Residents speak out on Adams Dairy Parkway - Is the City Council listening?

1/25/2009 3:59:51 AM #

Today is a sad day for Democracy in Blue Springs.  The developer was informed that the city idea of compromise was for the BT Market to eliminate the gas pumps and NO CID.  How is that a compromise?  Don’t we all want this business to be successful?  I want all BUSINESS in Blue Springs to prosper.  To have a C-store with no pumps is like having McDonalds with No fries.  Next, the city wants this developer to provide road improvements that should have been included in the Adam’s dairy Landing project and weren’t due to that developer needing more $$$ for their requirements.   What the HECK is going through councilman’s Fowlers, Shaffer and Salon’s mind?  Why wouldn’t these folks vote NO instead of using this questionable maneuver to block democracy!  Why, is what we need to find out!   This is not just about this project , but the right for every districts vote to count.

Democracy

1/25/2009 7:09:41 AM #

What changed in our processes that allowed these developments to come to fruition?

It's called TIFFs, Super Tifs and Transportation Overlay Taxes...

The "city" is basically building the retail center and it will probably come at the expense of the Tiffed retail in SE Independence in our never ending metro of sprawl and decay.

Bill

1/25/2009 11:50:54 AM #

Bill,

The Parkway Place project is only asking for a "Pay as you go" Community Improvement District.  We, the developer, will pay for all cost and only be reimbursed by an additional sales tax within the District.  The sales tax will be the same as the majority of current and future businesses in the corridor.

The citizen's of Blue Springs and the city have ZERO exposer in this case.  Hopefully, reason will prevail with the council and this project will move forward.

Bill Wrisinger

Bill Wrisinger

1/25/2009 10:24:27 PM #

I think the BT Market would be a benefit to the area. When the traffic increases with the development, gas pumps and convenience items will be needed. We need to try to make it easier for businesses in the Blue Springs, not set up roadblocks.
Gary Strohmeyer

Gary G. Strohmeyer

1/26/2009 3:50:52 AM #

Bill Wrisinger, I was talking about the larger Adams Dairy Landing project.

I just think that if you have to use massive subsidies to build a retail project in a greenfield, then maybe the market is simply not yet ready for that retail project.

If the market is ready to support a new suburban retail project without harming existing stores that are in the same market, in this case, those stores would be existing stores along Route 7 and around Independence Center, then developers wouldn't need to ask for tax money to build the project.

What's done is done.  But the city of Blue Springs should have used the types of incentives they used for Adams Dairy landing to redevelop places like Route 7 and Woods Chapel and told developers they are pretty much on their own on Adams Dairy.  Sure use TDD tax to help upgrade the roads, but the tifs and super tifs were not necessary and it's projects like that (abuse of the incentives) that are going to get tifs taken away from everybody, especially those that really need it.

Hopefully enough houses will be built in the area to overcome this and we don't up creating blight just to have new development.

As far as the Park Place development, lets just hope the project is using the parkway for what the master plan wants it to be used for and fast food and gas stations may not be part of that master plan.

If Blue Springs isn't careful, it could turn Adams Dairy into another Route 7 or Noland Road and if it does that, it will never see the white collar corridor it's trying to build.

Bill Cobb

1/26/2009 9:38:00 PM #

One...Change our charter rules.  Remove the ability of a council member to abstain from the voting process.  That rule has proven destructive to the process.  Other cities don't allow it.  Allow only a yes or no vote.  The fact that the power was taken from Mayor Ross's vote was underhanded and wholely political in nature and did not represent the people.  It appeared vindictive in nature.  Personally I believe there should be an investigation into certain behaviors within the council. I don't feel the people are being represented.

Two...If I were opening a business on the Parkway and was told that I had to drive to 7 to get a pop or cigarettes or gas, I would reconsider building there due to poor city planning especially since there is already a gas station there.

Traffic at that station will be wicked and cause flow problems into "Adam's Dairy Landing" because it is the only one on the parkway.  Who wants that?  White Collars need these conveniences to be productive.  I would not deny them that.

Three...The Parkway does not belong to the council.  Why is there such a loyalty to the old plan?  Let the people speak and determine what we want on our parkway.  Listen to the businesses that are building on the parkway.  They will be happier if they get what they want.  Enlist their help.  There is an aged plan that was set into motion long ago and some revisions have been stated and made.  Some good and some bad.  The parkway requires a delicate balance therefore the term "mixed use" should not apply to the parkway.  I think we've established that.  We have a 7 hiway and agree we do not need another one.  Maybe the ORIGINAL RTB visioning group needs to revisit the possibilities and limitations while including realtime data?

So please quit bickering. Collaberate, discuss, be open and fair, and fix the problems in a business like fashion and finish the parkway.

Thank you.

Bob Fasl

1/26/2009 9:53:01 PM #

I understand your point on TIF’s but this project is not a Tiff.  This developer is being asked to provide improvements that are not the responsibility of this project.  But the developers are local guys and want to see what’s in the best interest of the citizens of Blue Springs, so they agreed to do these improvements under the idea they were originally going to be part of a global TDD with the Adams Dairy Landing project.   But the city asked them to form their own CID due to the Adams dairy Project would have been slowed down.  Remember the citizens have ZERO exposure under what has been proposed here.  I believe this fits into the vision of the parkway.  Have you seen the rendering of this building?  Wow, I believe a gentleman testified at the last city council meeting he had built over 150 stores and he has NEVER seen anything like this.  I think the developer and the owner of the BT’s Market took the vision seriously.  Again, one of the BIGGEST issues at hand wasn’t that certain folks didn’t vote for this, it was the maneuver that was done to block the democratic process from working.  That is simply wrong!  NO ONE person should be able to invoke their will on the people.  If that is the case, a single council person could block everything\anything.    

Democracy

1/31/2009 6:32:27 AM #

I'll keep my comments simple.  Let's use the democratic process and vote out any council member who does not have the best interest of Blue Springs at heart.  I don't have to name names, we all know who needs to be voted out the first chance we can get.

S. Shawn Mehaffie