KCRag Forum

I realize these projects aren't exclusive, but what needs to come next? What piece of the puzzle must fall into place next?

How about "all of the above"?

This is a chicken and egg issue. If a handful of these things happen, the rest of them will follow naturally. Get the PAC, arena and some more companies downtown = more density = more transit demand. More convention space = more investment in downtown = more residential development and incentives for people to go downtown = more density = more people going to Union Station.... yadda yadda yadda.

It seems like Kansas City just needed something to start the ball rolling. Let's hope the ball doesn't have to roll over Barnes and that leadership is behind the ball, guiding and pushing it.

Downtown is moving now. It only picks up speed from here.

I would definitely focus on attracting companies from California. They're ripe for the pickin. We may not have the most solid financial history as a city but when you look at California's problems it's like night and day. Plus within the coming months corporations are going to realize what an idiot Arnold really is.

I wanted to vote for more than one! I think the PAC, the ballroom and the arena need to be online near the completion time for H&R Block and the entertainment district. They are all tied to closely together that it seems a natural fit.

I'm pretty sure that the PAC and the ballroom expansion are already going to happen. I think light rail and a downtown baseball stadium are not going to happen before 2010. Union Station should come around on its own, especially if Crown Center adds more residential space. From what I've heard, it sounds like the bus system is being upgraded with the tax and the BRT (maybe I don't know what exactly you mean by upgrade). Stealing jobs from California, and everywhere else, is both an ongoing "project" and something that the Mayor doesn't really deal with. The 18th and Vine area should be left to grow on its own (imagine Cordish creating a "controlled entertainment district" called 18th & Vine Live!...). This leaves a new arena and improvements to the stadiums. Of these two, I would pick the stadium renovations because of what came to light yesterday: the teams can leave in 2007 if we don't improve the stadiums. The arena is not quite as urgent as that.

A new baseball stadium should be way on the back burner until we have a better sense of whether baseball will get its financial house in order.

The point is...there are always priorities in politics. It seems that the entertainment district/Block deal was Barnes' top priority. Although, it is not a done deal, Barnes probably will be looking for the next domino to fall. Which one should she pick and why?

How about a wax job? Better yet, why not seek bids for a sandblaster to removes a few dozen layers of eye shadow?

I think we should work on bringing educated people to the metro since we're all a bunch of retarded dopes.

G2g--bikini or brazillian?? Inquiring minds want to know (excuse whilst i puke up my liver bile)!! Fearless Leader (along with most of council) needs to focus on packing up crap and leaving office, letting a real leader step up to plate. What has she actually DONE since in office? And I am not talking what is proposed, planned, etc. How many campaign promises did she stick to? Has everyone forgotten?? If I have to hear the "the cities of Paris, London, blah blah blah, can all fit in KCMO!" i am going to eat off the 14th floor of the President Hotel and hope the hoof and mouth takes me out quickly.

Get a light rail going from rivermarket to the plaza. The benefits of that are too many to list.

KCNorth....so are the costs.

Why not instead of a light rail line, we get a bus that goes that route?

Wait there is one(multiple, actually)! And it doesn't get enough riders to be successful, so why would light rail be different?

as i've said before we dont need light rail to the burbs, encourages more people to move there.
we dont even need it, rush hour is ok. (we are one of the top cities in the nation for rush hour time, like in the 20s or something)

I think light rail is primarily used within the core of the city not the burbs. It is commuter rail using existing tracks that drop people off at Union Station from Lee's Summit or Olathe that would enable people to live even further from the core.

I also think we should have a free downtown bus that arrives every 6 minutes and transports you between the River Market, Crossroads, CBD, and Crown Center. It could just run up and down Main Street and be called the "Main Line." I know there are other cities that offer free buses in the CBD.

With arena talk peaking with the Big XXII tournament...is the arena now the biggest issue for Barnes to address and solve? Barnes is taking a lot of flack for it even though there is not a lot of public support.

I guess she just answered the question.

Sprint Center will change the face of KC and I think she has good judgment in choosing to pursue the arena first. Now let's work on the other stuff...

MKB on the OneKC logo. Brilliant! Nice avatar.