Lawrence city commissioners tonight will consider putting out the welcome mat for new shoppers in a big way.
Commissioners at their weekly meeting will consider approving a new shopping district at the northeast corner of Sixth Street and the South Lawrence Trafficway.
"It looks like it would be a good gateway to our community," City Commissioner Mike Dever said of the plan that would add about 185,000 square feet of retail space and another 150,000 square feet of office and commercial space.
That hasn't always been the view of city commissioners.
The previous City Commission in November refused to approve the project after three commissioners said they were concerned the city's retail market was becoming overbuilt. They voted to delay the project.
But two of those three no longer are on the commission. Only Commissioner Boog Highberger remains from that trio. He said Monday that he's still concerned the development would overburden the city's retail market.
"I've become more convinced that our retail sector is overbuilt," Highberger said of the nearly six months that have passed since the commission last considered the project.
Highberger said he's seen numbers - but could not quote specific figures - that indicate Lawrence's sales per square foot are below regional averages and its retail square feet per capita are above regional averages.
He said those figures create concern that if new retail areas are allowed, they could hurt existing retail areas, which could lead to some older shopping centers becoming blighted.
But those concerns didn't show up in a report that the city commissioned in 2005. That report cited statistics that indicated Lawrence's retail vacancy rates were below average, and that the community was losing significant amounts of sales tax dollars to other communities.
Dever said he thinks this development - coupled with about 190,000 square feet of already-approved retail space on the southeast corner of Sixth Street and the trafficway - would serve as a new retail draw for Lawrence.
"I think it is going to add an opportunity for people outside of Lawrence to come shop from all the outlying areas," Dever said. "I think we're going to attract people to come to Lawrence who otherwise would be going to Topeka. That's what we need to do to shore up our sales tax revenue."
The project, which would be called Mercato and built in a Tuscan architectural style, appears to have the necessary support on the commission. Both Mayor Sue Hack and Commissioner Mike Amyx spoke in favor of the project when the commission considered it in November.
The development plans call for a single 175,000-square-foot building that could be the home of a new big-box retailer. Plans also call for two smaller retail buildings of 5,600 square feet and 4,000 square feet, and seven office buildings ranging from 5,700 square feet to 60,000 square feet.
The development group, which includes Lawrence businessmen Duane and Steve Schwada and Thomas and Tim Fritzel, has said it doesn't yet have a big-box retail tenant for the project. The timeline for the project will be dependent upon finding a tenant, the developers have said.
Comments
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mike_blur (Mike Blur) says…
Go ahead and approve it, no questions asked. This is what Lawrence voted for.
Expect a complex of stoplights on 6th street at that intersection--and possibly on the SLT itself--to divert traffic to the shopping complex.
Install a 20,00 sq.ft. nightclub to attract patrons from Topeka who, every night, would undoubtedly want to patronize area businesses in the complex! Yay Topeka!
This is what Lawrence citizens voted for. Within 5 years, 6th and the SLT will be as fugly as anything on Wanamaker, Metcalf or Shawnee Mission Parkway. Right on!
458casul (anonymous) says…
cosco
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
Bleufer (anonymous) says…
What about the old Tanger Mall? There is plenty of empty space out there. Will this new shopping district look like Tanger in a decade, or will it look like Olathe?
blue73harley (anonymous) says…
Lowes please.
JOEHAWK (anonymous) says…
Tanger was in a horrible place. You have to build stuff where people live. South Iowa is too damn far away. I don't think any of the new stuff on S. metcalf, 119th, or shawnee mission pkwy is bad.
IT's America people.
Informed (anonymous) says…
I'll second that, blue. Lowes, please!
LogicMan (anonymous) says…
Lowe's, Sam's Club, Golden Corral, and Red Lobster!
Hmmm, good! :-)
blue73harley (anonymous) says…
LogicMan - I will see your Golden Coral and raise you an Outback Steakhouse.
cowboy (anonymous) says…
Famous Daves , and call
oldgoof (anonymous) says…
Is Hooters considered big-box?
tony88 (anonymous) says…
everybody, shout outs to your favorite corporate chain!!!
Souki (anonymous) says…
"Tuscan style" and "175,000 square feet" are mutually exclusive.
bluerose (anonymous) says…
hi folks! welcome to AnyTown USA! it has taken a while, but we have finally caught up with the rest of America! see?! here at our front door, we have our "european shopping village" (a trend that is about 15 years outdated, but HEY, better late than never, right?). here we have miles of comfortably identical housing for the upscale sheep - lovely establishments for their procreation, mind-numbing relaxations and most importantly, places to park their large showy vehicles.
driving along (of course), we see yet more shopping opportunity, even a large landscaped box that one can pretend is not really WalMart. however, of course, that is where the shopping *really* takes place. that European stuff is just a front. (shhh...now that's an insider's secret!)
eventually we will come to the historical area, which is important for any town to keep prettied up, even when no longer useful. further along, to the North and East, and we won't bother visiting there, is where the sheep wish the more undesirable creatures would remain and be quiet. unfortunately, even undesirables need to procure, so they must drive their distasteful vehicles for miles to do so. but HEY! keeps that economy happy, doesn't it?
yes, indeed! finally Lawrence Kansas has caught up with the American Dream - a spacious and spread out town where one can drive and drive and shop to one's heart's content. wheeeeeeee! now let's go have some fun! got your pocketbooks out? baaaaaaa!
OnlyTheOne (anonymous) says…
Bluerose,
I wish I could have said it so well!
Bladerunner (anonymous) says…
Bluerose is that historical area thats sooooooo important to keep, the same one that cost over a quarter million to lay a one block brick street a few years ago? You can have it. I for one welcome Lawrence embracing the 21st century. You're welcome to move to Oskie or McClouth where you still might have a few good years without chain stores. Plenty of brick streets for you too.
KansasKel (anonymous) says…
Just one Fazoli's, that's all I'm asking.
tolawdjk (anonymous) says…
So "big box retail" counts as a "good job"?
Baille (anonymous) says…
Metastatic retail. Woo hoo! I can't WAIT until Lawrence looks like Olathe. Run-down downtown, abandoned strip malls, long stretches of dated and poorly kept retail sections, a decaying residential core, and bright and shiny outskirts. This is going to be awesome!
You go, Dever. Tear 'em up, buddy.
alm77 (anonymous) says…
bluerose, kudos to you!!
If there MUST be this sort of thing, then 6th and STL is the place for it. I say move the proposed new Walmart to this location. A Tuscan Walmart, how charming...
Toto_the_great (anonymous) says…
I think the new retail center is a stupid idea, but if you create it, how about bringing in Biaggi's? - Chillin' in McLouth where we enjoy Gambino's pizza.
JSDAD (anonymous) says…
hey everyone who wants to spend extra needs a place to stop on the way to the new walmart
jonas (anonymous) says…
I guess it's the WV shooting thing, but I read this headline as the SLT project caused someone to actually get shot.
Packman (anonymous) says…
Can we put this thing to a vote?
I'd like to see a shiny, new Wal-Mart with an Eldridge Hotel facade at the corner of Inverness and Oak Tree Dr. A tangy taste of the new with a hint of the old.
There are lots of people in this neighborhood that would love to walk to the store to do all their shopping. Right Mike?
gontek (anonymous) says…
Get a Bass Pro Shop or a Cabelas outlet there folks - and a Whole Foods - they are Tuscan style sometimes.
jayhawkinpa (anonymous) says…
Tuscan-style? That's Olive Garden's new motif. Somebody should just ask, nobody is going to go to the trouble of getting funded and approved with out the anchor in place.
Rationalanimal (anonymous) says…
Awesome. In two weeks Chestnut and Dever have done more for job creation than the former SLC has done in 4 years.
average (anonymous) says…
Norma! That's the most Tuscan parking lot I've ever seen!
PeteJayhawk (anonymous) says…
Golden Corral and Red Lobster are your idea of great developments? Wow, way to aim for the stars there pal. Save up long enough and you might just be able to take the family out to a TGI Friday's someday.
Mackadoo (anonymous) says…
Rationalanimal, these are not the kinds of jobs we need to create to keep the commuters working in town. I currently work in Topeka, my husband is lucky enough to work at KU, and we live in Lawrence. I tried like hell to find any job that *wasn't* a $9/hr retail job in town when I graduated college 5 years ago.
And again I tried and failed just 2 years ago when I left my job in Kansas City, eventually having to settle for working in Topeka this time.
We commuters don't just need "jobs" in town, we need careers; something that building more retail space does NOT significantly contribute to.
roger_o_thornhill (anonymous) says…
Just integrate residential and you have an ok notion. Look at all the retail suggestions here. Would be nice though if it weren't surrounded by a sea of parking lots and there was life there even after business hours. Seems like that is one of the new trends in development anyways. And I always have to here how "progressive" and "forward thinking" this town is, but then I don't often see it. How much area does 335,000 square feet take up anyways? 9.3 acres. Why can't some of that be vertical space (multi-level for the dunderheads)? What is the required size provided parking? Isn't there a better way of providing these things and more without resorting to the cookie-cutter parking lot wastelands of other towns? Of course, I'm sure $hortterm $$ interests will prevail. But I shouldn't be so pessimistic.
Mari (Mari Windermere) says…
Chinese-style would be more honest.
bugmenot (anonymous) says…
Wow. I hope hawkperchedatriverfront never has to go through a tough job search, or, God forbid, loses his job. What a nasty thing to say to someone who only spoke the truth; $9/hour retail jobs don't build a community. Careers do. What a jerk.
naturalist (anonymous) says…
This is infuriating. Good bye to our old, eco-conscious commission and before you can blink an eye the money-grubbing developers who care not about carpetting green space and habitat with concrete, with large retailers who don't care about products or employees, and with resultant traffic problems. We had a few peaceful years with a great city commission but alas those days appear to be over. Wonder why we need to build more retail space in Lawrence anyway? Has anyone taken a look lately at how many empty buildings in strip malls we have in Lawrence? The Tanger Mall is only the tip of the iceberg; then there's that strip of emptiness along N. 3rd that a developer recently built for no good reason. Apparently owners are getting big write-offs on those properties since not one of them will drop their rent to accommodate organizations and businesses that cannot afford to pay their over-inflated prices. And big chain restaurants have already complained about Lawrence and left--remember the Hereford House? (Has that space been filled yet?) Lawrence is a special town because it doesn't cater to these businesses. If you enjoy traffic congestion and chain stores/restaurants you can drive to Topeka or Overland Park. Leave our town alone.
Mackadoo (anonymous) says…
Oh hawk, thank god you know all the details about my situation so much better than I do! Your argument is just so convincing -- you must be a motivational speaker. At least you've dropped that ridiculous 3rd person "The Hawk says ..." thing that you used to do.
I'm not stupid. I know all about where my taxes (and my husband's) are going, and please believe when I say that I don't like paying taxes to Topeka instead of the community I live in and love! Right now I don't have another feasible option. When Mike Dever knocked on my door during his campaign he told me one of his priorities was to bring GOOD jobs to town, not just another retail complex.
bugmenot (anonymous) says…
No, I'm not on the public payroll. I work for a private corporation. Pretty sure I make more than you do by a lot. I'm by no means looking for a handout for me or anyone in this world. I'm just saddened by the future the Lawrence seems to be securing for itself. Lots of hourly wage jobs for the transient college kids, no good careers for the adults in this city. It will make the city even more of a commuterville, where people who live here aren't putting back in what they're using because their employers are out of town.
She has to live in Lawrence because her husband secured a job with the University. It's hard enough to find one good career nowadays, let alone two.
I don't want a handout, and neither does she. She didn't demand a job. She just lamented the lack of truly career-oriented jobs in Lawrence and stated that a Lowe's or Olive Garden wasn't going to bring in more.
You are seriously a jerk. Nice assumptions, though.
Liberal (anonymous) says…
I love Blue Roses Comment..."here we have miles of comfortably identical housing for the upscale sheep - lovely establishments for their procreation, mind-numbing relaxations and most importantly, places to park their large showy vehicles."
The entire city has homes that look identical. Barker, Oread, North Lawrence, East Lawrence, Pinkney, South Lawrence, etc, the only part of town that have homes that do not look alike are, Doug Compton's neighborhood, Fall Creek, and the Reserve. Where people can afford to hire an Architect and differentiate themselves from the true sheep like BlueRose.
The fact is only the wealthy have ever been able to do anything different with where they live. Any houses that do have much of a difference from the neighbors were the wealthy.
bd (anonymous) says…
piggly wiggly
Liberal (anonymous) says…
Dever and Company will be working to bring career jobs to town. Something that the past commission had no success with. Corporations are going to be looking for things in the community that will work well with the work force they have. Not many companies are going to base a decision to locate in an area that does not have retail that is familiar to them.
Guess what...the same sheep that bluerose was complaining about are the exact same sheep who are deciding where to locate the companies they work for. If you want jobs in town you have to focus on what the companies want, the first thing is an employee base that matches their workforce needs. Secondly you have to have available space for the companies to locate. The last thing they are going to look at is if we have a nice downtown...if we have a nice downtown that is great but it would never be a deciding factor.
A big insurance company just moved in town out west on Wakarusa. The only place they could have moved in this town is exactly where they located. This town does not have available industrial or office ground for companies like Mackadoo would like to see.
If you want to make any money in this town that has very few professional jobs, you better work for the University or be in business for yourself.
If you are not, you are one of the many commuters that leave town in droves, every morning.
With Roof tops and business, the retailers will follow. Dever is not recruiting retail, the Mercado was already planned and presented, then deferred by the no growthers.
Mackadoo (anonymous) says…
You're right, hawk. My property tax and sales tax dollars sure are a drain on the economy. I'm such a terrible person. Sucking the very life out of Lawrence with my volunteer time and my propensity to buy local!
Get serious. Not many people would choose to live and raise a family in Topeka over Lawrence when presented the option.
concernedparent (anonymous) says…
man, I hate lowes!
blue73harley (anonymous) says…
concernedparent - you have obviously never shopped at Home Depot.
JackRipper (anonymous) says…
I think there should be some understanding when one moves to a town what is available. Lawrence has been a college town for almost as long as it has been a town. We also happen to be close to a major metro area which a lot times means there is no reason to duplicate what is available down the road. I can't think of a time that Lawrence was a great "career track" place unless at the university. That info is easily found with a little research. Some seem to think that Lawrence was a great commercial center and we are in ruins now and the white knights are here to save us. Please don't confuse history with fantasy.
concernedparent (anonymous) says…
Blue73harley, I think its kinda like the Yankee's/Red sox. You never like both teams you only like one. The Depot is my personal choice. I hate going to Lowes in Topeka. I find the employees very rude and not very helpful. I actually wouldn't go to Lowes except they are the only place that we can find our carpet pad that we need.
blue73harley (anonymous) says…
concernedparent - I think Home Depot in Lawrence would improve a little if they weren't the only game in town. Do you remember how nice the store was when it first opened? Seems like it has gone down hill to me.
JackRipper (anonymous) says…
That's the way big boxes are. They actually train their people before opening but after that with turnover they just seem to get people on the floor, at least I'd hope they weren't trained if they can't answer simple questions. Sears is the same way. What we need are the old lumberyards. If people didn't think they needed 15,000 varieties of faucets they worked fine. I doubt in a town this small a Lowe's is going to be as fully stocked as they are in Topeka or KC, just basic business sense.
deec (anonymous) says…
They also overhire for the big grand super-duper opening, then after the hoopla is over, start cutting employee's hours so they won't qualify for benefits.
deec (anonymous) says…
So just because everybody does it, that makes it all right?
JackRipper (anonymous) says…
Or you can move to the area where they have all that stuff, it is sooooo easy.
Lilo (Leah Lomon) says…
I hope they get an Olive Garden.
drewdun (anonymous) says…
The wingnuts just can't stand that Lawrence might be a little different from the rest of Kansas, so they want to turn it into their dreamland: Olathe, Kansas. What I say to them is: "If you like Olathe so much, why don't you move there?"
JackRipper (anonymous) says…
Hey hawk, when mentioning "career track" I imagine they mean nice little jobs done in an office which usually revolve around marketing, surveying, and "professional" bull instead of the places you listed where many of the jobs required getting ones hands dirty. I think they want the jobs that pay a lot but you don't have to get your mussed up doing.
zimmerman (anonymous) says…
Three words come to mind when reading this article.
tanger outlet mall
snowWI (anonymous) says…
For all those who do not like the fact that Lawrence is different, how about moving to olathe. You can enjoy your BLAND and BEIGE house filled with strip malls and suburban sprawl in every direction. Many of these cookie cutter houses have very cheap construction. I agree with what logrithmic said at 9:11AM.
KsTwister (anonymous) says…
Sometimes even when you win-you lose. But this approval was started August 19 of last year. I also saw that ECO2 made this one of its recommendations. I guess if whether this areas choice is industry or retail then I would have to choose retail. Who wants to breathe industry?
blackwalnut (anonymous) says…
Disgusted.
So it begins.
merrill (anonymous) says…
We are told chain stores generate economic growth. Local officials often get dollar signs in their eyes at the prospect of a new chain store coming to town. This is not economic development, however. It is economic displacement. Unlike new manufacturing facilities, which do generate added wealth, new retail stores simply displace sales at existing, often locally owned, businesses. These businesses in turn will experience reduced sales tax revenue, job losses, and potential failure. Several studies confirm that the end result of new chain store development is at best marginal overall improvement in taxes and jobs, and, at worst, a decline. On top of this, communities will lose the tremendous economic benefits of local ownership.
snowWI (anonymous) says…
Posted by bd (anonymous) on April 17, 2007 at 11:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
"piggly wiggly"
LOL , do those grocery stores even exist anymore!
KsTwister (anonymous) says…
I didn't like it last year either.
Now, please point out it to Wal-mart(as previous poster said), they can't help but make more money off of the I-70 corridor(give them their sign so they will),after all Tanger has its sign.Change that ordinance for outlying areas and bring in the others it kept out,Cracker Barrel,Red Lobster...
If they go out of business we can use the parking lots for tennis and basketball courts.
...you can move a Olive Garden and 4 more banks to the 6 th & Wakarusa intersection. We always have room for more restraurants and banks. Sheesh..........
snowWI (anonymous) says…
I agree with you on that one merrill. You can see first hand examples in JOCO concerning how much retail was overbuilt in certain areas. Now, in the central and northern areas of Overland Park their are many closed stores and abandoned strip malls dotting the landscape. All of the newer retail gets displaced further to the south which means a lot of the older shopping areas decline. This in turn just keeps adding to the suburban sprawl problem there.
ebbenji (Eric Beightel) says…
Is wanting a professional job done in an office such a bad thing? You clearly are associating that with negative conotations but I'm having a hard time understanding that.
I was born and raised in Lawrence. Graduated from LHS and from KU. Upon graduation I was unable to secure a position in my field in Lawrence so I took a job in Overland Park and commuted. Eventually I took a job with the state and commuted to Topeka. I would have loved to work in Lawrence and cut out that drive time and fuel costs but the reality of the situation is that there simply aren't that many professional jobs available in Lawrence.
I was not an interloper or carpet bagger - I was a Lawrence native who loved his hometown but had to leave during the day to afford to live there. I sincerely hope that the commission is successful in attracting well paying professional jobs to the area. Hopefully some environmental consulting...I may just move back.
JackRipper (anonymous) says…
Sorry about the tone. That is the problem with a lot of college towns, especially one as nice as Lawrence, is people don't want to leave so you'll have a lot of college educated people hanging around hoping to find a job. That would be nice but we also need jobs for the average Joe who has also worked here all his/her life and needs something. I think Merrill is on to something with some of his business Lawrence could develop because it will be difficult to compete with the rest of the world selling cheaper junk.
458casul (anonymous) says…
blah blah blah blah ding ding smart growth blah blah blah
458casul (anonymous) says…
merrill go hug boogy tonight tell him what to say,blah blah blah smart growth ding ding
458casul (anonymous) says…
blah blah blah now thats smart growth
none2 (anonymous) says…
The only people who need to leave town are the ones on here who constantly whine about commuters. These are people who wish Lawrence was just one big gated community: Fortress Lawrence.
Not everybody is that lazy where they just sit in Lawrence and work for lower pay and then gripe that more government money isn't pouring into Lawrence to support their lazy habits. Some of us had the ambition and brains to go out and bring the bacon back to Lawrence. The real drain on this community is the all the lazy people who constantly whine about others who are working harder and as a result are doing better than they are.
KsTwister (anonymous) says…
...."fancy KsTwister drinks." ???
I never considered Jack&Coke on the rocks a fancy. But maybe this weekend I may make time for a couple, its been awhile and vacation is almost over.
But I agree believe it or not hawk,"Lawrence and any other community do not owe their residents a job of their liking. "
No, they don't, but they should not bleed us and our families for tax money and then turn our town into the ground while they build the roundabouts, load it up with $6 hour retail jobs, glass libraries, and lofts either.
JackRipper (anonymous) says…
Somebody sounds a bit testy, perhaps because of gas prices? Burning millions of gallons of gas a day to drive long distances to work just seems wacky. But what is wackier is when people who are commuting start wanting in their small little commuter town to have everything the town they work in has. So one wonders, since you all have the ambition and brains, why you would live somewhere that is so disappointing for you. JOCO has the schools, big boxes galore, sports for the kiddies, big roads, etc. so what brain storm about all that are we missing?
none2 (anonymous) says…
Lawrence isn't the disspointment; it is the whiners. Your fortress attitudes belong back in the dark ages where they came from.
KsTwister (anonymous) says…
Gas prices only bother me when I look at my mower and think it should have a windshield and a backseat with that tank of gas. But I don't whine about it cause it doesn't need any alignment from running it on these streets. So I guess I still come out ahead.
bearclaws (anonymous) says…
IKEA!
Why not put something out there that will actually draw people from the region?
I'm sick of driving to Minneapolis just to shop there.
snowWI (anonymous) says…
How about meijer!
a superstore that is from the Great Lakes region. However, their are no locations in this part of the country yet.
JackRipper (anonymous) says…
So none2, no answer to the question? How does it make sense to bear the burden for us all and commute to a place that has everything you want and then have to come back to dumpy old Lawrence with a functioning downtown, only one area of big boxes, no grand sports complexes, no highway to get you back over the west side quickly. I just can't understand, the whining seems to be the people with those issue but if you work over there and they are building the cookie cutter houses ya'll love and they have sucked the state dry for school funding, how can you keep coming back to Lawrence?
Godot (anonymous) says…
I love the phrase "cookie cutter houses".
What are they, really? Are they High Chapparell? The really ugly houses being built by Habitat? The neo-Euorpoean houses proposed by the New Urbanism crowd?Or the eyesore of Delaware Commons? Or how about the exremely ugly Lofts downtown and their counterparts at Bella Sera?
Or are they any housing structure that the loyal leftitsts of Lawrence oppose?
blackwalnut (anonymous) says…
Godot:
Look west of Wakarusa. They all look the same. Then look in the older part of town. All the houses look really, really different from each other. Everyone knows what "cookie cutter houses" means - except you, apparently.
blackwalnut (anonymous) says…
JackRipper:
Very well said. Lawrence is first and foremost a college town, and always has been. People who want to turn it into Kansas City would be better off just moving to Kansas City, because apparently they do not appreciate what is unique about Lawrence (and would be lost if Lawrence imitates KC).
It's sad that many cities have lost their individual character. It's about to happen to Lawrence, too.
blackwalnut (anonymous) says…
hawkperchecatriverfront:
All the Subway sandwich shops in town are owned by a company in Leawood. I'd wager most of the chain restaurants in Law. are not locally owned. That money flows right out of this town and enriches another town.
none2 (anonymous) says…
JackTheRiper, are you high, or directionally challenged?
I don't live in west Lawrence, I live in North Lawrence. Maybe you haven't heard of it. It is the area across the river. You know, that part that you must ignore even though it is closer to downtown than west Lawernce?
Surely, you live near downtown (on the correct side of the river), otherwise you would consider youself to be part of the the evil people from the west or the south side, or the white trash criminal element from the north.
Of course if you weren't so condescending with your nose in the air you might know that most homes in North Lawrence, aren't cookie cutter homes and have been around for a while. You might also know that we have other highways up here.
But that is ok, some might think your ignorance is what gives Lawrence its charm.
snowWI (anonymous) says…
Cookie Cutter House= look alike, lots of beige, vinyl siding, oversized garage, and generally cheap materials. A good example of cookie cutter houses would be anything built after 1990 in Olathe.
merrill (anonymous) says…
30% over built in retail, according to Placemakers and others,
plus adding a huge sum of retail last night is not strengthening downtown or will do anything to curb the retail vacancy rate in Lawrence. Placemakers was paid $250,000 and spent one week in Lawrence. It seems odd that Mayor Hack and former Mayor Amyx would ignore that warning when in fact Mayor Hack was most instrumental in the hiring. Dever , Chestnut, Amyx and Hack say they disagree while offering nothing to substantiate their disagreement.
There has never been a Retail Impact Study specifically associated with Mercado or the "New Urbanism" retail project. This is a tool that could provide such specific data. Speculation is not good enough for our city.
Economic & Community Impact Review
A number of communities now require a comprehensive economic and community impact review before approving any new retail construction. Typically, the review is triggered when the proposed development exceeds a certain size (e.g., a retail store larger than 20,000 square feet or that will generate more than 500 vehicle trips per day).
In order to pass, the proposed project must meet certain criteria outlined in the ordinance. These vary from place to place, but may include impact on the downtown business district, employment (jobs gained versus jobs lost), wages, tax revenue, roads and other public services, historic resources, air and water pollution, and traffic. As part of this process, cities typically require that economic and fiscal (tax) impact studies be conducted by independent consultants chosen by the city council and paid for by a fee assessed on the developer. In most cases, there's also a public hearing to gather citizen input. In the end, if the city council (or planning board) determines that the project's overall costs outweigh the benefits, then the developer is denied a permit to proceed.
http://www.newrules.org/retail/impact...
Now we'll have a Wal-Mart,New Urbanism and Mercado all approved without a Retail Impact Study for each project as should be customary in tight retail markets.
Failure to use proper tools will provide retail economic displacement NOT retail economic growth.
prioress (anonymous) says…
blackwalnut: It's sad that many cities have lost their individual character. It's about to happen to Lawrence, too.
=========
Individual character? Really? Drive to Ottawa and look at their downtown, or for that matter Lyndon or Burlingame. Lots of nice, civil war era obsolete brick buildings with fancy fronts. I'm not advocating downtown be bulldozed and replaced with more crap like the new front on the old bank building complex at 7th and Mass, but we are deluded if we think anyone can 'save' downtown. Downtown will save itself through free entreprise and economic principles, AKA bars and clubs and eateries where people can try to make real money.
JackRipper (anonymous) says…
Sorry none2, when you told us about your brains and ambition you sounded like you may live on the west side. Ok, you got your personal attacks in and I do plead ignorant, the reason for my question about how does commuting to some place that has everything you may like make more sense than just living there too? Maybe you like Lawrence the way it is so you don't fit into the category of one of those who commutes and wants to turn Lawrence into the city they commute too. That's all.
conservative (anonymous) says…
Hey Jack,
What about us long time lawrence residents who live and work here, and just want to stop seeing so much of the retail dollars that could be spent here going to other cities?
smgkag (Kathy Gates) says…
For a city that tries to promote itself as open and liberal, this thread makes me think that Lawrence is as close-minded as any other city. I live in the evil west of Iowa area. I commute outside of Lawrence to work, as does my husband. Moving to be closer to your job isn't as easy as this thread makes it seem. My job is in KC. My husband's job is in Topeka. Lawrence is a commuting compromise for both of us. Before you flame me...neither one of our jobs exist in Lawrence! Give us some credit here--I'd love to work in Lawrence, as would he.
Another comment...in the last year we've spent almost $12,000 on home improvement projects. About $2500 was spent locally. We tried, but what we needed to do to our home was simply not available locally. You can fight to keep out big box retail all you want, but the reality is that we paid a lot of tax money to other cities that I wish we could have sent to Lawrence.
davisnin (anonymous) says…
Perhaps we need to set fire to Topeka so people won't be so torn and forced to live in such a s#@#$ backward town.
davisnin (anonymous) says…
smgkag, that wasn't specifically at you, it's merely an oft stated reason for living here. It would be fine if that situation didn't almost always involve people desiring changes to Lawrence that in all reality will destroy it. A parasitic infection of bland suburbia. These next four years are the end, it was all said last night. Have fun with all the $9/hr jobs that Dever will bring in.
doesnotplaywellwithothers (anonymous) says…
Show me one community that does not have what you call "urban sprawl".
It's called reality. unless you have unlimited resourses you buy what you can afford.
Just as in the West I do not see any significant non cookie cutter houses downtown except for a few, just as in the West.
If you follow some bloggers on this site you will see that nothing pleases them, they complain about anthing What a life.
Lawrence was never a utopia with all unique housing.
none2 (anonymous) says…
JackRipper,
My issue is with the attitude of some people who want to exclude others who live in this community. Lately, this has come more from the side referred to as the progressive side.
We are ALL residents of Lawrence, and we need to work together instead of deciding that some people don't count because they haven't lived here long enough, don't work here, don't drive the right car, don't vote a certain way, or whatever...
I have lived here for 27 years now and even if I had only lived here for one year, that doesn't entitle others to say I'm not part of the Lawrence community This litmus test for who really belongs here is a bunch of BS.
Sure everybody who comes here wants or at least affects change. Nothing in life is static. If I could affect change it would be to have an abundance of better paying jobs in town. I'm not going to hold my breath if it doesn't happen, but I think that is the most important thing this community needs. As to retail, we had a lot more retail when we had the downtown factory outlet and the Tanger oulet. Both of them failed. People want to whine about the location they were in, but in a town this size people aren't going to avoid shoping at a store they LIKE if it is in another part of town. If a store fails it is because it doesn't have the products that people want to buy - or at least at the prices they want to pay for them. I seriously doubt that another big box store is going to do to well. If someone finds what they really want at the right price in Topeka, Olathe, or some other KC metro area, they probably will do so.
Though I may not agree with building a massive shopping area out west, I'm not going to trash those that want it. As for those that want to protect downtown, you need to reach out to your neighbors in east Lawrence and North Lawrence. That is your gateway to downtown as well as where any natural extension to downtown would come from. By villifying those in the growth areas of the west and south at the same time that you see the residents of the east and the north as your inferior brethren, you do nothing but make downtown an island of snobbery that no one wants to go near.
BigPrune (anonymous) says…
It will be years before something gets built. It is too far out to think about. Plus, it will have to compete with another new attraction, The Legends. Lawrence doesn't have the population to support something so far off the beaten path.
In time, it might happen.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (anonymous) says…
Hey, this is the patriotic thing to do.
Without mindless consumerism, we wouldn't have our massive trade imbalance with China.
Without the trade imbalance, the Chinese couldn't buy up our all the government bonds that cover all our deficit spending.
Without the borrowed money from the Chinese, we couldn't fund the war of terror for Iraq's oilfields.