Northland development

Thanks for keeping our eyes trained on the travesty involving tax-increment financing occurring at North Oak Trafficway and Vivion Road (8/13 editorial, “The price of ‘progress’.”)

Is this now former greenfield really ripe for successful development when its neighbors include a payday loan shop, a thrift store and a former Tippin’s Restaurant that’s been vacant for years?

Come to think of it, why didn’t the TIF commission focus its resources across the street? Instead, a prized historical landscape is being flattened and paved so severely as to cause critical storm water runoff problems. But then TIF commissioners awarded the developer extra funds to fix this new problem they are creating.

What is the legacy we leave our children by believing that the value of land exists only in its development?

Can we at least have the decency to reward only development that complements rather than devastates the lay of the land?

Claudia Baker
Kansas City

Comments

[Engineer]

I'm unclear about this situation. This is private property, isn't it? If it was wanted as a park, shouldn't some section of the public purchased it?

[winkyb2me]

Unfortunately, the Clay County Commission is looking to reinstate the county tax because of a tax shortfall - thanks to TIF developments in the Northland. City Council - please wake up and smell the coffee...

[stone]

[zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz].....wait, oh, i almost thought this was interesting. Please stop printing boring, anti-blog interesting letters KC star. Where are the letters regarding Tony Snow quitting as White House press secretary because his money was running out while making over $160,000 a year? That would raise a fuss.