Grocery courted for west part of city

Promoters of the $69 million development Village at View High got a $3 million incentive to bring a grocery to the project to be built at the northeast quadrant of Third Street and View High Drive.

Christine Bushyhead, a lawyer representing the developer, Parrot Properties LLC., said residents at the western edge of Lee’s Summit have wanted a food store closer to them for some time.

The company is negotiating with a “specialty” grocer not yet in the Lee’s Summit market, Bushyhead said.

“We recognize Sprouts is here; we’re talking about the next level of service,” she said.

Reaching population density to attract a major grocery is difficult, Bushyhead said, because land west of View High Drive won’t become housing. Metropolitan Community College-Longview, the Fred Arbanas Golf Course and Longview Lake are immediately to the west.

So the developer asked to include $3 million in costs for the grocery pad site. The tax-increment-financing plan will also help pay for street, water and sewer mains and a regional storm-water basin.

Scott Coryell, who lives nearby and is a member of the Longview Alliance, said. “Through our conversations with surrounding residents over the last decade, a grocery store has always been a desired amenity.”

The right grocer would be appreciated on the west side of Lee’s Summit, he said.　

Bushyhead said the 34 acres will be a predominantly office mixed use, with 126,000 square feet of offices, medical and banking, and 87,000 square feet of restaurants and retail.

The TIF will cover about $8 million and a community improvement district about $2.3 million of the costs in a budget of nearly $69 million. The CID will levy a 1-cent sales tax collected in Village at View High in addition to other sales taxes.

The TIF and CID are “pay as you go,” with the developer bearing the costs upfront and repaid from future new tax revenue from the district.

The Lee’s Summit City Council approved the plan Thursday, Aug. 10, in a 6-1 vote with Councilman David Mosby absent.

Councilwoman Diane Forte said including the grocery was a difficult call for her, but she voted for the TIF plan.

Councilman Rob Binney voted no, although he agreed the property needs subsidies to develop. It is on a hilly slope, so significant grading for roads is needed.

“I can’t use $3 million to get a pad site ready for a grocery store,” Binney said.

The council will vote several more times as the project goes forward, as it must approve a contract covering the TIF. Another vote will be taken on the layout of the project, which will come after a public hearing.

The contract for the TIF will be written so that if Parrot Properties fails to bring a grocery to the project, it won’t be eligible for that $3 million, said Rich Wood, a lawyer consulting for the city. The Village at View High would generate about $26.9 million in new sales taxes during the 23-year TIF period that would go to the city and other jurisdictions, he said.

Mark Dunning, assistant city manager for development, said adding a sewer main for that area opens other land along View High Drive to more projects.

It will serve about 172 acres, including apartments and a senior living center north of the commercial area. However, those residential projects are not in the TIF district.

“It’s a substantial link. This sanitary sewer needs to be constructed,” Dunning said.

This story was originally published August 15, 2017 at 11:29 AM with the headline "Grocery courted for west part of city."