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Independence, MO —
In the last six weeks, Independence has experienced a resurgence in economic development, the city’s top administrator said Monday night.
“We’ve been very busy,” City Manager Robert Heacock said, “(with) a lot of different projects that hopefully, in the next month or so, will be able to be brought forward.”
For example, Heacock said, city staff are “working diligently” with the developers of the Bass Pro Shops-anchored The Falls at Crackerneck Creek to land a hotel development at that site.
“I’m not at liberty to say the name of that hotel,” Heacock said at Monday’s City Council meeting, “because that project is, again, something that we’re working on with developers.”
When the project was first announced eight years ago, The Falls at Crackerneck Creek development at interstates 470 and 70 included a theme hotel and convention center.
But shortly after Bass Pro Shops opened its doors in February 2008, the recession set in, and The Falls developers have said that onset affected the ability to attract the project’s volume of tenants in the time frame originally anticipated. Since March 2011, the city has paid a portion of the debt service payments for The Falls development, which includes Bass Pro Shops, Hobby Lobby, Mardel and Cheddar’s Casual Café, to protect its credit rating.
Many of the city’s project updates, Heacock said, are in southeastern Independence, but some also are in central and northwestern Independence.
“We’re seeing this as a positive sign, not only potentially with the economy, but again with the efforts that Independence has been making to reach out to different developers.”
The City Council is planning a study session for next month to discuss economic development more in depth. Heacock said the city has “exciting announcements” on the horizon not only in retail, but also in manufacturing and development.
At the council’s direction, Heacock said, city staff are being asked to provide more public updates on projects and economic development progress as it occurs.
“Those are always great things to share, as soon as we can,” Heacock said. “Unfortunately, they’re on the horizon for a long time, and folks don’t always know that there are good things happening and that we are working very hard to do that.”
Mayor Don Reimal agreed that it’s positive to share updates as soon as possible with citizens.
“I think this is encouraging for our people to know that Independence is moving ahead and things are happening,” Reimal said. “... I hope the citizens will be patient with what we are doing, because we are moving ahead and we are working very diligently to bring businesses into Independence, but it does take patience. It pays off – we’ve seen it time and time again.”
Along with the economic recession, one of the challenges facing property owners is reinvesting in aging bricks-and-mortar storefronts, Heacock said. City staff members are understanding that they must work with commercial property owners to address issues like that, he said.
“We have to find ways to help encourage that, not putting the city financially at risk,” Heacock said, “but helping in the role that we can for those developments to occur – and we are.”
In the last six weeks, Independence has experienced a resurgence in economic development, the city’s top administrator said Monday night.
“We’ve been very busy,” City Manager Robert Heacock said, “(with) a lot of different projects that hopefully, in the next month or so, will be able to be brought forward.”
For example, Heacock said, city staff are “working diligently” with the developers of the Bass Pro Shops-anchored The Falls at Crackerneck Creek to land a hotel development at that site.
“I’m not at liberty to say the name of that hotel,” Heacock said at Monday’s City Council meeting, “because that project is, again, something that we’re working on with developers.”
When the project was first announced eight years ago, The Falls at Crackerneck Creek development at interstates 470 and 70 included a theme hotel and convention center.
But shortly after Bass Pro Shops opened its doors in February 2008, the recession set in, and The Falls developers have said that onset affected the ability to attract the project’s volume of tenants in the time frame originally anticipated. Since March 2011, the city has paid a portion of the debt service payments for The Falls development, which includes Bass Pro Shops, Hobby Lobby, Mardel and Cheddar’s Casual Café, to protect its credit rating.
Many of the city’s project updates, Heacock said, are in southeastern Independence, but some also are in central and northwestern Independence.
“We’re seeing this as a positive sign, not only potentially with the economy, but again with the efforts that Independence has been making to reach out to different developers.”
The City Council is planning a study session for next month to discuss economic development more in depth. Heacock said the city has “exciting announcements” on the horizon not only in retail, but also in manufacturing and development.
At the council’s direction, Heacock said, city staff are being asked to provide more public updates on projects and economic development progress as it occurs.
“Those are always great things to share, as soon as we can,” Heacock said. “Unfortunately, they’re on the horizon for a long time, and folks don’t always know that there are good things happening and that we are working very hard to do that.”
Mayor Don Reimal agreed that it’s positive to share updates as soon as possible with citizens.
“I think this is encouraging for our people to know that Independence is moving ahead and things are happening,” Reimal said. “... I hope the citizens will be patient with what we are doing, because we are moving ahead and we are working very diligently to bring businesses into Independence, but it does take patience. It pays off – we’ve seen it time and time again.”
Along with the economic recession, one of the challenges facing property owners is reinvesting in aging bricks-and-mortar storefronts, Heacock said. City staff members are understanding that they must work with commercial property owners to address issues like that, he said.
“We have to find ways to help encourage that, not putting the city financially at risk,” Heacock said, “but helping in the role that we can for those developments to occur – and we are.”
