Of course Metro North mall in its current condition is a decrepit and sad testament to the nature of fickle American suburbanite consumers . . . It's also the subject of our favorite promo commercial in Kansas City history.
However, there's no telling if the current plan will fix the sad state of affairs given the rise of Internets shopping, competition from Zona Rosa and the changing demographics of the increasingly broke-ass Northland.
Here's today's update:
Rezoning approved for Metro North Mall in KCMO
Deets:
"The latest plans include keeping Macy's, demolishing the rest of the existing mall and building a two-level shopping center. That will include more than 700,000 square feet of retail and office space.
"Within that, the plan lists a theater, grocer, health club, and other anchor tenant yet to be announced as well as several other stores.
Additional restaurants, a 100-room hotel, and 150 apartment units are also part of the site plan."
Accordingly . . .
Will this plan work or is it just City Hall continually funding the schemes of the many insiders connected to this deal?!?!?
You decide . . .
City Hall is continually funding the schemes of the many insiders connected to this deal!
ReplyDeleteBetter title: Kansas City corporate welfare continues.
ReplyDeleteThey just did Antioch Mall and it's not doing that well. [Sun Fresh out of business ] Why do we need another mall with Liberty , Zona Rosa,and Boardwalk money down the drain . Developers and Lawyer's only one's making money and give donations to the city council to win their election so they can make more. Why would anyone with common sense have another theater at Metro North with all the theaters we alredy have up North.
ReplyDeleteMetro North Mall was just about the best mall in town until the city started its bullshit by seizing northlanders properties and building Zona Rosa - just to create a special tax zone. Although I am a firm believer that the city folks involved should have been taken out to the county and hung by the nuts they pulled it off and destroyed Metro North with their meddling. Now the city wants to get their noses in more business and that alone should send up red flags with anyone who has lived in the metro over a week.
ReplyDeleteTruth is the city does not do a whole lot right when it comes to their meddling and the track record exists to prove it. I actually used to enjoy the shopping experience at Metro North. More cookie cutter crapola had better be a hell of a lot more convenience than draw. Again, you are looking at many of the stores lasting five or six years at best given shopping trends.
Northlander, Antioch Mall had nothing to do with Sunfresh leaving. You should use the internet and learn the facts. Antioch mall is doing just fine. Sunfresh left because their rent was raised sky high. SAME reason K Mart left, across the street.
ReplyDeleteNow, Metro North being revitalized? Um, no.
As I read your quote, I thought to myself, "Really? Oh Jesus. Fuck, really?"
It's probably going to be designed to fail, but I hope it doesn't. What a fucking EYESORE that place has been for years.
How much fun was it seeing the Ford plant park a million white vans out there? How about some consumer parking again?
For a city that keeps talking about walkabilty why guve $70 million for another suburban strip mall thats car dependent?
ReplyDeleteNice commercial. we can't keep the mall like that, we have to do something.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about Sunfresh, but I know for a fact that Kmart was closed because its sales sucked ass and the whole company is about to do the beached whale routine. It had nothing to do with rent since Sears Holdings had a multi year lease at the time of closing. If you follow Sears Holdings then you know the company is just inches from bankruptcy and has been closing scores of stores every year.
ReplyDeleteA city with excess capacity in retail and office space wants to subsidize a project so they can increase the surplus and create even more vacancies. Of course those vacancies will then be ripe for "redevelopment" and the insiders will keep making money.
ReplyDeleteA retail center failed another is planned.
ReplyDelete