Lee's Summit City Council Considers TIFS For Blackwell Road Interchange

Last Thursday night, the Lees Summit City council held a public hearing over the proposed TIF District along the U.S. 50 corridor from Todd George Road to Blackwell Road. And as usual the Anti-Development forces so common in Lee's Summit were there in force.

We heard from well known development foes, State Rep. Brian Yates, and former State Senator Bob Johnson, who said that the proposed TIF District did not meet their definition of what a TIF District should be, but also admitted under questioning that what is and what isn't a TIF District is open to council interpretation.

I nearly stood up and cheered when the mayor and council responded to the TIF criticism by stating that the council is doing work that must be done for the good of the city and it's residents. Further they stated that the current TIF process is the only practical mechanism available to the council, but if the state provides additional mechanisms to do this type of work, they would use them.

From the anti-development lobby, we heard the time worn misconception that because some of the future taxes (TIF) are being promised to help pay for the development, that some how that money is being stolen from the School District. Which of course totally discounts the fact the the taxes collected a vacant field is less than a tenth of what would be collected from the same vacant field once developed into a new shopping center or office building, and without the TIF the vacant field will remain a vacant field.

Once again, the council and city staff attempted to explain those facts. Further, the School District is in full support of the proposed TIF district because they realize they will in fact gain revenue from the additional development.

Finally, we heard from the residents along Blackwell Road, who will see additional traffic in their neighborhood due to the new Blackwell Road interchange. Despite the mayor's excellent rebuke of the residents for saying the council didn't care about it's citizens, the council buckled under the pressure of the recent death of a child along the roadway, when they seemed to buy into the ideas of councilmen Freeman and Swearngin of putting "Traffic Calming" measures in place along the roadway, including restriping the road from four lanes to two through the neighborhood.

First, I want to say that any death, by a child or an adult is a tragedy, and this is precisely why Blackwell Road should be left as designed and built, and not have the proposed "Calming" measures included. As I understand it, when you try to push more traffic through roads that are not designed to handle the additional load, you put everyone that travels those roads under increased danger.

Blackwell Road was designed and built a four-lane traffic way on the cities east side, including a four lane stretch through the neighborhood in question. Cutting Blackwell Road down to two-lanes, via repainting the stripes through the neighborhood, will not only increase congestion along the narrowed Blackwell, it also will increase traffic on surrounding roads such as Todd George Road.

This artificially increased congestion on Blackwell and on Todd George cannot help, but cause additional, possibly fatal, traffic accidents. The citizens of Lees Summit, have bought and paid for a four lane Blackwell traffic way, not a two lane Blackwell Road through a select neighborhood.

The City Council did a very good job of defending their right to create a TIF district along 50 Highway for the good of the city and I think they owe it to the cities' residents to follow through with the project as designed, including a four lane Blackwell traffic way. It really is what is best for the city and all of its residents.

For more information on the Todd George/Blackwell TIF plan check out the Lee's Summit Journal : Council discusses $45 million TIF plan.

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