First IKEA and now a flagship 220,000 sq ft Scheels store. KC keeps landing the big retail fish! (St. Louis: subsidized, subdivision)

[kcmo]

Originally Posted by MidWestCityNative

kcmo, what's your prediction on the popularity of IKEA here in KC?

I think it will be VERY popular, annoyingly popular actually .

[kcmo]

Originally Posted by MOKAN

Oh and Von Maur, Nordstrom Rack, and Saks Off Fifth, were all good gets in the not-so-distant past.

It's too bad KCMO couldn't have landed any of these stores. Bannister, Metro North and the Sports Complex are 3 major areas that need a significant shot in the arm.

Yea, the sprawl there is stupid. KC would be such a nicer place if half of the metro didn't look like crap.

[TabulaRasa]

Every single "get" that we're getting is stuff that interests me not in the least, unfortunately (IKEA is not my taste or aesthetic, and I could live nine lifetimes without ever seeing another sporting goods store). But I don't pretend to ever be reflective of general opinion norms...pretty much no retail impresses me but bookstores and gourmet food shops.

Oh, I do predict that IKEA will be insanely popular. Just not with people like me.

[kcmo]

Originally Posted by TabulaRasa

Every single "get" that we're getting is stuff that interests me not in the least, unfortunately (IKEA is not my taste or aesthetic, and I could live nine lifetimes without ever seeing another sporting goods store). But I don't pretend to ever be reflective of general opinion norms...pretty much no retail impresses me but bookstores and gourmet food shops.

Oh, I do predict that IKEA will be insanely popular. Just not with people like me.

I don't see how IKEA is any different than any other store. I don't give a rip about Bass Pro, but know they are pretty big draws. Can't you say that about any retail place? The difference is that IKEA is one store serving a market of millions. It will be busy, but that doesn’t mean that more people will be at IKEA at any given time than at area Macy’s stores.

We go to IKEA for certain things, mainly tables, shelving etc once a year or so. But going to IKEA here is like going to Target. It's just not that big of a deal. I think they are nice to have around actually even though I wouldn’t buy 95% of the crap they sell. In KC it will be a fad, a place to be and be seen for a while. That would be completely annoying to me and I would avoid it at all costs.

But it will do very well. My question is what in the world is small town Merriam going to do that that kind of sales tax income. Hopefully they don’t plan to give most of it to IKEA to build the store. In five years, Merriam better have some amazing community centers etc.

It’s really too bad that some of this development is not occurring in redevelopment projects and no, tearing town a 3 year old strip mall in hardly a redevelopment.

Despite the continued terrible urban planning decisions that occur in metro KC (subsidized greenfield sprawl and continued decay/blight in vast areas of metro), I’m still impressed with the retail catches KC is getting.

[Okey Dokie]

kcmo - do you realize IKEA is going to tear down an almost brand-new, and I believe completely vacant (or close to it) strip center and erect their own building?? Talk about waste.

[MOKAN]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

It's not like it even matters at this point. Overland Park east of 69 is basically completely built out housing wise, sprawled out, and is way overbuilt on retail. This is no surprise to me as the Mayor and city council have had a "growth at all costs" mentality for decades. Now the area is much too crowded. Oh well... OP will have MAJOR challenges to expand any further as Stilwell is very much anti-growth because they don't want high density subdivisions filling the landscape and they have the $$$ to fight development. Therefore, I do agree that most of the growth will end up going to western JOCO. What I would like to see happen is a large chunk of the former Sunflower Munitions plant converted over to conservation land and not developed at all. JOCO is LACKING in conservation lands that are not suburbanite parks, like Shawnee Mission has become. The BNSF inter-modal will definitely lead to southwest JOCO being a blue collar hub for employment.

SW JoCo is already a blue-collar hub. When is the BNSF inter-modal thing even supposed to happen? If I remember right, similar logistical devices are supposed to go to far south KCMO and KCK too right?

Being so close to K-10, I don't see the Sunflower land becoming a conservation land. But maybe the east Lawrence river bottom land. It would seem that land is less useful for development, plus it's under Lawrence's control which I think makes something like that more likely. Not to mention it's on the river.

[TabulaRasa]

Originally Posted by kcmo

I don't see how IKEA is any different than any other store. I don't give a rip about Bass Pro, but know they are pretty big draws. Can't you say that about any retail place? The difference is that IKEA is one store serving a market of millions. It will be busy, but that doesn’t mean that more people will be at IKEA at any given time than at area Macy’s stores.

I don't know that is is any different from any other store. It's just not my taste. However, that hasn't stopped other locations of it from being swamped. It definitely has its share of cultish fans. Having lived near their Schaumburg, IL location, I'm very aware of the "pilgrimages" made.

I don't really get retail outlets as 'see and be seen' hot spots, but that's just me. To me, NO store is that big a deal, so retail catches just don't impress me much.

[xenokc]

Retail catches may not matter to some individuals (especially those that don't live in a 'consumerism' mode) but they mean a lot to economic development of cities. They are justifiably important to cities, not necessarily individuals.

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by xenokc

Retail catches may not matter to some individuals (especially those that don't live in a 'consumerism' mode) but they mean a lot to economic development of cities. They are justifiably important to cities, not necessarily individuals.

Agreed.

edit: I mean the POS Roeland Park Wal-Mart provides more than $750,000 in yearly tax revenue to the city currently (which they're about to lose). You don't have to shop at a big box to recognize how worthwhile that kind of money can be to a city.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by MOKAN

SW JoCo is already a blue-collar hub. When is the BNSF inter-modal thing even supposed to happen? If I remember right, similar logistical devices are supposed to go to far south KCMO and KCK too right?

Being so close to K-10, I don't see the Sunflower land becoming a conservation land. But maybe the east Lawrence river bottom land. It would seem that land is less useful for development, plus it's under Lawrence's control which I think makes something like that more likely. Not to mention it's on the river.

I guess "all is well" for those that like tons of truck traffic and population growth.Perhaps Kansas is trying to lure the rest of the rural residents that are of working age in rural Kansas to move to JOCO now...

Rail center set to open next year is already affecting Gardner, Edgerton | 913

And, the Sunflower land is not really adjacent to the river as it is SOUTH of K-10. The best solution is to have the land completely cleaned up and inspected. Then, various conservation groups should try to raise money and buy up as much of it as possible, or collaborate with the county. JOCO desperately needs more conservation lands that ARE NOT parks. This is a key corridor for wildlife and the last thing that western JOCO needs is more sprawling subdivisions everywhere. Hopefully people will be more proactive instead of letting the developers ruin everything, but that is just my opinion.