At a special meeting Wednesday night, the Mission City Council deferred action on two proposed ordinances related to the latest version of a plan to develop the Mission Gateway site.
- The council is now expected to consider the items — one generally regarding tax increment financing, or TIF, and the other to establish a new community improvement district, or CID — at a special Nov. 21 meeting.
- In the meantime, the city’s planning commission is expected to take up Mission Gateway’s revised preliminary development plan in October.
Driving the news: No action was taken Wednesday because the pending redevelopment agreement — the document that outlines the budget, schedule and each party’s obligations — remains unfinished.
- New York-based developers, the Cameron Group, have yet to agree to put $3 million into a performance escrow account, which would essentially act as insurance and be paid to the city in the event the long-delayed project restarts but is again not completed.
- At the same time, Bruce Kimmel, the city’s financial advisor, said that two banks the Cameron Group plans to obtain loans from are still working on finalizing loan terms, but Kimmel’s memo also emphasized that the unnamed banks are committed to the Mission Gateway project.
What they’re saying: While no action was taken on Wednesday evening, three residents still shared their frustrations with the Mission Gateway project the Cameron Group, which is now on its fifth iteration of a plan for the site of the former Mission City Mall at Shawnee Mission Parkway and Johnson Drive.
- One resident noted how Councilmember Debbie Kring is the only councilmember to have been through each version of the project over the past 16 years and said that at this point, patience should be running thin.
- Resident Andrew Blake said he believes there will be a sixth iteration of the project at some point, alluding to his lack of confidence in the current plan.
- Dave Miller, owner of Werner’s Specialty Foods, said he’s concerned interest rates going up will be the next “excuse” for developers to not follow through on the project.
- “This is 16 years of nonsense, of coming and going and nothing ever seems to be progressing,” Miller said. “Late on taxes, mechanics liens, everything else. There’s enough vacant property — storefronts in Mission — that we don’t need more vacant storefronts.”
Understanding where Mission Gateway project stands
The city, developer and banks are all still figuring out who can bring what amounts to the table for the Mission Gateway project.
- These three streams of funding for the project are referred to by the city’s financial advisor as a “capital stack.”
- City administrator Laura Smith confirmed for the city council that developers are current on property taxes but need to pay off mechanics liens, which occur when a developer owes subcontractors payments.
- Those mechanics liens, Smith said, will be addressed in the new redevelopment agreement.
- Several city council members and city staffers reiterated at Wednesday’s meeting that the city is simply working through its legal obligation to provide a fair process for a redevelopment proposal.
- Councilmember Hillary Parker Thomas said both the city council and city staff continue to be committed to a deal that protects the city and its interests.
Key quote: “Each of us also lives in Mission, and each of us also want to see a project be successful there,” Parker Thomas said. “We share your frustration. We know this has been a challenging 16 years, and each one of us is committed to offering a fair opportunity for the developer to come and talk to us. Our city staff continue to do everything in their power to protect their city.”
What’s next for Mission Gateway site
The Mission Planning Commission is set to consider a preliminary development plan for the project at its Oct. 18 meeting.
- This was continued from the planning commission’s Sept. 26 meeting, Smith said.
- The city council plans to revisit the action items — both the TIF project plan and CID ordinances — from Wednesday’s meeting at the Nov. 21 special called meeting.
- In addition to the TIF project plan and CID ordinances, the city council anticipates the consideration of a redevelopment plan and potentially a preliminary development plan at that November meeting.
- City staff plan to upload a frequently asked questions section to the Current Development Projects webpage by the end of this week.
Background: This is the fifth iteration of the Mission Gateway redevelopment project, which now includes the Cinergy entertainment center, apartments, a hotel, commercial space and a smaller food hall than in a previous version of the plan.
- Read the Post’s Mission Gateway timeline, which features the history of the project over the last 15 years.
