Bannister Mall - Most popular for 2007
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The Wizards have released the news on their website finally to go along with the KC Star story I
posted last night about the team's 2008 home being Community America Ballpark, home of the
T-Bones.
From a friend of mine that posts on bigsoccer, and works for theWizards, we have this photo of not
just the layout, of the field, but the ticket layout for the building as well.
Some more great information from Pete Grathoff's blog, Tor! Tor! Tor! about the potential stadium
at Bannister Mall. Pete posted some interesting facts about the stadium, including:
The average paid attendance is expected to be 13,500 for 20 Wizards games.
I think this is likely a rather low attendance guess for the team.
The KC City Council today unanimously passed Lane4 and the Wizards TIF plan for Bannister Mall
today, 13-0. As I stated yesterday, the one doubt had been Mayor Funkhouser. Funkhouser again in
the meeting today stated his stance on Super TIFs, but then stated that he realized for this
redevelopment, a Super TIF was required for it to succeed.
More news today about the petition to save Bannister Mall from being redeveloped by Lane4 and the
Wizards. Today comes the news that the petition has cleared the first hurdle, and that's get 100
valid signatures. The group had 148 out of the 191 that were on the petition that they originally
turned in.
Back in December, I posted my wants and wishes for 2007. Then in June I made a midyear review of
those wants and wishes. Here we are in December again and I'm ready to go through these one last
time to see how well my wants and wishes were fulfilled this year.
- The Wizards Announce 2007-2008 home.
It looks like the Wizards might be announcing some very big news some time in the next month or so.
The Pete Grathoff had news on both the Wizards temporary location and news on a permanent home for
the Wizards. As mentioned earlier in this blog, the Wizards are apparently looking at playing at
Community America Bank Ballpark, where the T-Bones play.
The Wizards and Lane4 presented their plan for Bannister Mall yesterday to the Kansas City Tax
Increment Financing Commission. The committee, though, has put off making a decision on the plan
until their meeting in October.
The news, though, is that there are 2 other plans out there for the Bannister Mall site. The first
is from Lakepointe Development LLC.
A quick post. The TIF Commission has given unanimous approval for the Three Trails District TIF
Plan proposed by Lane4, that includes a Wizards SSS. Big day. The plan now goes before the city
council in late November/early December, and from there, goes to the state assembly for approval in
early 2008. The Wizards hope to break crowd in early 08 and have construction going full force
later that year.
Today on Mayor Funkhousers blog, he posted an analysis of the 3 Trails TIF plan. I won't go into a
lot of details on the analysis, but there is a lot of good information on the plan. Including how
it's going to affect many things, including how many jobs this development will create, how it will
help to reduce crime, help to improve the blighted area, among other things.
After looking through how my wishes for 2007 went, it's time to make my wishes for the upcoming
year in regards to the Wizards.
1. Save Bannister Mall Petition Fails - This is a great location for the stadium, but more then
that, this is a part of Kansas City that needs to be redeveloped. It's a huge eyesore on Kansas
City, and if this petition gets enough signatures, the plan for the area will basically be dead due
to the time line that the Wizards have.
You might think that the TIF issue coming up later this month has nothing to do with race. That is,
unless you think like Woody Woodruff, whose editorial reply was posted today by KMBC. From
Woodruff's reply, he looks to be making this a race issue, where if you're for the stadium you are
racist, because Bannister Mall reopening would be the best thing for the "black community.
Today after I got off of work, I made a trip over to Bannister Mall to take a look at the area as
it is now, and how I remember it as a kid (except busier back then). I brought my camera along to
get some pictures of what the place is like now and wanted to compare them to how the area will be
once the 3 Trails Development takes place.
You knew this was coming. You may not wanted to have admitted it, but you knew it was coming. The
Save Bannister Mall Group Inc, is attempting to block the destruction of Bannister Mall and
adjacent Benjamin Plaza to build a new complex that would include the Wizards stadium.
The group has filed a notice of intent to circulate a referendum petition.
It looks like Lane4 Property Group, the group hired by the Wizards to look into the development of
the Bannister Mall location, are on the verge of being able to release the plans that they have for
the site. As has been known, the group plan on applying for Tax Incentive Financing(TIF) for the
location. According to the article, that means that they'll have to submit their plan 45 days
before the issue can be discussed at a TIF Commission meeting, which meets the first Tuesday of the
month.
More information about the possible development at Bannister Mall has come out today. Included in
the plan, are plans to build the Wizards soccer specific stadium, and 12 tournament quality youth
fields.
The project will cost about $943 million, with hopes that $267 million of that will come from TIFs.
The Wizards owners are planning to contribute about half of the $140 million that will be needed
for the building of the soccer stadium, which will be owned by the city, and leased back to the
team.
Kansas City Mayor, Mark Funkhouser, will make have his first public session on the Lane4/Wizards
Bannister Mall TIF tomorrow at the Kansas City Council Finance Committee meeting. The meeting is at
8:15 am on the 10th floor of City Hall, at 414 East 12th Street. This is another big hurdle for the
plan, as Mayor Funkhouser ran for mayor on a reformation of the TIF platform.
Mayor Mark Funkhouser has made his feelings known on the redevelopment plan of Bannister Mall and
the surrounding 3 Trails Area. He's excited about the plan. But he is not going to sign off until
more discussion has taken place, including the dropping of the Super TIF requirement.
Funkhouser says that the Super TIF will generate "no benefit" for the city with the use of the
Super TIF.
The Finance Committee has passed the Three Trails TIF plan today unanimously, putting to the city
council for it to be passed. The other good news from this article is the news at the end of the
beginning of the fourth paragraph.
But a late amendment that would give the city the opportunity to remain engaged
with the financing of the project while it is being reviewed for state
assistance persuaded the mayor to drop his objections.
Tonight, Mayor Mark Funkhouser and the City Council approved the new TIF policy for the Kansas City
area.
While the new policy leans towards helping small businesses, there are parts that look like they
will benefit the Wizards in their push to get TIF help in renovating the Bannister Mall area. The
new TIF policy is set to also help the cities blighted and distressed areas.
The Kansas City Wizards sent out an email to their email distribution list today, with information
about the upcoming meetings involving the proposed redevelopment of Bannister Mall, that would
include a stadium for the Wizards to play in.
Here are a few highlights of the project from that email
1. 18,500 seat soccer stadium
2.
Along with the whole finance meeting and Funkhouser saying that the Super TIF should be removed,
local residents around the mall are speaking up.
The Star article I posted in the Funkhouser post has a few South KC residents talking in it.
They're wanting this thing passed, and the fact that Funkhouser seems to be dragging his feet looks
to them as though Funkhouser cares nothing about the South side of town.
One day after Mayor Funkhouser stated that while "excited" about the planned redevelopment of
Bannister Mall, he didn't want the plan to use the Super TIF that the plan called for, the
developers stated their displeasure in his decision.
The article has quotes from the councilwoman, Cathy Jolly, of the district that includes the
Bannister Mall complex.
Last week, Robb Heineman was on Sports Radio 810 here in Kansas City, on Between the Lines with
Kevin Kietzman. The Wizards have posted the interview on their website, you can listen to it
here.
Overall the interview is really well done. Kietzman, who I'm normally not a fan of, asks some very
informative questions to get more information out of Heineman about the project.
I was all ready to post this link from Baine's Thought Collective, about the agenda for the TIF
meeting on the 10th, when the Three Trails project, aka the Wizards project, was to be discussed.
Unfortunately it looks like his link may be a little bit off, as this article was also released
tonight.
The article from the KC Business Journal states that the proposal for the Bannister site has been
tabled for another month.
The fate of Lane4 and the Kansas City Wizards plan for the redevlopment of the Bannister Mall area
will likely be decided tomorrow morning. The Kansas City TIF Commission will meet tomorrow morning
at 9:30 AM in a special meeting to discuss the plan. By all accounts that I've heard, the plan
seems to have a good shot at passing. We will see what happens at the meeting.
I've said it before, but this week is a big week for the Wizards, Lane4, Bannister Mall, and the
Three Trails TIF. After the Finance Committee tabled voting on the plan last week, it is back on
the agenda again for the meeting tomorrow at 8:15 at City Hall.
After that meeting, should all go well, it will go to the full city council for a vote on Thursday,
again at City Hall.
I don't remember saying this in any of my other entries on Bannister Mall, so I will be posting it
now. I found out today that the TIF meeting to discuss Lane4's plan for the mall, involving a
stadium for the Wizards is to be held on September 12. It gives a bit of a doom and gloom approach
to the area if this TIF doesn't go through, saying that this could be that areas last shot in some
of our lifetimes, but overall gives many good points on the possible redevelopment of the area.
Today was supposed to be the day that the KC Council Finance Committee voted on the plan at
Bannister Mall for the redevelopment of the area. Unfortunately 3 hours or so after the 8:15
meeting started, no vote had been taken, and the matter had been tabled until next Wednesday when
it will be voted on.
The TIF Commission of Kansas City has decided to hold a special meeting on Wednesday Nov. 7 to
review the $943 million redevelopment proposal for Bannister Mall and surrounding area. My
understanding is this does include what remains of Benjamin Stables. Aaron March, a lawyer with
White Goss Bowers March Schulte & Weisenfels PC who is representing Three Trails Redevelopment LLC
asked the commission to hear its request a week before the next regular TIF meeting.
I've been hearing rumors lately that you can call the Wizards offices to put down your deposit for
2008 Wizards season tickets. Call me crazy, but don't you need to have a venue to play in before
you should start doing that? Last year I had trusted in blind fate that the team would have
somewhere for the team to play this year, so I had no problem throwing down my $50 deposit.
The KC Star points to some good news for the Wizards on their primary target for a new stadium
in KC
A proposal to redevelop the Bannister Mall area with a project anchored by a Wizards soccer
stadium was endorsed today following a compromise that won support from Mayor Mark Funkhouser.
