KCRag Forum

Highlander wrote:Drove by the location many times during my stay in KC. Looks bad - just an empty space full of weeds. With the central location near some desirable places to live like PV and Fairway, you'd think it would be easy to get something going here.

Yea, I really can't imagine what the hold up is. Even Merriam Point found a tenant - and a terrific one at that. There really is no excuse with the demos and near Mission Gateway and the absurd incentive package that they can't get something going.

I believe that this area could support more retail. Currently Johnson Drive is all torn up but, hopefully, once that is all fixed things will start happening.

My question is why hasn't the City of Mission forced the sale of this land and done something with it? How much revenue have they lost because no sales taxes are being collected? How many people haven't stopped in Mission, bought homes in Mission, etc. because of the lack of anything in that spot? Can they do that?

Mission just elected a small-govt-type as mayor. Might be interesting to see what he does about this, if he can do anything at all.

I think it's a delicate dance to get out of the prior agreement without triggering a lawsuit that ties up the parcel indefinitely. I imagine this developer would like nothing better that some going away money.

http://www.cameronllc.com/portfolio/gateway/ Revoulations is in here

Does anyone know what is going in on the West corner of Johnson Drive and Barkley Street? Used to be a car dealer. They are finally working on it and digging things up. I had heard a Pie 5? Anyone know?

awynhaus wrote:Does anyone know what is going in on the West corner of Johnson Drive and Barkley Street? Used to be a car dealer. They are finally working on it and digging things up. I had heard a Pie 5? Anyone know?

http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/co ... 48108.html

http://pvpost.com/2014/11/06/new-missio ... dded-33566

So now it is basically just a Wal Mart, and Valenti still wants $ from taxpayers. I hope the people of Mission dedicate their free time to bringing criminal charges against each city council member if this moves forward.

Completely ridiculous - really just becomes the same type of shitty shopping area Wal-Mart is moving from in Roeland Park. Let's move over the Game Stop and Snip n Clip, too. Look at the development going around Target with the senior living center. Look at the signed leases on Johnson Drive in the old Chrysler dealership. Or the development at Woodside. You can't make me believe the only option has become a suburban-style Wal-Mart (a la 159th/Metcalf style) and likely an Aloft are the only options.

If Mission approves this it's a huge wasted opportunity. Bring on a new developer.

sbrundel wrote:http://pvpost.com/2014/11/06/new-missio ... dded-33566

So now it is basically just a Wal Mart, and Valenti still wants $ from taxpayers. I hope the people of Mission dedicate their free time to bringing criminal charges against each city council member if this moves forward.

What a joke. I don't know that I blame the city council and Mayor McConwell - they were sold a bill of goods. The development looked awesome ten years ago. Mission should be looking for any loophole to get out of it now.

KCMax wrote:

sbrundel wrote:http://pvpost.com/2014/11/06/new-missio ... dded-33566

So now it is basically just a Wal Mart, and Valenti still wants $ from taxpayers. I hope the people of Mission dedicate their free time to bringing criminal charges against each city council member if this moves forward.

What a joke. I don't know that I blame the city council and Mayor McConwell - they were sold a bill of goods. The development looked awesome ten years ago. Mission should be looking for any loophole to get out of it now.

I don't blame anyone but Valenti for what the proposal has become. He's either inept, a liar, or a combination of both. That said, I would absolutely blame the city council if they moved forward with the latest plan.

Wow this is really sad. Even the addition of Longboard's to Mission won't be enough to balance out this butchered plan if allowed to pass.

Frankly I am surprised that given the location near Fairway/Mission Hills/Plaza and access to SMP it is proving so difficult to pull together a reasonable and attractive development package.

sbrundel wrote:That said, I would absolutely blame the city council if they moved forward with the latest plan.

they must realize this will happen. i have to believe they are considering alternatives that would allow someone else to take over. if not, they're idiots.

http://www.kansascity.com/news/business ... 02136.html Valenti discounted reports that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. would prefer to relocate to a former Kmart site on Shawnee Mission Parkway near the new Ikea store in Merriam. He said the retailer has signed an extension to participate in the Mission Gateway project that’s good through February 2016.

Is this the most failed plan in KC history? Great Mall of the Great Plains comes to mind.

I think Merriam takes the cake with demolishing a never occupied strip center. It did have a happy ending though.

grovester wrote:I think Merriam takes the cake with demolishing a never occupied strip center. It did have a happy ending though.

At least that was merely a strip center, not an entire mall and parking garage that was torn down for something better... an empty field for, what, 7 years? After the Walmart moves out of Roeland Park, they can go through the same thing and tear down the old one there for redevelopment.

DaveKCMO wrote:

sbrundel wrote:That said, I would absolutely blame the city council if they moved forward with the latest plan.

they must realize this will happen. i have to believe they are considering alternatives that would allow someone else to take over. if not, they're idiots.

If not idiots, just plain desperate. The area has sat there unoccupied for so long. It's a great location, you'd think it would be incredibly marketable for a mixed use housing/retail development. A walmart there would equal the Grover Plan in terms of inappropriate development but I fear desperation could end up driving the council more than anything else.

Makes one wonder if Mission is looking more at the sales tax dollars coming in from a Wal-Mart than the benefits of mix-used development. I like the idea of the hotel (I'm guessing it's an Aloft, which I love), especially since it would be the only decent hotel in all of northern JoCo.