Mission council candidates putting focus on Gateway project

The four candidates running for seats on the Mission City Council in the April 5 general election all share a desire to help bolster the city’s budget while differing substantially on the future of the Mission Gateway development.

Scott Babcock, a current member of the city’s planning commission, and Nick Schlossmacher, a product manager for an automotive software company, are competing to fill the Ward 2 seat currently held by Amy Miller, who is not running for re-election.

In Ward 3, incumbent Jennifer Cowdry is facing a challenge from retired employer services professional Kristin Inman. The name of a second challenger, Nicholas Shigouri, will be on the ballot for Ward 3, but he has announced he is no longer running for office.

Running unopposed are Ward 1 Councilman Pat Quinn and Ward 4 candidate Ron Appletoft, who will replace departing Councilman Dave Shepard.

Ward 2

Scott Babcock, 57, is a financial planner and retired Marine lieutenant colonel who grew up in Mission. He said he decided to run after years of being disappointed by the city government pursuing what he considered wasteful projects, such as buying real estate or linking walking trails with Merriam, as opposed to focusing on its basic responsibilities, like drawing up a plan for maintaining streets.

He said he wants to continue developing a comprehensive street plan as well as find incentives to encourage businesses and homeowners to fix up their properties, which could improve the central business district and local housing stock. He also favors creating a signature event, such as a fun run, to attract people to the business district.

The biggest opportunity for the city’s future is the Mission Gateway project, the culmination of a decadelong search to do something with the 16-acre site at Shawnee Mission Parkway and Johnson Drive. Council members in January narrowly approved a preliminary plan for the site that includes a 155,000-square-foot single-story Wal-Mart, hotels, apartments and space for smaller retailers.

Developer Tom Valenti still must navigate several more hurdles, including getting approval on a final plan for the development and securing an estimated $29 million in incentives.

Babcock, who was appointed last year to the planning commission, voted for the preliminary plan and said Gateway could conceivably provide quality revenue for the city. Mission has already invested tens of millions of dollars for stormwater control improvements surrounding the property, and Babcock said it’s time the city got some of that money back.

But he stressed that his planning commission vote was based solely on whether the preliminary plan met zoning requirements and, despite some residents’ objections to Wal-Mart, the council couldn’t base its vote on tenants. Babcock said he would vote against a final plan that he feels doesn’t do enough to benefit the city or an incentive package that he thinks is too generous.

“I’ve already told the developer he better come up with some ideas on how we can be partners on this,” he said. “Because if he’s going to get any incentives, then he has to give something to the city.”

Opponent Nick Schlossmacher said he’s always been interested in local politics, even helping a friend run for school board back in his former home in Minnesota. The 33-year-old said when Amy Miller announced she would not seek another term on the council, he felt it was a good time to try running for office himself.

He, too, is concerned about making sure the city has a plan for maintaining its roads over the next five to 10 years, as well as finding a way to pay for it. The city last year lost the transportation utility fee used to pay for street construction after the Kansas Court of Appeals ruled it was illegal. Council members raised property taxes to make up the difference, but Schlossmacher said they need to look for additional revenue sources.

He said he also would like to focus on park development, such as adding a dog park. The nearest dog park to Mission now is Penn Valley Park, 7 miles away. He said a dog park would benefit not just Mission residents but dog lovers throughout northeast Johnson County, potentially keeping them around long enough to shop and eat in local restaurants.

But Schlossmacher’s main issue is Mission Gateway, and he said he — like Miller — does not support the current plan. He said he thinks the Wal-Mart is larger than what is allowed under the mixed-use zoning and that the council essentially approved an exception without going through the correct process. He also said he doesn’t support Valenti’s expected request for incentives, which he said siphons away too much potential future revenue the city could use for transportation and other uses.

“Look at the great work they’ve put in to redo Johnson Drive and really improve the small-business presence there,” Schlossmacher said. “They put a big Wal-Mart at the end of the block? It’s just not the right fit.”

Ward 3

Jennifer Cowdry, 57, is a physical therapist ending her first term on the council. She said she’s running for re-election to continue improving Mission’s financial foundation.

She said the city has a backlog of street and sidewalk needs that must be addressed, and not just on major traffic arteries. She, too, favors establishing a dog park, as well as providing better playground equipment and increasing the number of walking trails, especially around schools.

Cowdry voted in favor of the preliminary Gateway plan and said she supports it. She denies that the council violated zoning rules to approve the plan and said they have no control over what big-box store moves in there if it meets the requirements. She said she liked that a big development would generate traffic all along Johnson Drive, ultimately helping surrounding businesses.

“I don’t want it to be a drive-through corridor,” Cowdry said. “I want people to stop and shop and eat.”

She said she didn’t think the expected package of incentives would be particularly onerous and, assuming it was restricted to bonds that the city wouldn’t have to repay if the project fails, it wouldn’t represent a significant risk to the city. It also would help the city recoup its stormwater investment.

Kristin Inman, 54, disagrees. She said her main reason for running against Cowdry was to oppose the Gateway project.

Inman, who first moved to Mission in 1998 and moved back in 2013, said she is passionate about the small city. She said she believes the Wal-Mart is three times the size allowed under current zoning and also violates the mixed-use format.

“You’ve got such a mass of a one-story building, it spoils the spirit of it,” she said, adding that she is also discouraged that the Wal-Mart could be open 24 hours a day.

Besides the Gateway project, Inman said she also wants to find new revenue for street projects. With the loss of the transportation utility fee, she said the increase in property taxes is hitting residential taxpayers harder than commercial property owners.

She said the city may need to look at adding a sales tax for streets, but she said that would push the sales tax rate to almost 11 percent in some areas, and that could send shoppers to surrounding Johnson County cities with lower tax rates.

This story was originally published March 29, 2016 at 11:24 PM with the headline "Mission council candidates putting focus on Gateway project."