Kansas City Council to vote on special sales tax for Watts Mill Shopping Center

A new facade, landscaping, parking and other improvements are proposed by the Mirabile family for the Watts Mill Shopping Center they own on 103rd Street in south Kansas City.

The strip center, home to the family’s restaurant, Jasper’s, suffers from fading tenant occupancy and physical problems, according to a petition to establish a Community Improvement District and impose a 1-cent sales tax to finance the improvements.

Jasper Mirabile Jr. said the center, on the south side of 103rd Street, has lost one-third of its tenants and needs upgrading to appeal to new occupants and customers.

The family’s company, Mirason Properties LLC, estimated that $1.73 million in capital improvements could be made to the 40,000-square-foot retail strip if the taxing district is approved. Attorney Evan Fitts, representing Mirason Properties, said the 1-cent sales tax revenue was necessary to make the improvements feasible.

The Kansas City Planning, Zoning & Economic Development Committee on Wednesday recommended that the City Council approve the taxing district. The tax would apply only to sales made at the shopping center, which stretches from the family’s restaurants at the east end to the Goodyear Tire building at the west.

The family’s ownership doesn’t include the Taco Bell and Royal Liquors building that also occupy the southeast corner of 103rd and State Line Road.

The taxing district would have a 20-year lifetime.

The plan also requires the council to find that the property is blighted.

According to the improvement plan, about one-third of the projected sales tax revenue would be spent on a new facade and exterior improvements, about one-third on parking lot improvements and about one-third on roof repair, utility and lighting upgrades and landscaping.

Committee chairman Scott Taylor urged approval of the plan, saying that Kansas City was losing potential sales tax because of the center’s underperformance and vacancies.

Red Bridge Shopping Center

The council committee also recommended a previously announced plan to establish a different Community Improvement District at the Red Bridge Shopping Center.

Pending approval by the full council, the center at the southwest corner of Red Bridge and Holmes roads in south Kansas City would impose a 1-cent sales tax to help finance improvements to the buildings and parking lots.

Developer Lane4 Property Group estimated the tax would generate about $1.2 million in years two through five of the 20-year plan. The developer is purchasing the center and has obtained property tax abatement approvals for an $18.6 million proposal to renovate and repopulate the center, where occupancy has fallen below 50 percent.

This story was originally published September 16, 2015 at 4:26 PM with the headline "Kansas City Council to vote on special sales tax for Watts Mill Shopping Center."