Are you ready for a Cordish boycott?
The big, bad gorilla in the room has spoken: Cordish opposes the city's light rail route down Grand.
In today's Star, Cordish spokesman Jon Stephens tries on the low-hangers but it's such a transparent argument: "The business owners that have invested tens of millions of dollars into the community and made a commitment to our newly revitalized downtown should have their voices heard and be given a seat at the table with respect to light rail."
Um, that would be a special table since we've been having public input meetings for months. Sorry, Jon (and your Baltimore flunkies), but you should have showed up then to place your stickers on the map. Pretty sure you got the invite.
It seemed inevitable that someone would emerge as the opposition. Who knew it would be such an easy target for counter-insurgence? Cordish has a lot riding on the district — almost as much as city taxpayers — and further threatening good will could lead to economic backlash.
Anyone up for a little P+L boycott?
12 Comments so far
Leave a reply
This doesn’t make a lick of sense to me. Seems like they should be eagerly waiting for public transit to run right by their bars/restaurants/entertainment venues. Think about the increased revenue as people in midtown, the plaza, UMKC, Rockhurst, etc have cheap transportation home from a night out at the clubs — this might be a deciding factor in where they go — where can I get home from and not have to drive?
This is so short sighted — I’m really disappointed in Cordish on this one…
I love it, the Cordish spokesman says light rail will impede access to and from the parking garages.
Here is the letter I sent to the Star today.
(Re: Transit route a sticking point, 8/28, Front page) To the Cordish Co.: We Kansas Citians were behind your out-of-town company 100% in the development of the Power & Light District. I live downtown in the resident-rich area west of Grand where all of my neighbors have been enthusiastic supporters of Power & Light, and today’s news has spread like a prairie fire. We were stunned and dismayed at your position on the location of a rail line, thinking that you have seriously mis-calculated our abilities and our mood. First, we are as capable as the residents of any densely populated city in maneuvering safely around light rail lines. Second, we think your out-of-town company should now support local residents in what we want, which is light rail to the part of downtown where people from the out-lying areas will most want to go. Many of us have lately been feeling that we’ve neglected a bit the restaurants and bars in other parts of town. You understand what I’m saying?
Boycott the beer food court? I’m in!
LAME.
Grand is the best route. I really don’t see a better alignment. Cordish should be excited that light rail will deliver so many customers right to their doorstep. This is good for them and good for K.C. Seems to be an odd, short sighted stance. MAybe they are afraid of more business with less traffic?
So why don’t we use Main St? 3 block in both direction for people from the Bartle Hall and
Sprint Center to walk. It might be a smaller St., but it would cause less trouble than digging up Grand,which is a new Street
cordish was against using main, walnut, or grand. they recommended oak, which is an insult to everyone.
regardless, only a two block section of grand is “new”.
The complaint about hurting access to parking is a load of BS. Anyone taking the highway can easily get off West of Grand. The P&L garrage entrance is on 13th street. The city can fix access to it by changing 13th Street from one way West to one way East.
Off hand, I’d say there is some other reason Cordish doesn’t want light rail near it’s district, some reason they don’t want to say publicly.
Already boycotting because of the ID swiping…between Crossroads, Westport and Martini Corner who needs ‘em!
Let the P&L DUI checkpoints commence!
At this late date, light rail has been all but killed off. What could have been a uniting vehicle for all Kansas Citians (cheap reliable transportation) has now, due to its indefinite postponement, become a synbol of inept and short sighted city government, and a further division of the have(cars) from the have nots. No matter how near sighted the council is, at some point we; as every other large urban center, will have to implement light rail. We will pay dearly for this missed opportunity.
P.S.
Let’s just say that the Cordish shine wore off really fast, and with the growing number of P&L establishments whose rents are in arrears, one wonders at what point Cordish will feel its position towards transit that would deliver people to its doorstep should be revisited. I have been stopped at the gates for wearing a light blue T shirt, and that’s all it took for me to vow never to return.