Destination Northland

More than simple numbers and lines on maps are involved in building the Northland at its current rate. In examples that range from Liberty retail growth to unique housing in North Kansas City, significant public/private collaboration and urban planning also are evident. In several cases, this cooperation has spurred immediate growth and set off chain reactions with adjoining properties.

The Liberty Triangle has been a dramatically underdeveloped 80-acre parcel on one of the metro’s last major interstate intersections. The city there wrestled for more than 10 years attempting to spur development on the site, which was hamstrung by the presence of more than 90 property owners unable to support a single, well-planned development.

Following several fundamental steps that included as-sembling the land, the entire area is now under development, with an in-line retail center beginning construction in the summer of 2005.

“Had it not been such a complicated assembly of landowners, I think a lot of the retailers on the west side (of I-35) would have given strong consideration to the Liberty Triangle,” noted Rick Baier, of CB Ellis Real Estate, the Triangle’s developer. “It took a big effort to make this happen.”

A similar public/private effort involved the unique Northgate Village project in North Kansas City. One of the area’s best examples of new urbanism, Northgate features town-houses reminiscent of George-town and neighborhood retail “pockets.” Significantly, it is being built within the shadow of downtown Kansas City.

At the other end of the Northland, St. Joseph in 2005 unveiled an equally dramatic example with its Shoppes at North Village and nearby Tuscany Towers. The Shoppes, built on property owned by Buchanan County and using community-provided incentives, is on its way to being one of the largest retail developments in an area bounded by four states.

The most dram-atic example of the region’s teamwork may involve River-side, where the city provided leadership for a major levee and now is spearheading what could be one of the most dramatic developments in metropolitan Kansas City.

The levee, which was dedicated in the spring of 2005, now protects nearly 1,200 acres of farmland and some existing light industrial development. With the new protection from flooding, the city is moving aggressively to market the property, including 500 acres owned by the city itself. The project has been named Riverside Horizons and plans call for a landscaped, mixed use development. Significantly, Riverside is applying a level of infrastructure development that is rare for Missouri communities: advanced placement of all utilities and major roadways, even a new exchange with adjacent I-635.

Platte County may have raised the bar in other community support examples as well. The county’s voters have approved two tax issues that establish key funding sources for road improvements and recreation. These otherwise diverse issues are being used to improve the region’s quality of life: new recreation centers and other lifestyle amenities coupled with key road improvements where the county’s growth otherwise would bring congestion.

They’re a long way from being real riverboats and there’s some debate how much of a gamble the owners really take, but there’s no doubt that the North-land’s casinos have impacted the area.

Because of Missouri’s legislation enabling casinos, these businesses have been required to make substantial financial contributions to their local communities. Nowhere in Missouri is the impact of these funds more evident than Clay and Platte counties, where three casinos comprise the highest concentration of casinos in the state. And nowhere is the economic development impact greater.

North Kansas City and Riverside are the best examples. Not only are Harrah’s and Argosy successful businesses employing several thousand workers, but their millions of dollars in annual municipal contributions are focused in relatively small cities where the impact is evident. In fact, a major source for Riverside’s levee and related development is the 10-year-old Argosy Casino. North Kansas City amenities such as its modern community center and new fiber optic cable system are supported in large part by fees from Harrah’s.

While these big-ticket items draw headlines, there is an even greater impact from these two casinos, plus Clay County’s Ameristar and St. Jo-seph’s Frontier casinos. Especially in Clay and Platte counties, these operations include large hotels, restaurants and grown-up entertainment that have added significantly to the region’s recreational and economic climate. In effect, the area over the past 10 years has seen develoment of a new, nearly $1 billion-a-year industry. Even the area’s employment base has been im-pacted by the influx of hudreds of relatively high-paying jobs.

Other key factors helping to build the modern Northland include maturation of Kansas City International Airport’s economic impact and downtown Kansas City’s revival. Because of the Northland’s nearness to these two sleeping giants, Clay County and Platte County are especially poised to benefit.

Originally built amid Platte County cornfields, Kansas City International Airport has brought steady, though rarely spectacular, development. With passenger numbers finally beginning to recover from post-9/11 reductions, and increasing focus on developing the area’s potential, Platte County in particular appears likely to benefit from more than $100 million in recent investment at the facility.

The Northland’s potential benefit from the resurging downtown is more open to speculation. Yet a strong Northland spin-off is almost certain from construction of major employment centers such as the H&R Bloch world headquarters and the new, Downtown Kansas City Entertain-ment District. With the population and work centers for Clay and Platte counties immediately adjacent to downtown, this revival may have more impact north of the river than south.

A final factor helping build the Northland is the sometimes-overused factor of synergy. Clichéd or not, the word is an apt description for the combination of elements that are building the area’s increasing dynamic.

Starting less than a mile from the Missouri River, a large stretch of land along the hills opposite downtown have remained under-utilized for years. Now, the area contains Briarcliff Development, Northgate Village and the upcoming Riverside Horizons. To the east lies the expanding employment centers of North Kansas City Hospital and Cerner Corporation. As these centers continue construction, the area will become an almost unbroken sweep of some of the region’s most dynamic—and most valuable—development.

Similar examples of individual projects growing together are evident throughout the Northland. Both the Liberty Triangle retail development and the strategically dramatic South Liberty Parkway are under way. Beginning in 2006, these two projects will bring major development opportunities and already have created demand for growth in adjacent areas.

“We’ve waited a long time to see these projects,” noted Steve Ander-son, Liberty Planning Development director. “This community is realizing some potential that has been building for a long time.”

Building the Northland is definitely a work in progress, but it appears to be a story that will continue for some time.

The last area to see annexation by Kansas City, the Northland has been slow to see major residential construction and other growth. Now that widespread, significant development is a reality, this late timing has become a positive factor in molding the Northland's character. Although the area contains some of the most historic communities in the metropolitan area, a high percentage of the Northland's growth is comprised of new development in areas still largely surrounded by open space.

The blank slate offered by the area's rolling hills is one of the most important characteristics of the Northland. From Shoal Creek on the east to the National Golf Club and executive housing on the west, the area's largest residential and multi-use developments are able to take advantage of undeveloped land served by utilities and an excellent transpor-tation network.

Briarcliff took a former rock quarry and created one of the Kansas City area's premiere urban developments.

Unlike southern Johnson County, Kan., eastern Jackson or Cass County, the Northland's open land is only a short drive from downtown and other key facilities. The best example of this close-in advantage is probably visible in a comparison of I-435 in Johnson County with I-435 in Clay and Platte County. While the southern freeway is essentially built out, with little room for new construction, the boom has only started up North.

Other factors besides proximity ensure the viability of Northland development. One of the biggest is the region's growing job demand, especially along the I-29 corridor and the Missouri River. Although Northlanders commute almost anywhere within the metropolitan area within minutes, a growing local economic base ensures that Clay and Platte counties are more than bedroom communities.

Not all of the Northland is new. From the North Kansas City industrial district to residential areas south of I-35, Clay and Platte counties have their share of developed and even aging neighborhoods. Yet even here there are some surprises, from the continued viability of older industrial properties to recent housing rehabilitation for some of the city's earliest post-World War II subdivisions.

The most dramatic examples of redevelopment are easily in the private sector. Three projects are unique in the area and even the nation for turning old ground into viable and highly valuable developments: SubTropolis continues to convert former limestone mines into millions of square feet of quality office and light industrial space; the Briarcliff West development took a former rock quarry and created one of the area's premiere residential and commercial developments; and the Northgate Village in North Kansas City is bringing luxury town homes and neighborhood retail to one of the more established communities in the Northland.

Many of these and other efforts benefit from a high level of cooperation. Although Clay and Platte counties compete on many levels, they also exhibit a high degree of cooperation on key projects that range from the region's trail plan to marketing their top-ranked public school districts. Part of this is due to the historic need by formerly rural areas to cooperate in order to be heard by their more populous neighbors. It's also a result of a conscious effort by community leaders who continue to value the success brought by such early efforts.

Even during the recent economic downturn, Northlanders have illustrated unique strengths. Although they generally exhibit Midwestern conservatism, taxpayers are also willing to step forward in order to ensure that their communities prosper. In three recent examples, voters approved significant increases for road construction in order to augment stumbling state funds needed for local road improvements.

For long-time residents, one of the most appreciated byproducts of this growth are the growing range of amenities. From restaurants to fine arts, the growing population and development have brought an increase in cultural and entertainment highlights. Although it remains a work in progress, the Northland is no longer playing catch-up with the metropolitan area.