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March 06, 2006
Six KC-area communities interested in stadium for Wizards
Herb Caen used to refer to San Francisco as "The City That Knows How." I'm sure he'd be shocked to hear that Olathe, Kansas and a number of other Kansas City suburbs are getting ready to out-do his old stomping grounds and the rest of the Bay Area—at least where Major League Soccer is concerned.
The Kansas City Star (registration required) reports today that six cities in Johnson County, Kansas, have proposed a total of 16 different sites for a soccer stadium/youth soccer complex to serve as a home for the Kansas City Wizards.
From the article:
Major League Soccer asked for Request For Information (RFI) forms from various communities in the county, and Johnson County commissioner Dave Lindstrom said the response was substantial.
“My understanding is that six cities submitted RFIs and that included, I believe, 16 different locations within those six cities,” Lindstrom said. “That’s very good, and MLS and the Hunt Sports Group, those representatives were very, very pleased and excited about the prospects of those submittals.”
Bobby Davidson, a consultant for Major League Soccer, declined comment, but the cities are believed to be Overland Park, Olathe, Lenexa, Leawood, Gardner and De Soto. Leawood, Gardner and De Soto have jumped in late, as none of the three paid money for a soccer-complex feasibility study that was completed in the fall.
In fact, it appears that the cities in question are falling all over themselves to attract the investment and community benefits that a stadium would bring.
“You could look at De Soto and see we’re not like the size of Lenexa or Olathe, but we have a lot of area out there, and all is suitable,” said De Soto Mayor Dave Anderson. “Ten highway is our backbone, and you know it’s got to have highway access.”
Other than that, I really can’t be specific, but De Soto has a lot to offer.”
The same for Gardner, says Southwest Johnson County Economic Development Council president Greg Kindle.
“Obviously, Gardner has a lot of available space and along an interstate and a growing area, so we’re just one of several sites in Johnson County that would be good fits,” Kindle said.
It's ironic that the Bay Area, known for economic visionaries who invent the future on a daily basis, is being outdone by cities in the meat-and-potatoes Midwest. Perhaps our local politicos could take some inspiration from these cities' fine effort.
Posted by Jay at March 6, 2006 03:36 PM