Clay County "State of the Cities"

Talk about the ever expanding north side of KC.
Post Reply
User avatar
alejandro46
Alameda Tower
Alameda Tower
Posts: 1350
Joined: Fri Feb 02, 2018 11:24 pm
Location: King in the North(Land)

Clay County "State of the Cities"

Post by alejandro46 »

https://www.mycouriertribune.com/news/c ... 6201d.html

Individual Municipalities' presentations are here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/koxdp5aah5q7 ... F2G2a?dl=0

Things that stuck out to me: Burlington corridor rendering, covered swimming pool in Excelsior Springs, and lot of road projects in KCMO.
CLAY COUNTY — If there were any doubt that Clay County has become one of the most dramatic regions in Greater Kansas City, that doubt was buried at the State of the Cities Luncheon this summer.

Held by the Clay County Economic Development Council at Harrah’s North Kansas City Casino, the presentations by leaders from seven communities and Clay County contained both jaw-dropping quantity and impressive quality. The sheer diversity was significant, with everything from major industrial development to outstanding quality-of-life projects.

Presiding Clay County Commissioner Jerry Nolte may have best summarized the presentations when he provided an overview of recent Clay County progress.

“Who would have thought a few years ago that we’d be where we are today,” he said, noting the area is one of the fastest growing counties in Missouri. “It’s really remarkable. Clay County is starting to be what we always knew it should be.”

Nolte wasn’t exaggerating. Before he closed out the meeting, seven city leaders presented a long list of dramatic evidence. Major projects of all kinds are bringing thousands of jobs, new homes and multi-family housing, a variety of commercial developments and scores of new parks, trails and swimming facilities.

Check out the State of the Cities’ presentations here.

Big results

Mayor Sharon Powell of Excelsior Springs was first on the agenda and noted a number of exciting projects, from increased housing starts to rebuilding an old swimming facility into a new splash park. A new pool will have a removable dome so it can be used year-round.

Like several other communities, the city is also engaged in several behind-the-scenes efforts, including a study to determine ways to reduce flooding on the Fishing River. Excelsior Springs is also the first community in the nation to receive silver recognition through the Communities of Excellence Assessment and Recognition Program.

“We made the intentional decision to pursue this work,” Powell said. “It’s the difference between pursuing solutions rather than putting out fires.”

Long-term success

Gladstone’s decades-long effort to build its downtown and spur growth along North Oak Trafficway has notched even more success – including some that will have impact beyond that city’s borders. Mayor Bill Garnos shared that a new police headquarters broke ground this year. Besides providing Gladstone Public Safety with much needed space, it will house a joint dispatch center to be shared by Gladstone, Liberty and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. Another dramatic project involves the $24 million investment by the North Kansas City Schools to purchase a former shopping center at 64th and North Antioch for conversion into the district’s Early Education Center.

Gladstone is not lacking for private investment, including a new hotel opened this spring and multiple multifamily investments, including a 200-unit luxury apartment complex that will also include retail and office development. City initiatives include reconfiguration of downtown parking to better handle the bustling city center and a large range of park and recreation development, including trail links to create a walkway that runs nearly the entire length of Gladstone.

Big impact

As Clay County’s largest municipality, Kansas City unveiled an impressive list of accomplishments. Council members Heather Hall, Dan Fowler and Kevin O’Neill cited everything from completion of major parkways to new subdivisions and commercial developments. Several of the public projects complete multi-year improvements that now link strategic Northland roadways, replacing narrow, two-lane roads with wide thoroughfares boasting sidewalks, bike lanes and more.

“It won’t be the road to nowhere much longer,” Hall said of one project near Worlds of Fun that was started years ago but recently finished. “These developments are really significant.”

Other examples included completion of Maplewoods Parkway and North Brighton.

In Kearney, Mayor Randy Pogue noted the start of a the strategic 119th Street interchange with I-35. Other major efforts involve passage of a use tax that is already funding parks, pathways and police projects.

“We continue to not only focus on new developments but also improvements to our existing infrastructure,” Pogue explained.

Pogue spoke with the Courier-Tribune about several of the large projects adding to city amenities and access, saying, “things continue to be going well for the city” and that Kearney continues to positively grow and that city leaders are focused on continuing to “manage the city smartly.”

Some of the biggest developments, he said, that are important for residents to know is use tax projects are beginning and funding from the voter-approved effort is starting to trickle in; that the second interchange along Interstate 35 is moving ahead of its projected competition date; that the city is looking to continue to add to park amenities including addition of a senior park and more pickleball courts; and that compared to last year, the city is ahead on building permits despite economic uncertainty the region and country have been experiencing.

“We promised voters that we would utilize this new revenue stream for specific projects in our community: parks, pathways, pets and police. We have already added a new sidewalk along Nation Road. This sidewalk connects two neighborhoods and a connection to a safe crosswalk to Dogwood Elementary school, providing safe pathways to hundreds of homes in this area,” Pogue said at the State of Cities lunch about the use tax.

The senior park, will be developed after a donation from a local family was made years ago.

“Thanks to a generous donation from the Hall family over a dozen years ago, we have a current green space that has been eagerly waiting to be developed into a senior park. This is another exciting development that we are looking forward to seeing completed,” said the mayor. “Another Use Tax project I’m very excited about is an expansion and addition to our current pickleball courts. We are converting the current location into additional parking spaces and adding 12 new professional pickleball courts and other improvements like a full facility restroom.”

The city also added Sheila Ernzen to the payroll as assistant city manager and finance director for a salary of $135,600 per year. Ernzen is a certified public accountant with extensive experience in local government, including previous service as Clay County auditor.

Liberty Mayor Lyndell Brenton presented a record number of dramatic projects, including investments of $650 million that will create 4,000 new jobs and bring property taxes worth $29 million annually – on land that previously paid only $63,000 a year.

Brenton also gave a shoutout to the diversity of Liberty’s development. The above projects are being built by five separate developers and include national corporations like Amazon and Walgreens. Even more development is expected soon, including one area comprising 1,000 acres.

According to the mayor’s presentation, industrial developments include Heartland Cold Storage’s logistics center, Heartland Meadows Commerce Center, Liberty Heartland Logistics Center, Liberty Parkway Plaza and logistics center and Liberty Commerce Center.

Smaller cities, big projects

North Kansas City Mayor Bryant DeLong also provided an impressive list of projects from the One North development along Interstate 29/I-35 to growing entertainment venues to art galleries, a park revision and extensive streetscape work. In addition, several apartment developments and the game-changing potential of a Northland streetcar extension were mentioned.

Following several roadway and streetscape projects, North Kansas City is also preparing a $24-million, four-year upgrade of the Burlington corridor.

Smithville Mayor Damien Boley closed with a combination of “wow” announcements and good humor. He said his city is planning some $100 million in projects that range from wastewater improvements to restored, historic buildings alongside downtown street improvements. Several projects, like a city-operated campground near Smithville Lake, are drawing outside visitors as well.
Post Reply