North KC has wanted a grocery store for years. It’s trying again to lure one

For years, North Kansas City has been attempting to attract a full-service grocery store to the city, particularly in the area off of Armour Road and Interstates 29 and 35 as part of the development project called One North.

But the feat is proving to be more challenging to pull off than the Clay County city expected.

The small but quickly growing city just across the river from downtown KC has run into several major roadblocks, including legal disputes and failed partnerships with developers who had promised to bring a grocery store in.

“North Kansas City has wanted what’s considered a full-service grocery store for over 20 years,” said Kim Nakahodo, the deputy city administrator for North Kansas City. “We are fortunate enough to have a Save-A-Lot, but that’s not a full service either.”

The city’s Save-a-Lot on Burlington Street doesn’t have common features such as a deli, according to Nakahodo.

Earlier this week, the announcement of a new Trader Joe’s coming to northeast Johnson County sparked outcry on social media from residents north of the river wanting more grocery options, especially in North Kansas City.

The city has talked to developers several times about getting a grocery store on the One North site, and it has about $5.2 million set aside in escrow to help a store open.

This week, North Kansas City opened up its bid process to try to solicit new proposals to bring more retail to the area near Armour Road, with an emphasis on seeking a developer to open a new grocery store.

But the growth of competitors such as Amazon and Whole Foods delivering fresh produce and other groceries, Nakahodo said, the competition for larger grocery operators has increased, adding to the challenges.

“Grocery stores are incredibly challenging from an operational standpoint because they have a razor thin profit margin,” said Nakahodo. “The grocery store industry has really undergone pretty dynamic supply chain changes right now.”

Growing population

The One North development off Armour Road dates back decades when the city took over about 64 acres of land after the federal government had helped to clean up environmental hazards, with the intention to redevelop the area for multipurpose use.

Over the years, the city has poured nearly $38 million into the site to update sewer, water and roadway infrastructure.

Developments on the site have included the headquarters for Meierotto Jewelers, a Burger King and Old Chicago restaurants, Element and Aloft Hotels, the Backyard Apartments complex, a Starbucks and bike lanes

Now, city leaders say they’re looking for even more of a return on the investment to better serve residents.

The population immediately surrounding the proposed grocery site has been growing rapidly in recent years. Within a one-mile radius of the site, the population has grown by nearly 20% in the last 15 years. And the number of residents within five miles of the site has increased by 23,000 since 2010, according to ESRI, a platform used for mapping and analyzing census data.

As a whole, North Kansas City’s total population has grown by more than 26% since 2020, according to 2024 census data.

Is North Kansas City a food desert?

The lack of a full-service grocery store makes North Kansas City a food desert according to the federal definition.

That’s because the average median household income is lower in North Kansas City than it is in the metro as a whole, according to census data, and a significant portion of the population lives more than a mile away from a grocery store.

Emmett Pierson, Jr., the president and CEO of Community Builders of Kansas City, has experience with bringing grocery stores to underserved communities and places considered food deserts. While he does acknowledge North Kansas City’s Save-a-Lot as a food establishment, he said he doesn’t quite see it as a grocery store.

“They typically don’t act as the community connector, or hub that some grocery stores serve,” said Pierson.

When he thinks of a grocery store he thinks of a deli, fresh produce and a bakery. Usually, the workers and the store is a working part of the neighborhood and builds relationships with customers. For a grocery store, it’s usually appropriate and safe for even the Girl Scouts to come sell their cookies outside of the store, according to his standards.

He said his firm has inquired about the project in North Kansas City to bring a grocery store, but it didn’t work out. He did not disclose why.

The Department of Agriculture defines a food desert as an area with a portion of lower income households where a significant number of residents have limited access to a supermarket or large grocery store.

Communities in parts of the East Side of Kansas City, North Kansas City and other smaller urban cities across the metro fit this description, Pierson, Jr. said. He said that while people in these communities often have to travel to access a full-service grocery store, suburban communities may have two or three grocery stores in the same area.

Brent Never, an associate professor at the Bloch School of Management at the University of Missouri - Kansas City, said distance is not the only factor in food deserts.

“If people don’t feel comfortable with the store, people won’t feel comfortable using it so it’s not just a distance thing,” said Never.

City incentives

One way Never said cities can attract more developers is to offer incentives such as tax breaks and providing financial help with keeping the shelves stocked.

North Kansas City has set aside money for the grocery store and is open to providing tax incentives to attract grocery store developers.

The One North development area is a tax incremental financing (TIF) district, as well as a community improvement district (CID), which allows the city to divert property tax and sales tax revenues. It also has a mechanism to use tourism tax dollars from hotels to pay back debt in the development area.

“We have special tools in our tool kit,” said Nakahodo. The City plans to extend their “special tools” to not just grocery stores, but developers interested in other parcels of land for sale.

The city is encouraging businesses owners, small and large, to submit proposals to the city for review by August 4, 2025.