QuikTrip wants to open in midtown Kansas City. Will it find a welcoming location?

QuikTrip has a location on Westport Road that it fought to expand in recent years, but it also has long eyed the midtown area just to the north.

It recently targeted a site at 39th and Southwest Trafficway — a very high traffic spot surrounded by dense neighborhoods. But some area residents were concerned about traffic flow, loitering, trash and petty crime.

This week QuikTrip said it is not pursuing the location “at this time.” Waterford Property Company LLC now has the 60,000 square foot, three-story building listed for $5 million.

Patrick Faltico, president of midtown’s Volker Neighborhood Association, said the group encourages investment in the area.

However, “it was clear from the overwhelming opposition of residents, nearby neighborhoods and other 39th Street businesses that the proposed location at 3822 Summit was misguided. We hope that QuikTrip will begin by consulting with local neighborhood groups next time they consider a new store location. That said, we wish QuikTrip success in finding an alternative location better suited to existing traffic and commerce patterns,” Faltico said in an email.

QuikTrip had previously considered a spot at 33rd and Southwest Trafficway but dropped those plans. Real estate sources said the chain also had expressed interest in other corners in the 39th and Southwest Trafficway area.

But QuikTrip wants to go where it will be welcomed.

“QuikTrip is a good neighbor in the cities where we operate stores. We met with neighbors and city council members and we listened to the community. If there is another location in the community and we are welcomed we may pursue it,” said Aisha Jefferson-Smith, spokeswoman for QuikTrip Corporation, in a statement.

QuikTrip is opening a location at 132nd Street and State Line Road in south Kansas City, on the site of a former Applebee’s.

Some readers commenting on social media about the new State Line store were concerned about traffic, while others welcomed the news.

“Get rid of that longtime eyesore and get a QT a mile closer to home? Double win. Plus a Peanut going in a couple blocks from there—what more could you want?” said one QuikTrip fan.