Denise Tiller, Midwest Voices 2008
The Johnson County Commissioners once again voted that retail space and developer profits are more important than lifestyle by denying Stilwell its freedom to not become part of the Overland Park sprawl.
While I'm terribly disappointed our elected officials are in the pockets of developers, I'm not surprised. Overland Park isn't even playing coy with their plans any more. When they annexed 159th Street they promised to keep the essence of the rural/suburban family neighborhoods. They lied, and they even laugh about it in their city council meetings. They've made a public statement that they plan to turn 199th Street into a major commercial development with a mall.
My question is, how many malls do we need? Oak Park and Town Center killed Metcalf South. What will Malls at 135th and 159th do to Oak Park and Town Center? How will the planned "vision" for Northern Metcalf--turning it into a giant mall affect the other malls?
KCK gets by with The Legends. North of the River has Zona Rosa. KC has The Plaza and a revitalized Ward Parkway Mall. None of those cities have malls every 2-3 miles.
We have abandoned malls in the area and they are eyesores. By the existing number of stores in Johnson County, it would appear that our only purpose for living is shopping. If Overland Park wants to be a true city, they need to think about supporting the arts and culture in the area.
I'm not even convinced that physical stores are going to be viable in the future. I'm a huge consumer, but I let my mouse do the walking. Why should I drive someplace when I don't know they will have what I want? Ordering online is more efficient. The price of gas is unlikely to come down. With the cost of goods and services rising, as well as medical costs and food, what do we have left to spend?
