Business Journal's reporters ask the questions that others don't know to or don't bother to.



The Business Journal of Kansas City - September 6, 2004
http://kansascity.bizjournals.com/kansa ... tory7.html

EXCLUSIVE REPORTS
From the September 3, 2004 print edition

Mission mall issue becomes 'so now what?'
Rob Roberts
Staff Writer

Copaken White & Blitt is left in the role of reluctant landlord at Mission Center after adoption of zoning changes aimed at keeping Wal-Mart Stores Inc. from buying and redeveloping the site.

The firm already has shopped around every other redevelopment alternative it could think of, said Keith Copaken, director of development.

"One thing I think we all agree on is that the mall, as it is today, probably isn't self-sufficient," Mission City Administrator Mike Scanlon said.

But Copaken White & Blitt's redevelopment strategy seems to be "Wal-Mart or nothing," Scanlon said.

Not true, Copaken said.

During the Aug. 26 debate on the discount-store restrictions, Copaken tried to tell the Mission City Council about the numerous attempts the firm had made to revitalize the site. But he was limited to the same three minutes given each of several anti-Wal-Mart residents who spoke.

Mission Center, a 350,000-square-foot enclosed mall, was built in 1989, Copaken said, and for the past 10 years, its sales have been "on the lower end of acceptability."

As a result, 12 of the mall's 60 storefronts are vacant, and its sole anchor tenant, Dillard's, wants out. Dillard's, which owns its two buildings at the mall and one-third of the remainder, was in favor of the sale to Wal-Mart, Copaken said.

"But before making any decision to sell, we tried every other conceivable new store, retenanting, remerchandising, department store expansion, new department stores, a residential redevelopment concept, hotel redevelopment, a mixed-used redevelopment plan and more," he said.

By acting to exclude Wal-Mart, Copaken said, Mission officials have made it virtually impossible to redevelop the mall site. So Copaken White & Blitt will continue working with the tenants it has, he said.

Some tenants are unhappy, knowing their landlord would demolish the mall if possible.

"Even after the papers reported Wal-Mart was trying to buy the center, the developers have never contacted us," said Bill Crooks, co-owner of PB&J Restaurant Inc.'s Coyote Grill, one of the mall's original tenants.

Crooks said he had discussed potential relocation sites for the popular restaurant with at least a dozen area real estate developers.

"Our job is to make sure we have someplace to go when we get that (eviction) notice," he said. "Because if that comes, we'll probably have only 30 days to move."

Copaken White & Blitt reached an agreement in July to sell the Mission Center site to Wal-Mart.

John Bisio, a Wal-Mart spokesman, said the purchase was part of a plan to close the nearby Wal-Mart Discount Store in Roeland Park and develop a 203,000-square-foot Supercenter in Mission.

That plan appears to have been killed, however, by the council's decision to limit footprints of new discount stores in the East Gateway district to 50,000 square feet. That would require the proposed Supercenter to be four stories. Another zoning change would require 75 percent of its parking to be in structures.

An owner of the Roeland Park shopping center that Wal-Mart had wanted to leave for Mission said she'll try to retain the mall's largest tenant.

Jodi Belpedio, an agent with Rubenstein Real Estate Co. LC in Fairway, said she likes Roeland Park's demographics and is confident of being able to replace the Wal-Mart Discount Store if it closes. Belpedio said she expects more national retailers to fill categories, such as soft goods and clothes, that are underserved in the trade area.

Rubenstein Real Estate became the shopping center's leasing and managing agent after Belpedio's group completed its purchase in August. The purchase price and other terms weren't disclosed.

[Karin]

That's interesting that Dillard's wanted to sell.

Without Dillard's serving as an anchor store though, I would think the potential for redevelopment of the mall site would be minimal.

[trailerkid]

That's interesting that Dillard's wanted to sell.

Without Dillard's serving as an anchor store though, I would think the potential for redevelopment of the mall site would be minimal.

There are a lot of other options that wouldn't involve Dillard's or a major department store. The center needs to be torn down and completely reinvented rather than demalled similarly as Ward Parkway Center was.