Northland cities tout development

By: Jeffrey M. Salem

Cities in the Northland are happening places.

That was the message from seven Northland city leaders to a crowd of around 200 Clay County municipal officials and business leaders at Harrah’s North Kansas City Casino Hotel for the State of the Cities luncheon, hosted by the Clay County Economic Development Council.

Excelsior Springs, Gladstone, Kansas City, Kearney, North Kansas City, Liberty and Smithville touted their current or future development in their respective cities and though each city’s representative was short on time — five minutes, please — none was short on projects to boast.

Melinda Mehaffy, economic development administrator for Gladstone, talked of the city’s Downtown Village Center master plan, which was approved in 2006.

“We recently approved the plan, and we’re excited about that,” Mehaffy said.

Three of the project’s six phases are currently under way. Phases one and two involve the construction of the new community center and natatorium project that has a planned December opening. The city partnered with North Kansas City Schools on the natatorium project and both hoped to attract regional swimming meets to the pool.

The third phase is the redevelopment of Gladstone Plaza, of which the city has yet to acquire ownership.

“Quite frankly it’s a very tired shopping center,” Mehaffy said

Phases four through six intend to carve out a mixed-development area with 325,000 square-feet of commercial space and 400 to 700 residential units, near Northeast 70th Street and North Oak Trafficway.

In North Kansas City, Jeff Samborski, economic development director, said Burlington Street will see some changes in coming years as new businesses move into the area.

“A lot of exciting things are happening throughout the Burlington corridor,” Samborski said.

One example, he said, was an eatery addition of The Dutch Oven, which used to house the Denny’s on 14th Avenue and Burlington Street. The restaurant will feature entertainment — it has a stage inside the building — as well as a high-end menu.

He said change near the Burlington Street and Armour Road intersection was on the horizon.

“As you know this is a gateway, so we’re looking for some improvement there,” he said.

Samborski touted the Northgate Village development as a success and said a large-scale renovation of the historic Armour Theatre was being planned, though the city has hinted it could sell the building before a major renovation begins.

Kansas City Assistant City Manager Richard Noll said there was more development going on than the highly visible construction in downtown Kansas City.

“There’s a world of activity going on in Kansas City and not all of it is downtown,” he said. “Clay County and the Northland are not exceptions to that.”

Noll noted the Shoal Creek Patrol Police Station and the accompanying academy, the new fire station No. 14 near Missouri Highway 152 and North Brighton Avenue and several road improvements north of the river as proof development was happening in Clay County.

“Every project is in response to the tremendous growth north of the River.

Noll’s list of road improvements included upgrades along North Oak Trafficway between 96th and 111th streets, Searcy Creek and Maple Woods parkways. Coming soon to Kansas City will be an update to the city’s development code, which would be the first time it has been updated since the 1920s, Noll said.

“The new code will be highly streamlined and more easily understood,” Noll said.

Staff writer Jeffrey M. Salem can be reached at 389-6653 or jeffsalem@npgco.com.