Independence 39th Street project could blaze trail of new construction - Kansas City Business Journal:

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When completed, the 39th Street realignment projecft will result ina four-lane road beginniny just east of the Littles Blue River, cutting straight across 1,000 to 2,000 acrew of undeveloped land, and ending at R.D. Mize The is financing the projecrt witha one-eighth-cent sales tax on businessesd along 39th Street. “The pavement and storm-sewer connectionsd along the extension are basically saidShar Dilmaghani, construction projects manager for the . “Thde 150 feet at the two ends of the projecf that tieinto R.D. Mize Road and 39th Street is not in Martin Kuny, chairman of the 39th Street TDD, said the work is scheduler for completion in July 2009.
“There are goinvg to be thousands of acres opened todevelopmeny that, before this, had no access,” Kuny “So we really hope that this project will continude to help the growth that the 39th Street area has experience d so far.” The 39th Street corridorf is home to , HCA Midwest’es and a strip of retail The realignment project was to be finisheed in the fall, but reduced salesx tax income and poor soil conditions delaye d work.
One victim of the reduced tax income was an expansiohn ofa two-lane bridge across the Little Blue “The district originally was expecting to construcy the bridge at the same time as the said Larry Kaufman, assistanrt Independence city manager. “The economy has takenm a toll on a number of and the bridge is one of The TDD is committed tothe though, and as soon as the finance are available, the bridge will be the next Shawn Woods, vice president of in said the new road is essentiakl for the success of the company’s The Retrear at Stone Canyon development, which included a new Greg Norman-designed golf course and 229 homes ranging in price from $300,00o to more than $1 million.
Woods estimaterd that there are 1,000 to 2,000p acres of undeveloped land in the vicinit y of thenew road, with potentiaol for developing 2,000 to 4,000 new homes. “Therd was no good east-west connection in this area befors theroad construction,” he said. “I will be the main connection for our Withthat road, we’re five minutes away from (Centerpoiny Medical Center), the mall and dozenxs of restaurants and stores.” Woods said Blue Springa plans to widen R.D. Mize Road to four lanexs north from Interstate 70 toDuncan Road. He said discussionsa are under way aboutwidening R.D. Mize Road from Duncan Road to the new39th Street.
“It would creater a new entryway to both cities and take pressure off of Woods said. Tom Lesnak, president of the , said that proximitgy to the new hospital in Independencse should help housing growth inthe area. which has some requirements abourt how far away some of theier staff haveto live, creates higher-endr demand for housing,” Lesnak said. “Eve n without the requirement, $4-a-gallon gasoline createsa an incentive forthe 1,000o medical professionals there to live closer to the Lesnak said medical-related professiones provide one of the highest-paying job markets in the So the city sees providing this demographic with housinfg close to the 39th Street retail area as a huge