KCK turning a corner?

KCPowercat · Post by **KCPowercat** » Tue Oct 08, 2002 11:06 am

There's been a lot of talk about KCK actually turning a corner and being on the upswing. I'm not so sure. Yes they have landed some great tenants out around 435 and actually have a downtown hotel now but the tax breaks given to the speedway and it's surrounding tenants are quite a lot. KCK isn't getting much cash from any of this so far. Sure they will get the sales tax for the stores but from what I've heard, Cabela's is getting a lot of visitors just coming to look, not so much buy.

I'm hoping for the best for KCK but I just don't see it yet.

DanCa · Post by **DanCa** » Tue Oct 08, 2002 12:36 pm

In July I got a tour of the new EPA building downtown KCK and was impressed with it. It also has great views of the airport and the KCMO skyline. I drove down Minnesota Ave. and did a little exploring since I haven't really been in KCK in a long time. I can honestly say this isn't a city on the upswing. Block after block of rundown houses, people loitering, trash, etc. And all the stores downtown seemed to be either empty or something that would only cater to the immediate neighborhood. The problem with KCK as a whole is mass poverty. I'm sure it has a few nice pockets somewhere - and parts of the Strawberry Hill neighborhood are liveable. But overall, the city is trashy. All those tiny houses in the Turner area will never be anything but a ghetto. Even when I was living in the KC area, I never went to KCK. The people I know who work in the EPA building either eat lunch in the building or go to KCMO to eat. There's nothing downtown and to be quite honest, I don't know why they built a hotel there. I'm not sure how you fix KCK's problems. I've just written it off as someplace I don't go.

QueSi2Opie · Post by **QueSi2Opie** » Thu Nov 14, 2002 4:02 am

I've heard rumors that KCK is goin' to revitalize two main areas near downtown. One area will be in the Strawberry Hill district where the city wants to put in historic street lights, new store fronts and add to the Croatian charm that part of the city once had. If you haven't checked out the Croatian Historical Museum there yet, you should. The other area is Quindaro...this will be tough! The city wants to create a historical district high-lighting the Underground Railroad ruins and add horse-drawn carriages and black civil war museums to the area. The Nation of Islam couldn't fix the area, so I don't know how the Unified Government will. Some of the homes on Quindaro are huge though, jus' wish the neighborhood would clean itself up a bit. Also, I WANT SLOTS AT THE WOODLANDS!!!
Anyhow, my wife and I will be lookin' to move from Overland Park in a couple of years to a home somewhere in Western Wyandotte near I-435. Not because we like NASCAR (I personally hate the "hillbilly" sport), but because there are still wooded areas in that region which feature real backyards with numerous wildlife viewing opportunities. I'm one of those people who want the best of both worlds...I love the inner-city/urban life, but want my great outdoors too (NO HUNTING PERMITTED...TRESPASSERS WILL BE SHOT!)

DanCa · Post by **DanCa** » Thu Nov 14, 2002 4:17 pm

Real back yards??? When I'm back in OP, they seem quite oversized to me. Actually, I wouldn't buy most JoCo homes simply for the fact that there's too much grass around them. Who needs that kind of upkeep? But then I live in So. California where land is expensive and smaller yards the norm. For me, if it takes more than 15 minutes to mow, it's too much.

I hadn't heard about the other things they're planning in KCK. Sounds like a start. Remember the groovy MN. Ave. 70s maze that used to be downtown? I thought it was cool as a little kid. At least they fixed that. To start the ball rolling downtown, they really need to clean up the rundown neighborhoods surrounding it. Some of those neighborhoods look pretty rough. Bob Villa could finish out his career restoring KCK houses!

ShowME · Post by **ShowME** » Tue Nov 26, 2002 7:08 pm

Unemployment rates for Wyandotte County:
October 2001: 8.7%
October 2002: 9.6%

Source: KC Star 11/26/02

For all the positive news and developments that have been talked about over the past 1-3 years this fact is really hard to ignore. Keep in mind this is for the county. The city of Kansas City, KS is probably well into the double-digits in unemployment. And all we hear about is all this talk about the Speedway and about the Unified government. What is Carol Marinovich doing for the working people of this county? The downtown has to be the biggest eyesore in the entire metro area. Does she even really care about the problems of the black and hispanic community's of her county? She's not really addressing the real problems of the county which lie within the CBD and surrounding areas.

KCPowercat · Post by **KCPowercat** » Mon Dec 02, 2002 9:57 am

I don't think Queen Carol is doing what's best for the city...she's doing what makes her look good in the metro.

QueSi2Opie · Post by **QueSi2Opie** » Mon Dec 30, 2002 7:53 pm

Kansas Gov., Kathleen Sebelius, announced today that she plans to convince lawmakers to approve a measure that would put slot machines at Kansas racetracks, including the Woodlands in KCK. This would further boost the area and help the city's economy. With all this money, the city can't ignore the historical core. Western Wyandotte will grow on its own, while the city should continue to do everything it can to improve the lifestyle and entertainment options of those living East of 38th Street.