Blue Springs now in race for Bass Pro? Where will they go?

[eliphar17]

I live in Lenexa, and I think that if and when Bass Pro Shops comes to Kansas City, it should stay on the Missouri side for two reasons. First, Cabela's is on the Kansas side. Second, Bass Pro Shops was born in Missouri, and that's where it belongs. In my mind, it would fit in best at I-70 and I-470. The argument that it belongs by the Grandview Triangle, which of course is the well-known "Gateway to the Lakes" (sarcasm), falls through because, if you think about it, who's going to make a spontaneous decision to go to a place like Bass Pro Shops on their way out of the city? You pretty much know when you leave your house whether you're making a stop there or not, so it doesn't matter that much where the thing is. Also, think about what percent of the Grandview Triangle traffic is out of towners, compared to the traffic on I-70. Putting a big tourist draw on a heavily traveled regional thoroughfare will generate more interest among people outside the metro than if it were stuck on a corner of the loop highway, away from a major regional interstate. I don't know what exactly the other sites are that are being considered, but I-70 and I-470 seems like the clear winner to me.

[dangerboy]

I-70 and I-470/291 is on the verge of becoming the next Grandview Triangle. The recent retail development in this area has overwhelmed the already inadequate arterial road network. It is becoming increasingly difficult to get around that area. As an example - a couple of years ago the Christmas season traffic jams at Independence Center were so terrible that people were stuck in the parking lot for over 3 hours and started calling 911. This would not be a good impression for visitors.

Bannister and Blue Ridge already have the space, the roads, and the need.

[QueSi2Opie]

Why not build Bass Pro in the Northland...a place for those from Iowa and Nebraska to stop on their way to the Ozarks? Personally, I like the Stadium Complex site the best...although I think it could really help Blue Ridge or Bannister Mall.

[dangerboy]

The Northland probably isn't a big enough local market - something like 150,000 people in Clay and Platte Counties vs. 650,000 in Jackson County, with another 400,000 next door in Johnson County, KS. Also, the visitors from Iowa and Nebraska will likely be passing by Independence or south KC on their way to the Ozarks anyway - so you wouldn't be missing many people like you would if it was located north of moust routes to the Ozarks.