By LESLIE COLLINS
Northeast News
November 13, 2013

“Does the neighborhood understand that if this development doesn’t happen, we don’t know what and when anything else will occur? There could be an eventuality out there where there may be nothing for five, 10, 15 years,” said Kansas City City Council member Scott Wagner.

While a number of Northeast residents voiced support for building an Advance Auto Parts store at the corner of Independence Avenue and Chestnut, the Pendleton Heights neighborhood remained firm in its opposition.

“We are not against developing the site; we are against developing it as an auto parts store,” Pendleton Heights Neighborhood Association President Jessica Ray said during a previous city meeting.

It was that opposition that caused the city’s Planning, Zoning and Economic Development Committee to hold the Advance Auto agenda item an additional week. It also led Wagner, who serves on the committee, to hold a meeting Nov. 6 with Northeast residents, city staff and representatives from Advance Auto and Cabinrock Investments, LLC, to smooth out the negotiations.

During the Oct. 31 Planning, Zoning and Economic Development Committee meeting, Ray pointed out that three auto parts stores already exist within a mile of the proposed Advance Auto site and that the store wouldn’t bring additional revenue to the area; it would simply dilute the dollars among the other auto parts stores. Ray added Northeast should be considering pedestrian friendly businesses along the Avenue and that Advance Auto is not one of them. With the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences expanding its campus, Northeast “should be looking at things students can use to keep their dollars in the neighborhood, and this is not one of them,” Ray said.

During the Nov. 6 informal meeting led by Wagner, one lone resident, Eric Bellamaganya, represented Pendleton Heights.

“We feel like we are being bullied around on this,” Bellamaganya said. “We’re excited the developer wants to work on Independence Avenue, but we’re greatly concerned with what they intend to do with their development.”

Cabinrock Investments, LLC, which owns the 1.66 acre site located just west of Chestnut Avenue between Independence Avenue and East 6th Street, plans to develop the site in two phases. The first phase includes razing the existing Sabor Centro Americano restaurant and constructing Advance Auto, an 8,420 square foot brick building. Phase II would include demolishing the Cricket store and former post office and constructing a 7,980 square foot building for “future development.” Uses would exclude businesses like a pawn shop, payday loans or adult entertainment stores.

One proposal that drew concerns from Pendleton Heights was filling the space with an urgent care center. Bellamaganya said that type of business could cause home values to plummet in the neighborhood. However, representatives from Cabinrock said nothing is firm and that they are open to ideas.

“You need to let me know who you want, and we’ll go after them,” said Vic Cascio of Zimmerman Real Estate Services, who’s been working closely with Cabinrock.

Tom Ribera, president of the Independence Plaza Neighborhood Council, said he understands that residents want certain shops to locate to that corner.

“Frankly, gentleman, we’re a long ways from that,” Ribera said. “We need to do the interior work first. We don’t have a long list of investors waiting to come in that we can pick and choose from… Nothing has been done to that corner for decades. This makes sense for the area. It’s progress.”

Not only will it add to the tax base, it will create jobs and create momentum for other businesses to locate to the area, he said. Cascio said he’s already had several investors approach him about locating businesses to the area if the Advance Auto proposal receives city approval.

Several Northeast residents lamented the failed deal to construct a Walgreens at the corner of Prospect and Independence Avenue years ago as a result of neighborhood opposition. They don’t want a repeat at the corner of Chestnut and Independence Avenue.

“Nothing’s happened on that property in 12 or 14 years,” UMB Northeast Branch President Jon Henderson said of the proposed Walgreens site. “I regret everyday that we didn’t get that Walgreens built.”

As for the look of the Advance Auto building, Brian Grassa of Cedarwood Development said Northeast is receiving a “significant upgrade” from what the store normally looks like. In addition to upgraded building materials, there will also be landscaping, a decorative fence, additional street lighting, sidewalk improvements, among others.

“I think you’re going to be quite surprised as to the end product you’ll have here,” Grassa said.

Cabinrock Vice President Jack DeSimone, who grew up in the Historic Northeast, assured residents he’s invested in the Northeast.

“I have a significant investment in this neighborhood and in making sure it gets cleaned up, it gets done well and it gets done properly,” DeSimone said.

City Council member Scott Taylor said the addition of Advance Auto will create jobs in Northeast, improve the appearance of the corner and will most likely attract other businesses to open in Northeast.

Committee members voted Nov. 6 to approve the necessary zoning changes for Cabinrock to develop the corner and recommended immediate adoption to the City Council.

During their Nov. 7 City Council meeting, city council members voted to amend the Truman Area Plaza Plan and rezone the 1.66 acres as a Master Plan Development to allow commercial development on the property.

“I’ve been protective of the (Northeast) neighborhood all my life,” Cascio said. “Even though I didn’t go to Northeast East High School, I bleed purple and white. I’m not going to allow anything to go in that neighborhood that’s not something we can be proud of, and I think this is something we can be proud of.”