November 12, 2002
For those of you who may not be familiar with just how widespread a problem
big box stores are, visit Sprawl-Busters at www.sprawl-busters.com
SE 159TH/Metcalf Now On Sprawl-Busters
Now would be a particularly good time to visit the website because Al Norman, the publisher of the site for many years, has put up a piece about
our recent battle on the SE Corner of 159th and Metcalf, just south of
Overland Park in Stilwell, KS.
Most of us intimately involved in the fight knew the investment group for
this development as the Blue Valley Plaza, LLC. Although we never got
official confirmation, we had good information that at different times both
a SuperTarget and a Kohl's were being considered as tenants.
As we all know, this battle is not over. Our success before the Johnson
County Board of Commissioners is just the first battle. Until this land is
developed, preferably with homes as the Master Plan calls for, the battle
to manage growth on this parcel will continue. The newest rumours are that
Blue Valley Plaza, LLC will be coming back with a "substantially revised"
plan before the year is out.
Big Box Stores A Global Problem
As Sprawl-Busters shows, communities around the nation and in other
countries are fighting this kind of development. In some cases,
municipalities are passing legislation to keep these behemoths out. Less
than two weeks into the month of November, Sprawl-Busters has documented 15
battles already.
To go directly to the Sprawl-Buster's news page where there is a link to
our battle, use this link:
http://www.sprawl-busters.com/search.php?SRCHrecent=1
Thank you Al Norman for providing this service to communities around the
nation and the world.
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