Grain Valley - Gateway to Kansas City?

This is the city administration's vision for the future

Nathaniel's Commentary – recorded August 2, 2012

• Gateway to Kansas City – is this a sensible plan for the City of Grain Valley?
• Two trends indicate that Grain Valley will remain semi-rural for some time to come.
• Grain Valley could position itself as a day trip destination.
• This satisfies a market to get away from the city without spending a lot of money.
• It's an accomplishment based on the efforts of individuals who do what they do best and collectively marketed by the Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Council.
• This is not a budget breaking effort.
• As an overnight destination, Grain Valley has two motels and is the gateway to points east:
   °  the Battle of Lexington State Historical Site,
   °  the Confederate Memorial State Historical Site,
   °  a trail head for the cross-state Katy Trail, and
  Fort Osage.
   °  Lexington, Missouri, is an example of a town which has redefined itself with a vision of being an attractive destination.
   °  Could Monkey Mountain Nature Preserve be marketed as a day trip destination?
• What amenity is missing?  Fine dining near the interchange and the two motels.
• Instead, an eight-screen movie theater is being built to anchor new development.
• However, first run films are available for viewing at the Blue Springs Cinema – less than a fifteen-minute drive from Grain Valley, on 7 Highway.
• If the Grain Valley multiplex theater opens on time, in November 2012, patrons will find themselves next to heavy and dirty road construction for eleven months.
• The dirtiest part of the project to rebuild the I-70 interchange and relocate 40 Highway will only be finished in October 2013 – a full eleven months of dirt and noise after the theater has opened.
• A restaurant and another gas station had been adjacent to the Interstate – Apple Trail Restaurant, which has been demolished without plans to replace its services.
• Lit-up sign towers for gas stations are not especially pretty, but they are effective to bring in business from off the Interstate.
• McStop is to be rebuilt and improved as a nicer gas station and convenience store.
• A fine dining restaurant is, I believe, the best usage for part of the nine acres adjacent to the interchange which have been completely leveled.
• Real estate agents are presently trying to market these nine acres (about seven parcels).
• Blue Springs is the actual gateway to the Kansas City Metro by virtue of its extensive retail development – it has something for everyone, so to speak – even for Grain Valley residents.
• Grain Valley can invite people driving from the east to get off the Interstate to refill their gas tanks and freshen up before entering the Kansas City Metro itself.
• Below, I call this Grain Valley development at the Interstate's interchange a full service "oasis."
• Once drivers reach Blue Springs, they are probably inclined to continue driving straight through to their destination in the Kansas City Metro.
• Drivers see that the parking lot at the fine dining restaurant is busy.
   °  Locals stop by for coffee and pastries in the morning.
   °  Then, lunchtime brings in townspeople and workers for lunch.
   °  It's a coffee shop all day long, with a WiFi Internet connection.
   °  In the evening, two different crowds come in for dinner: those who want an ordinary dinner and those who want a slow, gourmet dinner with table cloths which is off separately on a side of the restaurant.
   °  How about entertainment on Saturday nights?
   °  The breakfast and lunch menus and take-out are available 24 hours a day.
   °  Local eateries pool their talents, becoming stakeholders in this fine dining restaurant.  They also advertise their specialties to encourage patrons to venture south to the Old Towne Marketplace through downtown Grain Valley.
• The two trends which indicate that Grain Valley will remain semi-rural and on the edge of the Metro for some time to come:
   °  Some people are beginning to prefer living downtown rather than in the suburbs.
   °  Young people are taking up specialty farming.

·  Conclusion:

• The eight-screen movie theater being built on the northeast corner of the I-70 interchange will fail – it's a really bad investment.
• If the theater opens in November 2012 as scheduled, nearby heavy reconstruction of the interchange will turn patrons away – for at least 11 months until the road construction is finished.
• Enterprises which are already in the city are its attractive amenities.
• The city's administration has lost touch with the essence of what Grain Valley has been.
• Life in Grain Valley flows at a slower pace than in the Kansas City Metro, and this is an attraction.
• City Administrator Alexa Barton says, "It's a good idea to take on bigger projects which impact the city as a whole."
   °  This is what I call the "big fix," as apposed to the idea of a couple of little fixes at a time.
   °  The "big fix" has never been shown to be a successful strategy.
• Residents contribute in their own ways, without a large investment of capital, to improve their own businesses and neighborhoods.
• The city provides services and engages in public works as traditionally done.
• This public/private partnership keeps taxes in line.
• The city's administration seems to not be aware of two national trends:
   °  Americans have started to move to cities from the suburbs, unlike the trend since the 1950s.
   °  The second trend is that young families are starting small scale farms with year-long production near big cities for local niche markets.
• My projection (for the next half dozen years or so) is that Grain Valley will remain semi-rural, somewhat slow-paced and quiet, with strong family values.
• Nevertheless, with thoughtful and careful planning, Grain Valley can become a day trip destination and an oasis for travelers driving from the east.

·  Afterthought – recorded August 7, 2012

• The city's Comprehensive Plan should, I belive, designate the area around the interchange with Interstate 70 as a traveler's oasis (especially on the north side of the Interstate, for travelers driving in from the east).
• Learn from the example of the oases on the Illinois Tollways around Chicago.
• Stalls for a variety of local and national eateries.
• Before rebuilding these oases for the 21st century, they had been anchored by Harvey House and Howard Johnson restaurants, then by Burger King, McDonalds, and the like.
• A dining area for people to eat, use their computers, read, and otherwise relax.
• Immaculate restrooms.
• All together, the inside of the Illinois oases are like a concourse in an airport.
• Drivers can choose to angle off first to a gas station with diesel fuel and its own small convenience store which stands on its own pad.
• The parking lot contains tree islands, and the entire oasis is tastefully landscaped.
• Travelers who are freshening up may choose to stay overnight at one of the local motels before actually entering the Kansas City Metro.
• The Grain Valley Oasis – a hospitality center – bespeaks prosperity and quality.
• "Oasis" is the marketing brand.
• This Oasis anticipates the possibility that MoDOT will close its rest stops as a cost saving measure.
• Full content blue signs on the Interstate, partly underwritten by the Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Council as necessary.
• Marketing, marketing, marketing.

°  Coming – Listen to these comments - 25 minutes

Fuel
McShop	Conoco
Casey's

Food
"Fine Dining"	Sonic
El Maguey	Gambino's Pizza
Anthony’s Italian Restaurant

Lodging
Americas Best Value Inn	Comfort Inn

Camping
Trailside RV Park