Save Bannister People Are Back

You knew this was coming. You may not wanted to have admitted it, but you knew it was coming. The Save Bannister Mall Group Inc, is attempting to block the destruction of Bannister Mall and adjacent Benjamin Plaza to build a new complex that would include the Wizards stadium.

The group has filed a notice of intent to circulate a referendum petition. The apparently turned in 191 signatures on Sunday. If 100 of those signatures are validated, the group will have until late January to get 8475 people to force an election on the issue. This will be a test of how strongly this is supported in the city. We've heard all this talk from the city council members, especially in the 6th district that this project is being very well received by people in the area. Now is the time that we will see if this is true.

The best part of the article, though, is at the end, where it says;

his group objects to the destruction of a valuable community asset to make way for a project that will not produce revenue for several years.

I find this just hilarious. I can't see how that area was producing revenue at all over the past several years, and he's complaining because this new project won't do the same for a few years? After those few years this project has a much better chance of producing revenue then to just leave the mall there. Most of the area has been empty for years. Who are they going to get to fill these box stores where Toys R Us, Just for Feet, Best Buy, Hypermart, JC Penny's Circuit City, Jones Store, Dillard's, Montgomery Ward and Sears used to be?

This isn't even about the stadium any more when it comes to dealing with these guys. It's about the pigheadedness of some people that can't see how much good this redevelopment will do for an area that sorely needs it. Instead, they're happy to continue along with the status quo, with a huge eyesore on the south side of Kansas City.