Independence Arena Feasibility Study - City of Independence ...

MULTI-USE ARENA MARKET FEASIBILITY STUDY 

INTERSTATE 70 & LITTLE BLUE PARKWAY 

INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI 

January 2007

CANYON RESEARCH SOUTHWEST, INC. 

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS 




Prepared for: 

City of Independence, Missouri 

111 East Maple 

Independence, MO 64051-0519 

Prepared by: 

Canyon Research Southwest, Inc. 

651 Delaware Avenue, Suite 139 

Buffalo, NY 14202 

PR# 06-11-09 

January 2007 

651 DELAWARE AVENUE, SUITE 139 / BUFFALO, NY 14202 / (716) 362-1203


COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS 

January 19, 2007 

Jim Harlow 


111 East Maple 

Independence, MO 64051-0519 

RE: Multi-Use Arena Market Feasibility Study 

Interstate 70 & Little Blue Parkway; Independence, Missouri 

Dear Mr. Harlow; 

Attached are the findings from the Multi-Use Arena Market Feasibility Study conducted on a 

parcel of land located at the northeast corner of Interstate 70 and Little Blue Parkway. The 

preliminary development plan calls for a 6,000-seat multi-use arena accompanied by an 

entertainment/retail district. The Multi-Use Arena Market Feasibility Study evaluated the shortterm 

development potential of both the multi-use arena and entertainment/retail district. 

Upon review of the report, should any questions arise or additional information requested, 

contact me directly at (716) 362-1203. 

Respectfully submitted, 


Eric S. Lander, Principal 

ESL:dld 

651 DELAWARE AVENUE, SUITE 139 / BUFFALO, NY 14202 / (716) 362-1203

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S 

SUMMARY OF MAJOR FINDINGS ............................................... ii 

Page # Tab # 

INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 1 1 

Study Objective and Organization .......................................................... 1 

ARENA MARKET FEASIBILITY ANALYSIS ........................... 2 2 

Sports Facilities Development ................................................................ 2 

Kansas City Area Sports Facilities .......................................................... 4 

• Existing Sports Facilities ................................................................ 4 

• Active Sports Facility Development ............................................... 7 

Arena Demand Evaluation ...................................................................... 10 

Conclusions ............................................................................................ 18 

RETAIL MARKET FEASIBILITY ANALYSIS ......................... 19 3 

Entertainment District Concept ............................................................... 19 

Metropolitan Kansas City Retail Market ................................................. 20 

� Historical Market Trends ......................................................... 20 

� Retail Sub-markets.................................................................... 23 

� Conclusions .............................................................................. 26 

Competitive Retail Market Conditions ................................................... 27 

� Independence Center Retail Hub ............................................. 27 

� Kansas City Entertainment Retail Districts .............................. 31 

� Forecast Retail Space Demand ................................................ 39 

Entertainment District Site Evaluation .................................................... 40 

Conclusions ............................................................................................. 43 

STUDY CONCLUSIONS ...................................................................... 45 4 

Development Plan ................................................................................... 45 

Forecast Arena Demand .......................................................................... 46 

Forecast Retail Sales ............................................................................... 47 

ADDENDA .................................................................................................. 48 5 

Exhibit A: Canyon Research Southwest, Inc., Client Roster............ 49 

Exhibit B: Resume of Eric S. Lander, Principal ............................... 52 

Canyon Research Southwest, Inc. i

SUMMARY OF MAJOR FINDINGS 

The City of Independence, Missouri is evaluating the viability of constructing a 6,000-seat multiuse 

arena and entertainment/retail district on a vacant site located at the northeast corner of 

Interstate 70 and Little Blue Parkway. Canyon Research Southwest, Inc. has prepared a Sports 

Arena Market Feasibility Study that evaluates the short-term development potential of a 6,000seat 

multi-use arena and accompanied entertainment and retail district. The report’s major 

findings are summarized in the text below. 

Feasibility of Multi-Use Arena Development 

The Kansas City area has a number of event facilities that serve the sports and entertainment 

markets. A major market like Kansas City is generally able to support at least one major arena 

facility and one minor venue. Growing markets are developing modern mid-size facilities in 

addition to large, primary facilities. Kansas City’s convention and baseball markets have supported 

recent new development with the opening of the Overland Park Convention Center in 2002, the 

Community America Ballpark during 2003 in Kansas City, Kansas and the scheduled opening of 

the Sprint Center in November 2007. However, Kansas City’s sports market doesn’t offer a modern 

mid-size arena. 

The 30-year old Kemper Arena in downtown Kansas City, Missouri is functionally obsolete when 

compared to new, modern arenas. To fill this void, the 18,500-seat Sprint Arena is now under 

construction in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Completion of this major arena is not expected to 

have a significant impact on the feasibility of a mid-size suburban arena, as they would cater to 

distinctly different sports and entertainment markets. The new downtown arena is too large to 

house such sports franchises as minor league hockey, MILS, and ABA teams. Also, smaller family 

events and concerts would be more prone to seek a mid-size arena. The proposed Independence 

multi-use arena would be designed to support these minor league sports franchises and special 

events. 

Kansas City’s existing demographics and inventory of sports venues suggests a mid-size arena is 

supportable. To support feasible development the proposed Independence arena must capture one 

or more primary sports tenants as well as a sufficient number of annual event dates. The Kansas 

City sports market appears to be large enough to lure a minor league hockey team franchise. The 

potential may also exist to attract MISL and ABA franchises. 

Competitive advantages for the Independence arena site include its proximity to the Independence 

Center retail hub, favorable primary trade area population and income levels, direct access and 

visibility via Interstate 70, and location within growing eastern Jackson County. Similar efforts to 

develop mid-size arenas in the Kansas City area communities of Overland Park and Olathe using 

public assistance have failed. Public assistance will likely be required to fund both capital and 

operating costs. Potential public financing tools include tax increment financing, transportation 

development district and STAR bond financing. Several recently constructed mid-sized arenas 

throughout the country have incorporated retail and entertainment districts. The construction of 

retail space adjacent to the proposed arena would enhance the potential to support feasible public 

assistance. 

Canyon Research Southwest, Inc. ii

Feasibility of Entertainment District Development 

A 6,000-seat sports arena and associated entertainment and retail district is being proposed for 

development at the northeast corner of Interstate 70 and Little Blue Parkway in suburban 

Independence, Missouri. 

Throughout the country destination entertainment and retail districts are being developed in 

conjunction with newly constructed multi-purpose arenas, capitalizing on the large event 

attendance throughout the year. Arena-based destination entertainment and retail districts are 

generally positioned to support a vibrant day and nightlife through the tenancy of theme restaurants, 

nightclubs, specialty retailers and entertainment venues. Arenas have the greatest economic 

impact upon restaurants, hotels, transportation, tourism, and convention business. 

Three multi-use arenas anchored by new Central Hockey League franchises opened for the 2006- 

07 season. Each multi-use arena features a suburban location and is integrated into a large-scale, 

mixed-use urban center featuring restaurants, nightclubs, shopping and entertainment venues. 

These new arenas suggest that retail development is appropriate adjacent to the proposed arena in 


The proposed arena site possesses the necessary property characteristics to support development of 

an entertainment and retail district, including sufficient access, visibility, exposure, trade area 

demographics, and location within a major retail hub. A growing trade area population and 

business community, limited presence of upscale retailers and pent-up upscale retail space demand 

provides the opportunity to attract restaurants and specialty retailers. The multi-use arena provides 

retailers and restaurants with a large and captive customer base. 

Study Conclusions 

Development Plan 

The multi-use arena proposed for the northeast corner of Interstate 70 and Little Blue Parkway in 

Independence, Missouri if tentatively designed for a seat capacity for 6,000 spectators. The midsized 

multi-use arena is designed to compliment existing sports and entertainment facilities in the 

Kansas City area. 

Kansas City’s demographics and inventory of sports venues suggests a mid-size arena is 





CHL franchises operate in arenas ranging in size from the 4,986 to 10,400 seats. The average arena 

size seats 6,793 spectators. The three CHL franchises opening play during the 2006-07 season all 

serve as the anchor tenant of a new 5,100- to 6,200-seat multi-use facility designed with club seats, 

luxury suites, excellent spectator sight lines, concessions and flexibility to host a wide range of 

Canyon Research Southwest, Inc. iii

events. Each multi-use facility also features a suburban location and is integrated into a large-scale, 

mixed-use urban center. Therefore, the seating capacity for the proposed arena in Independence, 

Missouri appears to meet the requirements of minor league hockey and other sports leagues and 

special events. 

To enhance the spectators overall experience and generate additional revenues mid-sized suburban 

arenas now incorporate a retail component. The tenancy of these accompanied retail districts 

consists predominantly of restaurants, nightclubs, entertainment venues and some specialty shops. 

The market positioning of the retail district is to create a vibrant entertainment and retail 

environment that is complimentary to the events hosted by the multi-use arena. 

Creating a vibrant destination entertainment and retail district requires building a sufficient critical 

mass of space. Most successful projects support a minimum of 200,000 square feet of retail space. 

The preliminary master plan for the once proposed arenas in Overland Park and Olathe included 

333,941 to 572,500 square feet of shops and pad space. It is recommended that 200,000 to 300,000 

square feet of destination entertainment and retail space accompany the multi-use arena proposed in 

Independence, Missouri. This inventory of space is sufficient to generate high retail sales volumes 

on non-event nights. 

Forecast Arena Demand 

The multi-use arena proposed Independence is anticipated to serve as the home for one or more 

minor league sports teams with a CHL team the most likely anchor tenant. The proposed 6,000seat 

multi-use arena is conservatively forecast to host 100 events per year and a total attendance 

of 387,500 spectators. These demand forecasts assume that the arena houses at least one anchor 

tenant, is managed by a national sports facility management company, and hosts such special 

events as concerts, family shows, amateur sporting events and conventions/trade shows. These 

event and attendance forecasts do not include such community activities as high school 

graduations; municipal and public meetings; and state basketball tournaments. 

Proposed Multi-Use Arena; Independence, Missouri 

Forecast Annual Event Schedule & Attendance 

# of Average Annual 

Event Type Events Attendance Attendance 

Minor League Hockey 32 4,500 144,000 

Amateur Sports 8 2,000 16,000 

Concerts 15 5,500 62,500 

Family Shows 10 4,500 45,000 

National Sporting Activity 10 7,500 75,000 

City-wide Conventions 5 5,000 25,000 

Private Catered Events 10 500 5,000 

Consumer/Convention/Trade Shows 10 1,500 15,000 

Totals 100 3,826 387,500 

Canyon Research Southwest, Inc. iv

The proposed 6,000-seat multi-use arena will have a significant economic impact on the 

community. Direct impacts measure the spending and job creation that occurs as a direct result 

of the operations and activities that occur within the arena. Indirect impacts consist of respending 

of the initial or direct expenditures, or the supply of goods or services resulting from 

the initial direct spending within the arena. Operation of the proposed multi-use arena is forecast 

to generate a first-year direct economic impact in the form of job creation and spending 

estimated at approximately $13.7 million. Using a multiplier of 1.75, the direct and indirect 

(total) economic impact is estimated at approximately $24.0 million. 

Forecast Retail Sales Revenues 

The proposed multi-use arena’s entertainment and retail district will be designed to attract 

customers on both event and non-event nights. Its location off Interstate 70 within eastern 

Jackson County’s largest retail hub will assist in drawing customers on non-event nights. Retail 

sales for the entertainment and retail district were estimated based on several sources, including: 

• Dollars & Cents of Shopping Centers 2006 published by the Urban Land Institute; 

• Retail sales data published by the International Council of Shopping Centers; 

• Financial data published in the Annual Reports of national tenants that commonly occupy 

destination entertainment and retail district; and 

• Consultant’s internal database on actual retail sales of similar destination entertainment and 

retail developments operating in the Kansas City area. 

Retail sales volumes for the proposed entertainment and retail district were forecast taking into 

consideration both competitive retail market forces (i.e., direct competition from similar 

destination retail developments operating in the Kansas City) and trade area demographics (i.e., 

population and income levels, age distribution and educational attainment) were considered. 

During the first full year of operation the entertainment and retail district accompanying the 

proposed multi-use arena in Independence, Missouri is forecast to generate retail sales of $310 

per square foot of retail floor area, equating to total sales of approximately $62 million to $93 

million. 

Canyon Research Southwest, Inc. v




January 2007 

Canyon Research Southwest, Inc. vi

INTRODUCTION 

Study Objective and Organization 

The City of Independence, Missouri has contracted with Canyon Research Southwest, Inc. to 

prepare a Multi-Use Arena Market Feasibility Study that evaluates the short-term development 

potential of a 6,000-seat sports arena and entertainment/retail district located at the northeast 

corner Interstate 70 and Little Blue Parkway. The market study for the arena component 

commences with an overview of national sports facilities development trends. Existing and 

proposed sports facilities in the Kansas City area will also be identified and the potential to 

support additional facilities quantified. 

The Multi-Use Arena Market Feasibility Study also evaluates the potential of developing 

entertainment/retail uses adjacent to the multi-use arena, commencing with a survey of such 

comparable entertainment retail centers and districts as Country Club Plaza, Zona Rosa, The 

Legends at Village West, and Kansas City Power & Light District. The competitive market 

analysis also includes short-term demand forecasts for upscale retail space designed to quantify 

the need for additional space within the metropolitan Kansas City area as well as a site-specific 

evaluation designed to determine the ability of the proposed multi-use arena site to accommodate 

entertainment/retail development. 

Based on the study findings, the Sports Arena Market Feasibility Study addressed supportable 

arena size and square footage of entertainment retail space, arena event demand forecasts and 

forecast retail sales. 

Canyon Research Southwest, Inc. 1

ARENA MARKET FEASIBILITY ANALYSIS 

The preliminary plan calls for the construction of a 6,000-seat multi-use arena on the site at the 

northeast corner of Interstate 70 and Little Blue Parkway in Independence, Missouri. This 

section of the report evaluates the multi-use arena’s short-term development potential. 

Sports Facilities Development 

The U.S. is in the midst of a boom in the upgrading, expanding, and improving of sports arenas 

and stadiums. This trend has led to the development of new and renovated facilities, not only in 

major professional sports, but also in minor leagues. The proposed sports arena in 

Independence, Missouri is in response to the increased demand by the sports and entertainment 

markets, which have grown in recent years. The construction of new facilities has led to a great 

deal of franchise movement, as teams are relocating to markets with newer venues that offer 

better financial opportunities. Many new sporting arenas and stadiums are being designed as 

diverse entertainment and activity centers. These new sporting facilities require significant 

regional support from business, political, and civic leadership. 

During the past 15 years, 79 major league stadiums and arenas have been modernized or 

developed in the United States at a total cost of $12 billion. In addition, 70 minor league 

facilities have been constructed during the same time period. There have been 20 facilities 

developed or modernized for National Football League teams, at a cost of $4.5 billion. In Major 

League Baseball, facilities opened during the 1990s in Chicago, Baltimore, Texas, Atlanta, 

Colorado, Arizona, Tampa Bay, Anaheim, and Cleveland. In recent years, new baseball 

stadiums have been constructed in Seattle, Houston, Milwaukee, San Francisco, Detroit, 

Pittsburgh, San Diego, and Cincinnati. 

The national trend in new arena and stadium construction has not been limited to downtown 

urban areas housing major professional sports franchises. Over the past 15 years suburban and 

mid-sized metropolitan areas have also developed sports facilities. In these markets the sports 

facilities have been built to serve an expanding entertainment market featuring family shows, 

emerging professional sports, concerts, and performing arts. These facilities are generally in the 

8,000 to 12,000-seat range and often provide a cost-effective alternative for entertainment and 

sporting events. In contrast, new arena construction in large markets has mainly served to 

replace existing facilities that have become functionally obsolete. 

The recent growth of sports facility development has also led to private-sector investment as new 

revenue streams such as facility naming rights and premium seating have allowed facilities to 

generate higher revenues and rates of return. In the past arenas were exclusively constructed and 

subsidized by the public sector as a community service without an emphasis on generating 

financial returns. Despite the growing trend in privately developed sports facilities, public-sector 

participation is still often necessary to assure project feasibility. While owners of a privately 

developed sports facility have an incentive to maximize profits, public investment in 

infrastructure, funding or tax relief is often necessary both financially and to establish a mutual 

partnership. 


Regions supporting the development of new sporting facilities experience a number of 

quantifiable and intangible benefits. First, new facilities generate substantial economic impact 

during construction. When considering constructing a new stadium for the Padres, the City of 

San Diego commissioned a study by Deloitte & Touche which concluded that stadium 

construction alone would result in $1.1 billion in spending and would create 17,000 full-time 

temporary jobs as well as $1.8 billion in new ancillary development. An analysis prepared for 

the Maryland Stadium Authority suggests that an average Baltimore Orioles season generates 

$117 million in gross sales; $44 million in earnings; and over 1,500 full-time jobs. Total 

statewide economic impact amounts to $226 million in gross sales; $77 million in earnings; and 

2,340 full-time jobs. The study also forecast that 1.6 million out-of-state fans, or 46 percent of 

total attendance, were attracted to Baltimore from outside of the area. These visitors spend $46 

million in the Baltimore area representing new economic growth to the region. 

Second, successful new sporting arenas and stadiums have also generated substantial retail sales 

and development activity surrounding the facility. Immediately following the opening of Jacobs 

Field in downtown Cleveland, more than 20 restaurants or retail establishments opened and more 

than 85 storefronts were renovated at a cost of $1.2 million. In the year following the opening of 

Coors Field in downtown Denver, studies point to an increase of over $40 million in taxable 

sales; $20 million was spent in new downtown businesses; and more than 25 restaurants opened. 

One in every three tourists visiting Denver mentioned that they had attended or would like to 

attend a Rockies game. Further, a report by the Phoenix Finance Department demonstrated that 

fans attending Arizona Diamondback games during the first year of Bank One Ballpark 

contributed to a 34.1 percent increase in City sales tax revenue in the downtown area. 

Restaurants and bars downtown reported a $12.1 million increase in sales during the 

Diamondbacks first season. 

The third major impact on regions supporting new sporting facilities involved the major and 

special events that are hosted. Such events as college bowl games, regional basketball 

tournaments; all-star games; and post season games tend to draw from a regional and national 

basis, attracting new dollars into the region in the form of lodging, entertainment, and dining 

revenues. 

Fourth, the intangible impact of a new sports franchise and corresponding facility is its positive 

influence on a community’s marketability and potential to attract business. The Jacksonville 

Sports Development Authority and Chamber of Commerce reported that the Jacksonville Jaguars 

(NFL) and Alltel Stadium enrich the local economy by an estimated $131 million a year from 

visitors buying tickets, eating at restaurants, and staying at hotels. Additionally, the team and 

facility have been indirectly responsible for the creation of upwards of 50,000 new jobs by virtue 

of companies expanding or relocating to Jacksonville as a result of a successful marketing 

campaign. 


Kansas City Area Sports Facilities 

With a population in excess of 1.8 million the metropolitan Kansas City area supports several 

professional sports teams. Long standing Kansas City sports franchises include the Kansas City 

Chiefs (NFL), Kansas City Royals (MLB), Kansas City Wizards (MLS) and Kansas City 

Explorers (World Team Tennis). New sports franchises include the Kansas City T-Bones in 2003 

(Northern League minor league baseball) and Kansas City Brigade in 2006 (Arena Football 

League). Local sports franchises recently closing operations include the Kansas City Comets in 

2006 (MILS), Kansas City Knights in 2005 (American Basketball Association) and Kansas City 

Outlaws in 2005 (United Hockey League). This section of the report provides an inventory of 

existing and pending sports facilities in the Kansas City market. 

Existing Sports Facilities 

The Kansas City area supports several sports facilities. Enclosed arenas include the 18,344-seat 

Kemper Arena and 10,721-seat Municipal Auditorium. Other major sports venues include the 

Truman Complex (78,000-seat Arrowhead Stadium and 41,000-seat Kauffman Stadium); 5,768seat 

Community America Ballpark; and the 2,600-seat Barney Allis Plaza Tennis Center. A brief 

description of sports facilities in the Kansas City area is provided in the text to follow. 

Kemper Arena 

Kemper Arena is located within the American Royal Center, a multi-facility complex in 

downtown Kansas City, Missouri. American Royal Center consists of Kemper Arena, 5,000-seat 

Hale Arena, 500-seat Wagstaff Theatre and over 325,000 square feet of exhibition space. Global 

Spectrum, a division of Philadelphia-based Comcast-Spectacor, manages Kemper Arena. 

Kemper Arena was built in 1974 at a cost of $22 million and is owned by the City of Kansas 

City, Missouri. The arena seats 18,344 for concerts, 17,647 for hockey and 17,585 for soccer. 

Additional facility amenities include 21 suites; ten permanent concession areas; and 7,000 onsite 

parking spaces. Kemper has 18,046 square feet of floor space, increasing to 30,000 square 

feet with the seats retracted. In 1997, a $23 million expansion project added 2,000 more seats, 

upgraded the lower level seating, added four restrooms and a new east lobby. 

Kemper Arena’s primary tenants are the Kansas City Brigade (Arena Football League) and the 

American Royal Rodeo and Livestock Show. The Kansas City Brigade is a new franchise 

playing its first season in 2006. For the season the Kansas City Brigade reported the third 

highest attendance among 19 teams in the Arena Football League totaling 121,875 spectators in 

eight games. The team’s attendance averaged 15,234 per game, ranging from 12,814 to 16,523 

per game. Other events held at Kemper Arena include family shows, concerts and basketball. 

Both the Kansas City Comets (MILS) and Kansas City Outlaws (United Hockey League) recently 

folded and ceased operations at Kemper Arena. The Comets played a 20-game home schedule 

and had averaged 5,000 to 6,000 spectators per game before suspending operations after the 2005 

season. The Kansas City Outlaws of the United Hockey League (UHL) played the 2004-05 

season in Kemper Arena and averaged 2,800 fans per game. The team suspended operations 

prior to the 2005-2006 season. 


Over the years several other sports franchises have also failed at Kemper Arena. Former tenants 

include the Kansas City Blades (IHL); Kansas City Red Wings (CHL); Kansas City Blues 

(CHL); Kansas City Scouts (NHL); Kansas City Kings (NBA); Kansas City Attack (NPSL); 

Kansas City Explorers (WTT); and the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament. 

Based on Kemper Arena’s downtown location, large seating capacity, and antiquated design and 

event facilities, the venue is not considered directly competitive to the sports arena planned in 

Independence, Missouri which will be designed to accommodate mid-size entertainment and 

sporting events. 

To replace Kemper Arena, the 18,500-seat Sprint Arena is now under construction downtown 

and scheduled to open in October 2007. The Sprint Arena will be discussed later in the report. 

Municipal Auditorium 

Municipal Auditorium is located in downtown Kansas City, Missouri as part of the Kansas City 

Convention Center. The complex facilities include 388,800 square feet of column-free exhibit 

space on one floor; another 55,000 square feet of 2-story exhibit space; 45 meeting rooms; the 

2,400-seat Bartle Hall fine arts theatre; and the 10,721-seat Municipal Auditorium. Opened in 

1936, the 7,316-seat Municipal Auditorium plays host to UMKC basketball games, the Shrine 

Circus, and concerts. The arena’s seating capacity can be increased to 10,721 with the 

installation of 3,405 temporary seats. Other arena features include a 92-foot ceiling height; 

26,200 square feet of floor space; special sports lighting; lighted marquee; box office; show 

office; coat check; restrooms; and concessions. Spectators enter Municipal Auditorium through 

a 3,600 square foot Grand Foyer. The arena is also connected by covered walkways to the 

Convention Center, Conference Center and the Auditorium Plaza Garage. 

Despite a similar seating capacity, given the Municipal Auditorium’s age, downtown location, 

and antiquated design and facilities, it would not be considered direct competition to the sports 

arena proposed in Independence, Missouri. 

Truman Sports Complex 

The Truman Sports Complex is located in suburban Jackson County, Missouri near the 

intersection of Interstates 70 and 435, approximately eight miles west of the proposed sports 

arena site in Independence. The venue is comprised of the 79,451-seat Arrowhead Stadium, 

home to the Kansas City Chiefs (NFL) and Kansas City Wizards (MLS) and the 40,625-seat 

Kauffman Stadium, home to the Kansas City Royals (MLB). Arrowhead Stadium was built in 

1972 at a cost of $43 million and includes 80 suites and 10,199 club seats. Since 2000, the 

Kansas City Chiefs have drawn 8-game season attendance of 617,488 to 627,840. Kauffman 

stadium opened in 1973 at a cost of $70 million. The Kansas City Wizards are seeking a new 

home for the 2007 season. 

In April 2006, taxpayers of Jackson County approved a 3/8-cent sales tax to fund $450 million in 

renovations to both Arrowhead and Kauffman Stadiums. The Chiefs and Royals are working 

with HOK on renovation designs for both stadiums. In addition to proceeds of the sales tax the 

Royals will contribute $25 million, the Chiefs $75 million and the state of Missouri $50 million 

in tax credits. 


Neither of the single-purpose, open-air stadiums are considered directly competitive to the sports 

arena planned for Independence, Missouri. 

Community America Ballpark 

The 5,768-seat Community America Ballpark is located within the Village West Tourism District in 

Kansas City, Kansas which is being developed using STAR Bond financing. Community America 

Ballpark opened in 2003 as home to the Kansas City T-Bones of the Northern League (minor league 

baseball). Stadium facilities include free parking, picnic seating, concessions, private suites, team 

shop, and restrooms. The 51-game inaugural 2003 season drew a reported 208,782 fans. 

Attendance for the 2004 season improved to 238,745, averaging 5,080 per game. 

For the 2004 season the Northern League once again was the highest attended of all Independent 

Leagues. The ten Northern League teams combined to draw just over 2.0 million fans for an 

average of 4,269 per game. That average ranked as the fifth highest among the 19 overall 

professional minor leagues and was tops among the five Independent pro leagues which operated in 

2004. The Northern League had five of Independent Baseball’s top eight clubs in average 

attendance. The St. Paul Saints ranked third at 6,095 per game, followed by the Kansas City T- 

Bones which ranked fifth with 5,080; the Schaumburg Flyers that ranked seventh at 4,446; and the 

Lincoln Saltdogs that ranked eighth at 4,348. 

During the 2006 season attendance for the 8-team Northern League totaled over 1.4 million. The 

Kansas City T-Bones drew 269,205 spectators in 46 home games, second highest within the 

Northern League. The average attendance of 5,852 per game exceeded the league average of 3,850 

spectators per game. 

Barney Allis Plaza Tennis Center 

For the 2006 season the Kansas City Explorers relocated from a seasonal 2,500-seat facility at the 

Country Club Plaza to a new 2,600-seat tennis center at Barney Allis Plaza in downtown Kansas 

City. The multi-purpose facility consists of 1,832 bleacher seats and 768 VIP Box seats. 

Other Regional Facilities 

While not a sports facility, the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Wyandotte County, Kansas is 

viewed as an alternative venue for touring concerts during the warm summer months. The 

amphitheater features approximately 7,000 reserved seats and 11,000 lawn seats. The Verizon 

Wireless Amphitheater attracts an annual attendance of more than 400,000 during its limited season. 


Active Sports Facility Development 

The Sprint Center is now under construction in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. In addition, 

over the past two years two mid-size arenas were proposed for development in the Kansas 

suburbs of Olathe and Overland Park. Development plans for both suburban arenas have been 

dropped. The designs for all three arenas incorporate an adjacent entertainment district. 

Sprint Center 

The city of Kansas City, Missouri is now under construction on the Sprint Center and on an 8.5acre 

downtown site between 13 th , 15 th , Grand, and Oak Streets. The 18,500-seat arena broke 

ground on March 28, 2005 and is scheduled to open by October 2007. The $276 million 

public/private arena project is being funded in part by the city of Kansas City, which will 

contribute $184 million initially and up to $16 million more if needed. The revenues for the 

city’s share will be generated from a $1.50 per day business fee on hotels and a $4.50 increase in 

the daily car rental tax approved by voters. A 2.275 percent user fee on all ticket sales will also 

be imposed. 

The Sprint Center will house the offices of the National Association of Basketball Coaches 

(NABC) and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame is expected to 

draw an estimated 150,000 visitors in its first year. The NABC has committed to provide $10 

million in financing for the arena. In addition, Los Angeles-based Anschutz Entertainment 

Group (AEG) will serve as a partner with the City of Kansas City in the development, operation, 

and management of the Sprint Center. AEG will contribute $50 million for the arena and will 

also cover any construction overruns. Sprint Corporation has agreed to pay up to $2.5 million 

annually for 25 years for the naming rights. 

A collaboration of architectural firms referred to as the Downtown Arena Design Team (DADT) 

designed Sprint Arena. The DADT consists of Ellerbe Becket, HOK Sport + Venue + Event, 

360 Architecture and Rafael Architects. The Hall of Fame portion of the complex was designed 

by New York-based Edwin Schlossberg Inc. and will include memorabilia, exhibits and 

induction ceremonies of legendary college basketball players and coaches. 

Though no anchor tenants were secured prior to construction, the state-of-the-art 18,500-seat 

arena is designed to accommodate professional hockey and basketball, amateur sporting events, 

concerts, family shows and special events. The Sprint Center will allow Kansas City to be 

competitive in acquiring a professional basketball or a professional hockey franchise, Big 12 

postseason basketball tournament play, NCAA Championship and Final Four events. The Big 

12 basketball tournament will be held at Sprint Arena in March 2008. Sprint Center is expected 

to host over 100 events per year. 

The Sprint Center will be the cornerstone in the revitalization of downtown Kansas City that, in 

addition to the arena, will feature condominiums, restaurants, theme bars, movie and live 

entertainment theatres and retail. Projects totaling $3.0 billion in investment are currently under 

construction in downtown Kansas City. The Kansas City Power & Light District featuring 

entertainment, retail and restaurants is now under construction immediately west of the Sprint 

Center by the Baltimore-based Cordish Company. 


Located between the Bartle Hall Convention Center expansion and the Sprint Arena, the Kansas 

City Power & Light District will cover nine city blocks. The $850 million mixed-use 

development is planned for over 3.0 million square feet of destination entertainment and 

shopping, office, and residential space. The Kansas City Power & Light District will boast a mix 

of unique restaurants, clubs, lounges, live music venues, comedy clubs, cafes and one-of-a-kind 

entertainment attractions. The heart of the district will be Power and Light Live, a collection of 

nighttime venues focused around a covered outdoor plaza designed for major concerts. 

As part of the Kansas City Power & Light District, AMC Entertainment, Inc. has agreed to 

revitalize the historic Midland and Empire Theaters. The Midland Theater will be revitalized 

into a live performance theater, restaurant and bar, and will anchor the northwest corner of the 

Kansas City Power & Light District. The Empire Theater will serve as the District’s southwest 

corner anchor and will be restored to operate as a unique AMC movie theater complex. 

The first phase of the Kansas City Power & Light District is scheduled to open by fall 2007 

consisting of approximately 450,000 square feet of retail and entertainment space. Phase 2 is 

planned for 1,500 residential units and approximately 1.0 million square feet of office space. A 

major component of the Power & Light District will be the world headquarters for H&R Block 

now under construction. The 19-story, 700,000 square foot office tower is designed with a 2story 

glass lobby featuring a 20-foot tall natural stone “water wall” and a European-inspired 

piazza. 

The Kansas City Power & Light District’s destination entertainment and shopping component is 

designed to compliment the Sprint Center by providing spectators a place to eat, drink, shop and 

be entertained on event nights. 

High Pointe Arena 

In late 2004, Walton Construction and RED Development announced plans to develop a sports 

arena and entertainment district located immediately west of the Sprint World Headquarters at 115 th 

Street and Metcalf Avenue in Overland Park, Kansas. Referred to as High Pointe Arena, the project 

design called for a 333,941 square foot Entertainment District and a 7,500- to 8,000-seat 

enclosed arena. 

The master plan incorporated an entertainment district supporting 274,941 square feet of destination 

entertainment and retail space; 19,000 square feet of freestanding restaurant space; and a 40,000 

square foot interactive entertainment attraction. The entertainment district was designed to support 

a vibrant day and nightlife through the tenancy of theme restaurants and “one-of-a-kind” nightclubs 

and entertainment venues. A 40,000 square foot interactive entertainment attraction would serve as 

one of the project’s main anchor tenants. This destination attraction would serve as the only U.S. 

location of its kind and will draw visitors from a regional and national trade area. 

Other potential destination tenants for the entertainment district included interactive entertainment 

venues; theme restaurants similar to the Rainforest Cafe; national and international nightclubs with 

dance, music, tropical, western, sports, and theatrical themes; and specialty retailers complementing 

the arena operations and entertainment retailers. The entertainment district would serve as the only 

location in the Kansas City metro area of the five-state Midwest region for most of the prospective 

tenants. This tenant mix, together with the arena, would create a regional entertainment destination. 


The High Pointe Arena was designed as a mid-size facility capable of accommodating 

entertainment and sporting events now bypassing the Kansas City area. Given the arena’s design, 

centralized location within the country, and anticipated event programming, it would serve as a 

regional venue for sports and entertainment. The intent is for the arena to operate as a regional 

sports and entertainment attraction. 

The High Pointe Arena was designed to serve as the home for a variety of sports teams, with 

prospective franchises including the American Basketball Association (“ABA”), Arena Football2 

(“af2”), Major Indoor League Soccer (“MILS”) and World Team Tennis. In addition to the home 

game schedule, the ABA would consider hosting 18 summer and 18 winter events, sponsoring 

year round tournaments, and holding a training academy for NBA players. The ABA was also 

considering relocating its world headquarters into the High Pointe Arena. 

Negotiations broke down with the City of Overland Park and RED Development backed out as 

consultant/developer of the entertainment district. Plans for constructing High Pointe Arena 

have been withdrawn. 

Olathe, Kansas Arena 

RTR LLC had plans to construct a sports arena located on a 105-acre site at the southwest corner 

of 119 th Street and Interstate 35 in Olathe, Kansas. Preliminary plans called for a $70 million; 

9,000-seat arena is designed to host minor league sports, concerts, and community and family 

events. The arena was designed to incorporate 572,500 square feet of retail space, including unique 

destination venues. The developers reported a 125,000 square foot Bass Pro Shops would anchor 

the retail component. In September 2004, the City of Olathe received approval to use $50 million 

in STAR bonds for phase one of the project, subject to satisfying eight specific conditions. The 

feasibility of the arena hinged on securing the tenancy of one or more minor league sports teams 

as well as securing a sufficient number of destination entertainment and retail tenants. 

The developers abandoned the arena project and have instead built Olathe Gateway, a retail 

center anchored by a Bass Pro Shops. Project components currently under construction include a 

132,201 square foot Bass Pro Shops, 5,700 square foot freestanding Longhorn Steakhouse, and 

5,190 square foot Jason’s Deli. The Bass Pro Shops store is scheduled to open by February 2007 

and will include a 7,412 square foot Islamorada Fish Company restaurant. An additional 

121,500 square feet of retail space is planned. Both tax increment financing and a transportation 

development district are being used to fund development of Olathe Gateway. 


Arena Demand Evaluation 

The metropolitan Kansas City area supports a population of nearly 1.9 million and one major sports 

arena, that being Kemper Arena. The 18,500-seat Sprint Center is currently under construction in 

downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Several comparable markets with populations of 1.5 to 5.0 

million support multiple arenas, including an approximately 18,000-seat venue and another smaller 

10,000-seat facility. Kansas City lacks a facility able to host mid-sized sports franchises and other 

events. Kemper Arena and the Sprint Center are too large and the local theatres are too small. 

For a mid-sized arena to be successful it is critical to attract at least one, and preferably two, primary 

sports tenants. Otherwise, it is difficult to book the number of annual event dates that are necessary 

to generate revenues sufficient to facilitate financially feasible development. Feasible development 

of the planned multi-use arena in Independence, Missouri will stem from a sufficient spectator 

population and the ability to attract an anchor tenant. 

Given Kansas City’s existing sports franchises, the sports arena planned in Independence is a 

potential home for minor league hockey, ABA basketball and indoor soccer. The Kansas City 

Comets of the MILS, Kansas City Knights of the American Basketball Association and Kansas City 

Outlaws of the United Hockey League recently suspended operations. New franchises would be 

required to anchor the proposed sports arena. The potential for the Kansas City area and the 

proposed suburban arena to support minor league hockey, Arena Football, World Team Tennis, 

indoor soccer, and professional basket is discussed in the text below. 

Minor League Hockey 

Several minor league hockey teams have operated in Kansas City over the years. The Kansas City 

Blades of the International Hockey League’s (IHL) ceased operating in 2001. The Kansas City 

Outlaws of the United Hockey League played at Kemper Arena and folded in 2005. 

With teams concentrated primarily in the Midwest, a Central Hockey League (CHL) franchise 

appears to be best suited minor hockey league to anchor the proposed sports arena in Independence, 

Missouri. The CHL is based in Phoenix, Arizona, and is operated by Global Entertainment 

Corporation through its WPHL, Inc. subsidiary. The Global Entertainment Corporation is a 

diversified sports management, arena development and licensing company. Global 

Entertainment Corporation subsidiary companies include: 

• International Coliseums Company, a project manager for arena development and responsible 

for management agreements associated with arena facility operations; 

• Global Entertainment Marketing Systems that pursues licensing and marketing opportunities 

related to the Company’s sports management and arena developments and operations; and 

• Global Entertainment Ticketing (GetTix.net), an in-house ticketing company for sports and 

entertainment venues. 

The CHL began play in 1992 with six teams. During the 1996-97 season the Western Professional 

Hockey League (WPHL) began play in six cities. In 2001 the two leagues merged to form the new 

16-team CHL. Since the merger teams in Fort Worth, Topeka, San Angelo and Indianapolis have 


suspended play with new expansion teams opening in Laredo, Colorado (Loveland), Albuquerque, 

Arizona (Prescott Valley) and Broomfield, Colorado. The merger has proven highly successful 

with league attendance topping 2.1 million in each of the past four seasons, including nearly 2.5 

million spectators during the 2003-04 season. The CHL has led all minor hockey leagues in 

average attendance for four consecutive seasons. The closest franchises to Kansas City include 

Wichita, Tulsa and Oklahoma City, all of which are smaller markets than Kansas City. 

CHL franchises operate in arenas ranging in size from the 4,986-seat Amarillo Civic Center to the 

10,400-seat Ford Center in Oklahoma City. The average arena size seats 6,793 spectators. The two 

newest franchises opened the 2006-07 season in new arenas with the Arizona Sundogs playing in 

the 5,100-seat Prescott Valley Convention and Events Center and the Rocky Mountain Rage 

playing in the 6,000-seat Broomfield Event Center. 

Since the 1992-93 season the CHL reported an average attendance of 4,300 per game. For the 

2005-06 the average attendance for the 15-team CHL was 4,663 per game, ranging from 2,997 in 

Memphis to 8,609 in Oklahoma City. Arena seat capacities and 2005-06 season attendance for each 

Central Hockey League team is depicted in the table on page 12. 

The CHL remains focused on continued expansion in conjunction with new facility construction, 

building on the success experienced by the four most recent expansion teams. The Laredo Bucks 

(2002), Colorado Eagles (2003) and Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees (2003) have all enjoyed 

outstanding fan, corporate and media support while playing in new venues. The Youngstown 

SteelHounds began play during the 2005-06 season playing in the 5,717-seat Chevrolet Centre and 

reporting average attendance of 4,068 spectators per game. For the current 2006-07 season the 

CHL added two additional expansion teams, with both the Rocky Mountain Rage and Arizona 

Sundogs playing in new arenas. The CHL’s long time New Mexico franchise also returned in 2006- 

07, with the Scorpions moving into the new 6,200-seat Santa Ana Star Center. Potential CHL 

franchises require a minimum population of 300,000 within a 50-mile radius and a minimum 5,000seat 

arena. Kansas City’s Midwest location and population of 1.9 million suggest the metropolitan 

area is a desirable location for a CHL franchise. 

Three new arenas opened for the 2006-07 season including the Broomfield Event Center home to 

the Rocky Mountain Rage, Prescott Valley Convention and Events Center home to the Arizona 

Sundogs, and the Santa Ana Star Center home to the New Mexico Scorpions. 

Broomfield Event Center 

The 6,000-seat Broomfield Event Center opened in November 9, 2006 in the suburban Denver 

community of Broomfield. The Broomfield Event Center is home for two professional sports 

teams, the Rocky Mountain Rage of the Central Hockey League and Colorado 14ers of the National 

Basketball Association Development League. The arena is owned by the City and County of 

Broomfield, Colorado and serves as a major anchor for Arista, a 215-acre multi-use commercial, 

residential and entertainment development. The $45 million facility features 6,000 permanent seats 

(including 26 suites and 923 club seats) for hockey and basketball and is expandable to 7,500 seats 

for concerts and special events. Additional facility amenities include a private fitness center, 

restaurant and pub, club lounges, 400 parking spaces immediately adjacent to the arena, a planned 

1,500-space parking structure and a RTD bus and light-rail stop. The Broomfield Event Center is 

anticipated to host 130 events per year, including 32 hockey games, 23 basketball games, 12 to 15 

concerts and 20 to 25 special events. 


Central Hockey League Team Attendance; 2005-06 

# of Total # of Average 

Division/Team Arena Seats Attendance Games Attendance 

Northeast Division 

Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs CenturyTel Center 7,353 180,496 32 5,641 

Memphis RiverKings DeSoto Civic Center 8,400 95,912 32 2,997 

Tulsa Oilers Maxwell Convention Center 7,111 161,013 32 5,032 

Youngstown SteelHounds Chevrolet Centre 5,717 130,171 32 4,068 

Northwest Division 

Colorado Eagles Budweiser Events Center 5,289 169,248 32 5,289 

Oklahoma City Blazers Ford Center 10,400 275,493 32 8,609 

Rocky Mountain Rage* Broomfield Event Center 6,000 

Wichita Thunder Kansas Coliseum 9,560 183,010 32 5,719 

Southeast Division 

Austin Ice Bats Chaparral Ice Arena 108,785 32 3,400 

Corpus Christi Rayz American Bank Center 7,495 132,183 32 4,131 

Laredo Bucks Laredo Entertainment Center 8,002 180,376 32 5,637 

Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees Dodge Center 5,500 158,930 32 4,967 

Southwest Division 

Amarillo Gorillas Amarillo Civic Center 4,986 101,186 32 3,162 

Arizona Sundogs* Prescott Valley Convention 5,100 

Lubbock Cotton Kings Lubbock Municipal Coliseum 6,440 142,450 32 4,452 

New Mexico Scorpions* Santa Ana Star Center 6,200 

Odessa Jackalopes Ector County Coliseum 5,131 97,523 32 3,048 

Totals** 6,793 2,238,408 4,663 

Notes: * Denotes expansion or new team for 2006-07 season. 

** Total league attendance includes Fort Worth which suspended operations. 

Source: Central Hockey League. 


Prescott Valley Convention and Events Center 

Phoenix-based Global Entertainment Group partnered with the Fain Signature Group to 

development the $31 million, 5,100-seat Prescott Valley Convention and Events Center in Prescott 

Valley, Arizona. The Prescott Valley Convention and Events Center opened in November 2006 and 

anchors the northern end of the city’s Town Center and Entertainment District that includes retail, 

restaurants, offices and a Harkins Theatre complex. The facility is managed by Global 

Entertainment Group and marketed by Global Entertainment Marketing Systems. Gettix.Net is 

responsible for ticketing operations. The Arizona Sundogs of the Central Hockey League serves 

as the anchor tenant of the Prescott Valley Convention and Events Center playing 32 regulation 

season home games. The table on page 14 displays the 2006-07 season pricing for season tickets, 

club seats, loge seats and luxury suites 

The multi-purpose facility is designed to host a wide range of sporting, family and special events, 

including: 

• Concerts 

• Trade, consumer and agricultural shows 

• Community events 

• Boxing and wrestling 

• Rodeos 

• Arena Football 

• Figure skating and ice shows 

• High school sports 

• Festivals 

• Basketball 

• Motorcross 

• Tractor pulls 

• Circus 

Santa Ana Star Center 

Opened on October 27, 2006, the 6,200-seat Santa Ana Star Center is located in the Albuquerque, 

New Mexico suburb of Rio Rancho. The state-of-the-art facility features 26 luxury suites, 500 club 

seats, VIP lounge, club lounge and four club suites. Naming rights to the facility were sold to the 

Santa Ana Star Casino. The New Mexico Scorpions of the Central Hockey League serves as the 

anchor tenant of the Santa Ana Star Center playing 32 regulation season home games. The Santa 

Ana Star Center is designed to host a variety of events ranging from trade shows, conventions, 

graduations, performing arts, concerts, sporting events, youth sports, thrill shows and family events. 

The multi-purpose facility is a major component of the City of Rio Rancho’s new 160-acre master 

planned downtown, located adjacent to the new City Hall. International Coliseums Company has 

plans to develop 25 acres located adjacent to the Santa Ana Star Center with retail and 

entertainment uses. 


Arizona Sundogs 2006-07 Season & Luxury Seat Prices 

Seat Type 1-Year 2-Year 3-Year 5-Year 7-Year 

Season Tickets 

Glass $800 $760 $720 

Rinkside $736 $699 $662 

Prime $640 $608 $576 

Corners $480 $456 $432 

Ends $352 $334 $317 

Club Seats 

PSL $350 $300 $250 

Season Ticket $750 $750 $750 

Per Season Cost $1,100 $1,050 $1,000 

Loge Seats 

PSL $450 $400 $350 

Season Ticket $750 $750 $750 

Per Season Cost $1,200 $1,150 $1,100 

Luxury Suites 

8-Seat Suite $18,113 $16,302 $14,672 

10-Seat Suite $24,150 $22,500 $21,000 

12-Seat Suite $32,200 $29,700 $27,450 

16-Seat Suite $40,250 $36,225 $32,603 

Founder's Suite $45,282 $40,754 

The Central Hockey League stresses that its new franchises play in new state-of-the-art facilities. 

The three franchises opening play during the 2006-07 season all serve as the anchor tenant of a new 

5,100- to 6,200-seat multi-use facility designed with club seats, luxury suites, excellent spectator 

sight lines, ample concessions and flexibility to host a wide range of events. Each multi-use facility 

also features a suburban location and is integrated into a large-scale, mixed-use urban center. The 

arena proposed for Independence, Missouri is located within the City’s largest mixed-use urban 

center and preliminary plans call for incorporating on-site retail and entertainment uses designed to 

compliment arena operations. 

Arena Football League 

Prior to inception in the Arena Football League 2006 season of the Kansas City Brigade, an Arena 

Football2 franchise would have been a potential anchor tenant for the proposed arena in 

Independence, Missouri. On August 24, 1999, the AFL Board of Directors approved the final four 

applications for Arena Football2 – the AFL’s minor league, to begin play in March 2000. The 

original 15 teams consisted mostly of mid-size cities in the Southeast and Midwest, operating in 

arenas with capacities of 6,000 to 12,000 seats. Building on the AFL’s popularity, the Arena 

Football2 (af2) sister league has experienced solid performance and growth and now has 31 

franchises. Many Arena Football2 franchises share arenas with minor league hockey teams, and the 

18-week af2 season runs from April through August, which is largely during hockey’s off-season. 


This helps to maintain a consistent base of event demand at an arena throughout the year and avoids 

scheduling competition between the hockey and football teams. 

World Team Tennis 

For the 2006 season the Kansas City Explorers relocated from a seasonal 2,500-seat facility at the 

Country Club Plaza to a new 2,600-seat tennis center at Barney Allis Plaza in downtown Kansas 

City. Therefore, relocation into the proposed sports arena in Independence, Missouri appears 

unlikely. 

Indoor Soccer 

From 1992 to 2001 Kemper Arena was home to the Kansas City Attack of the National 

Professional Soccer League (NPSL). In 2001, the league disbanded and reorganized as the 

Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) and the team was renamed the Kansas City Comets. In 

2006, the Kansas City Comets suspended play. The Kansas City Comets had played at Kemper 

Arena that was much too large for the team’s needs. The construction of a mid-size arena in 

Independence, Missouri may improve the likelihood of resurrecting the Comets franchise. 

Professional Basketball 

Prior to the start of the 2005-06 season Jim Clark, owner of the Kansas City Nights of the ABA 

announced the team would suspend play. Clark stated that having played at Kemper Arena, 

Municipal Auditorium and Johnson County Community College, it was clear the team needs a 

venue that provides fans with the amenities of a new suburban arena. The construction of a midsize 

arena in Independence, Missouri may improve the likelihood of resurrecting the Knights 

franchise. 

Concerts 

As a concert venue, only Verizon Wireless Amphitheater poses as direct competition to a mid-size 

arena, however, it operates only as a partial year facility. Other entertainment such as family shows 

would be attracted to a mid-size suburban arena. The construction of a mid-size arena in 

Independence, Missouri would provide an alternative venue for musical acts now bypassing 

Kansas City. 

Based on a new mid-size arena and the size of the Kansas City metropolitan area, the opportunity 

exists to attract a minor league hockey team. The potential also may exist to resurrect defunct 

Major Indoor Soccer League and American Basketball Association teams with the construction of a 

mid-size arena. Kemper Arena and the future Sprint Center are too large to house such minor 

league franchises. MILS, CHL, and af2 leagues prefer operating in new mid-size arenas ranging in 

size from 6,000 to 12,000 seats. 

Strong urban growth has been an integral component in the feasibility of new arenas. A growing 

number of expanding Sunbelt cities have attracted new sports franchises and supported the 

construction of new arenas. Strong suburban growth has also prompted accelerated new arena 

construction outside of the urban core. The greater Kansas City area has experienced steady 

population growth over the past two decades. By 2000, the metropolitan population reached 1.78 

million, increasing to nearly 1.9 million by 2005. According to Claritas, Inc. the Kansas City area 


population is forecast to reach 2.0 million by 2010. The proposed arena is located in eastern 

Jackson County, Missouri which is one of the Kansas City area’s premier suburban growth areas. 

According to Claritas, Inc. the primary trade area population within a 15-mile radius of the proposed 

Independence arena site in Independence, Missouri totaled 706,148 in 2000, increasing to 715,202 

by 2006. The secondary trade area population within a 30-mile radius now totals nearly 1.7 million. 

This trade area population base is sufficient to support a minor league hockey, soccer and basketball 

team franchises. By the year 2011, the 15-mile radius population is forecast to reach 723,600, or 

approximately 36 percent of the metropolitan total. 

Households with an annual income of $150,000 or more generally spend an above average amount 

on entertainment. These households also have a greater ability to afford season tickets and premium 

seats. Markets with large numbers of high-income households have a greater ability to support 

sports franchises. According to Claritas, Inc. the primary trade area currently has 43,915 

households with an annual income of $150,000 or more, translating into 5.99 percent of all 

households. Meanwhile, 43,712 households within a 30-mile radius of the proposed Independence 

arena site possess an annual income of $150,000 or more, translating into 14.9 percent of all 

households. Important to the feasibility of supporting a mid-size arena, the 15-mile primary trade 

area includes 28.5 percent of all Kansas City area households with an annual income of $150,000 or 

more. Furthermore, the 15-mile primary trade area supports a large population of young families 

with children, which bodes well for the demand for sporting events, family events and concerts. 

The proposed Independence arena is anticipated to serve as the home for one or more minor 

league sports teams with a CHL team the most likely anchor tenant. The proposed 6,000-seat 

arena is conservatively forecast to host 100 events per year and a total attendance of 387,500 

spectators. These demand forecasts assume that the arena houses at least one anchor tenant, is 

managed by a national sports facility management company, and hosts such special events as 

concerts, family shows, amateur sporting events and conventions/trade shows. These event and 

attendance forecasts do not include such community activities as high school graduations; 

municipal and public meetings; and state basketball tournaments. 







Concerts 15 5,500 62,500 

Family Shows 10 4,500 45,000 





Totals 100 3,826 387,500 


15-Mile Radius Demographic Trends 

2000 2006 2011 

Demographic Characteristic Census Estimate Forecast 

Population 706,148 715,202 723,600 

Households 286,761 292,776 297,475 

Income 

Per Capita $21,018 $24,529 $27,313 

Average Household $51,156 $59,412 $65,936 

Median Household $40,045 $45,892 $49,886 

Household Income Distribution 

Less than $15,000 16.05% 13.65% 12.34% 

$15,000 - $24,999 13.55% 11.31% 10.10% 

$25,000 - $34,999 14.44% 12.57% 11.29% 

$35,000 - $49,999 17.72% 17.18% 16.40% 

$50,000 - $74,999 19.79% 20.04% 19.89% 

$75,000 - $99,999 9.52% 11.30% 12.11% 

$100,000 - $149,999 6.02% 9.68% 11.92% 

$150,000 - $249,999 2.12% 3.00% 4.26% 

$250,000 - $499,999 0.57% 0.91% 1.18% 

$500,000+ 0.22% 0.36% 0.52% 

Population Age Distribution 

0-4 Years 49,683 52,791 51,221 

5-9 Years 51,311 48,838 51,886 

10-17 Years 81,671 79,192 77,864 

18-24 Years 64,414 64,622 64,491 

25-34 Years 106,456 97,693 90,943 

35-44 Years 115,740 107,741 100,614 

45-54 Years 93,089 104,880 107,575 

55-64 Years 58,630 73,567 85,618 

65+ Years 85,131 85,877 93,386 

Median Age 34.96 36.34 37.52 

Average Age 36.01 36.90 37.73 

Source: Claritas, Inc. 


Conclusions 

The Kansas City area has a number of event facilities that serve the sports and entertainment 

markets. A major market like Kansas City is generally able to support at least one major arena 

facility and one minor venue. Growing markets are developing modern mid-size facilities in 

addition to large, primary facilities. Kansas City’s convention and baseball markets have supported 

recent new development with the opening of the Overland Park Convention Center in 2002, the 

Community America Ballpark during 2003 in Kansas City, Kansas and the scheduled opening of 

the Sprint Center in November 2007. However, Kansas City’s sports market doesn’t offer a modern 

mid-size arena. 

The 30-year old Kemper Arena in downtown Kansas City, Missouri is functionally obsolete when 

compared to new, modern arenas. To fill this void, the 18,500-seat Sprint Arena is now under 

construction in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Completion of this major arena is not expected to 

have a significant impact on the feasibility of a mid-size suburban arena, as they would cater to 

distinctly different sports and entertainment markets. The new downtown arena is too large to 

house such sports franchises as minor league hockey, MILS, and ABA teams. Also, smaller family 

events and concerts would be more prone to seek a mid-size arena. The proposed Independence 

multi-use arena would be designed to support these minor league sports franchises and special 

events. 

Kansas City’s existing demographics and inventory of sports venues suggests a mid-size arena is 





The 6,000-seat arena proposed at Interstate 70 and Little Blue Parkway in Independence, 

Missouri is forecast to host 100 events per year and a total attendance of 387,500 spectators. 

These demand forecasts assume that the arena houses at least one anchor tenant with a CHL team 

the most likely anchor tenant. The arena must be designed as a multi-use facility capable of 

hosting such special events as concerts, family shows, amateur sporting events and 

conventions/trade shows. A national sports management company must also manage the facility. 

These event and attendance forecasts do not include such community activities as high school 


Competitive advantages for the Independence arena site include its proximity to the Independence 

Center retail hub, favorable primary trade area population and income levels, direct access and 

visibility via Interstate 70, and location within growing eastern Jackson County. Similar efforts to 

develop mid-size arenas in the Kansas City area communities of Overland Park and Olathe using 

public assistance have failed. Public assistance will likely be required to fund both capital and 

operating costs. Potential public financing tools include tax increment financing, transportation 

development district and STAR bond financing. Several recently constructed mid-sized arenas 

throughout the country have incorporated retail and entertainment districts. The construction of 

retail space adjacent to the proposed arena would enhance the potential to support feasible public 

assistance. 


RETAIL MARKET FEASIBILITY ANALYSIS 

This section of the report evaluates the market viability of developing an entertainment district in 

conjunction with the sports arena proposed at Interstate 70 and Little Blue Parkway in 


Entertainment District Concept 

The retail space to accompany the sports arena will be designed as an entertainment district. An 

entertainment district was defined based on information provided by the Urban Land Institute and 

International Council of Shopping Centers. 

Lifestyle centers and entertainment districts represent the latest evolution of the regional mall. 

During the past several years, the lifestyle center has provided a new type of business locale for 

fashion department stores and high-end specialty retailers who traditionally operated the majority 

of their stores in regional malls. Lifestyle centers generally occupy 150,000 to 1.0 million square 

feet of retail space in an outdoor setting. Components of a lifestyle center include at least one 

fashion department store, high-end specialty stores, restaurants, and entertainment venues. 

Lifestyle centers maintain several clusters of similar retailers such as entertainment (i.e., movie 

theatre and restaurants); home furnishings (i.e., furniture and linens); and fashion (i.e., apparel 

and cosmetics). According to the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), lifestyle 

centers possess the following characteristics: 

• Lifestyle centers have an open-air configuration and include at least 150,000 square feet of 

shop space occupied by department stores and upscale national chain specialty stores. Retail 

categories most commonly represented are apparel, home goods, and books and music. 

Entertainment retailers such as a multiplex cinema and a large concentration of table-service 

restaurants are common; and 

• Design ambience is critically important. Lifestyle centers invariably have amenities such as 

fountains and street furniture conducive to leisure-time visits and casual browsing. The retail 

layout and street pattern often reflect a “Main Street” type ambience, allowing parking 

directly in front of the stores. 

Lifestyle centers have increasingly evolved into entertainment destinations, incorporating 

restaurant and nightclub clusters, cinemas, arcades, amusement centers, fun places, and 

entertainment spaces and streets. Irvine Spectrum Center and The Block at Orange in California 

and the Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas are examples of lifestyle centers built as entertainment 

destinations. A key element of entertainment districts is the incorporation of “one-of-a-kind” 

retailers, which create a unique retail and entertainment environment. Throughout the country 

entertainment retail districts have developed adjacent to newly constructed sporting venues, 

serving as a complementary use and attracting the large volumes of spectators attending arena 

events. Arena-based entertainment centers themselves have developed onto major entertainment 

and tourist destinations by incorporating a wide range of retail and amusement facilities. 


Metropolitan Kansas City Retail Market Overview 

Historical Market Trends 

According to the Kansas City Metropolitan Shopping Center Report 2006 published by R.H. 

Johnson Company, by January 2006 the metropolitan Kansas City area maintained over 35.8 

million square feet of shopping center space. The suburban sub-markets of Shawnee Mission, 

Kansas (4.7 million square feet) and Independence/Raytown (4.7 million square feet) in eastern 

Jackson County, Missouri possess the largest inventories of shopping center space. Given the size 

of the Kansas City MSA (1.93 million residents), many national big-box retailers maintain a 

presence. National retailers operating stores in the Kansas City area are listed in the table below. 

National Retailers Operating in Kansas City 

Discount Department Stores Electronics Auto Supply 

Kmart/Sears Grand Best Buy Auto Zone 

Target Circuit City O’Reilly Auto Parts 

Wal-Mart Ultimate Electronics Advanced Auto Parts 

Department Stores Office Supply Sporting Goods 

Dillard’s Office Depot Dick’s Sporting Goods 

J. C. Penney Office Max MC Sports 

Kohl’s Cabela’s 

Nordstroms Linens/Home Store 

Sears Bed, Bath & Beyond Hobby/Craft 

Macy’s Linens & Things Hobby Lobby 

Michaels 

Home Improvement Book Stores 

Home Depot Barnes & Noble Clothing 

Lowe’s Borders Old Navy 

Gap 

Warehouse Clubs Pet Supply The Limited 

Costco Petco TJ Maxx 

Sam’s Club PetsMart Stein Mart 

Men’s Warehouse 

National retailers aggressively expanding in the Kansas City area include Target, Wal-Mart, Home 

Depot, Lowe’s, Sam’s Club and Kohl’s. Retailers either closing operations or contracting include 

Montgomery Ward, Home Quarters, Payless Cashways and Kmart. During 2006 several Kmart 

stores were converted into the new Sears Grand format. 

By 2005, the Kansas City metropolitan area population reached 1.93 million with a median 

household income of $52,026. These favorable demographics have fueled escalating retail sales 

volumes and aggressive shopping center development. For 2005, retail sales within the 

metropolitan Kansas City area were reported at over $26 billion, led by Jackson County, Missouri 

and Johnson County, Kansas. Leading sectors for retail sales included automobile dealerships, 

food, general merchandise, food stores, and eating/drinking establishments. 


From 1992 through 2005 the inventory of retail space in the Kansas City region nearly doubled. 

After peaking in 1995 at 4.57 million square feet of new space, retail construction gradually 

declined to a level of 1.92 million square feet in 1999. From 2000 to 2004 new construction 

rebounded with over 12.1 million square feet of space built as several national retailers both entered 

the market and expanded. New retail construction was particularly active within the growing 

suburban markets of Overland Park, Kansas; the Northland region of Kansas City, Missouri; and 

Independence and Lee’s Summit, Missouri. During 2005, over 1.2 million square feet of new space 

was completed with 2.15 million square feet under construction at the close of the year. 

5,000,000 

4,500,000 

4,000,000 

3,500,000 

3,000,000 

2,500,000 

2,000,000 

1,500,000 

1,000,000 

500,000 

Kansas City Retail Construction Trends (Sq. Ft.) 

0 

1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 

Much of the driving force behind recent retail construction trends in the Kansas City area stems 

from the aggressive expansion of such national retailers as Costco, Home Depot, Kohl’s, Lowe’s, 

Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club and Target. Several supermarket and drug store chains have also 

implemented aggressive expansion plans. These retailers and others are attempting to capitalize on 

the Kansas City area’s high-income levels as well as strong population growth at the urban fringe. 

From 2000 through 2003, the construction of 10.9 million square feet of new shopping center space 

within the Kansas City area yielded overall vacancies above market equilibrium ranging 8.6 to 10.2 

percent. Over the past two years continued new construction has pushed vacancies higher. By 

January 2006, the metro-wide vacancy rate for shopping center space was reported at 10.29 percent, 

up from 8.04 percent from January 2004. In January 2006 big-box space of 25,000 square feet and 

larger accounted for 57 percent of the vacant space with 34 vacant spaces totaling 2.1 million square 

feet. Small shop space accounted for approximately 1.6 million square feet of unoccupied space. 


12.0% 

10.0% 

8.0% 

6.0% 

4.0% 

2.0% 

0.0% 

Metro Kansas City Retail Vacancy Rate Trends 

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 

Eleven regional malls operate within the metropolitan Kansas City area, totaling 10.2 million square 

feet of retail space. Department store chains anchoring regional malls in Kansas City include 

Dillard’s, J.C. Penney, The Jones Store, Nordstrom and Sears. Plans are in the works to redevelop 

Antioch Center and Blue Ridge Mall into power/lifestyle centers. In fact, on August 19, 2005 Blue 

Ridge Mall officially closed with the departure of Applebee’s. The 61-acre mall site has been razed 

and a 568,450 square foot power center referred to as Blue Ridge Crossing is being developed. 

Phase 1 is now under construction consisting of a 203,000 square foot Wal-Mart Supercenter. Tax 

Increment Financing (TIF) is being used to assist in redevelopment of Blue Ridge Mall. 

During 2005, the average shopping center lease rate for the metropolitan Kansas City area 

amounted to $13.81 per square foot triple-net for Class “B” space and $19.02 per square foot for 

Class “A” space. Rental rates for shop space within new neighborhood shopping centers generally 

ranged from $18.00 to $22.00 per square foot triple-net. Even older neighborhood shopping centers 

have reported rental rate escalations, now garnering $12.00 to $16.00 per square foot, up from 

$10.00 per square foot five years ago. High-end lifestyle centers rent for $25.00 to $35.00 per 

square foot while specialty centers garner $45+ per square foot. The Johnson County ($20.97 per 

square foot); Northland ($19.78 per square foot); and Independence/Raytown ($19.16 per square 

foot) sub-markets maintain the metropolitan area’s highest lease rates for Class “A” space. 


Retail Sub-markets 

The R.H. Johnson Company Kansas City Metropolitan Shopping Center Report 2006 divides the 

Kansas City area into 13 sub-markets. The map on page 24 depicts the geographic boundaries for 

each sub-market. January 2006 retail market operating results are outlined in the table below. 

Kansas City Metropolitan Area Retail Market 

Operating Results by Sub-market; January 2006 

Map Total Space Vacant Vacancy Under 

Ref. # Sub-market Sq. Ft. Space Rate Construction 

1 Blue Valley/South Leawood 4,348,540 120,729 2.78% 120,000 

2 Olathe 2,865,640 167,825 5.86% 390,000 

3 Lenexa/Shawnee 2,596,270 292,250 11.26% 0 

4 Shawnee Mission 4,652,202 472,048 10.15% 135,000 

5 Wyandotte County 2,248,835 78,586 3.49% 756,000 

6 Platte County 2,019,584 179,434 8.88% 0 

7 Northland 2,303,554 300,654 13.05% 0 

8 Liberty 1,109,746 0 0.00% 20,000 

9 City/Midtown/Brookside 1,986,286 228,100 11.48% 0 

10 Independence/Raytown 4,694,377 620,931 13.23% 705,000 

11 Lee’s Summit 1,739,298 56,891 3.27% 25,000 

12 Blue Springs 639,940 265,400 41.47% 0 

13 Southland, MO 4,623,003 903,095 19.53% 0 

TOTALS 35,827,275 3,685,943 10.29% 2,151,000 

Source: R.H. Johnson Company. 

Much of the recent new retail construction in Kansas City has concentrated within the outlying 

suburbs to capitalize on steady population and income growth. Emerging retail destinations include 

135 th Street in Overland Park, Kansas; State Route 58 in Belton, Missouri; Highway 152 in north 

Kansas City, Missouri; the and Interstate 470 and Highway 50 in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. A 

growing number of national big-box retailers have been attracted to these retail hubs. 

Together, the Platte County and Northland sub-markets that occupy the northern portion of the 

Kansas City area support a total inventory of 4.32 million square feet of shopping center space. The 

January 2006 vacancy rate of 11.1 percent increased considerably from the 6.63 percent reported 

two years earlier as over 500,000 square feet of new space was completed. Highway 152 serves as 

the primary growth corridor with retail hubs at Interstate 29, Interstate 35 and Highway 169. 

During 2004, Steiner + Associates opened Zona Rosa at Interstate 29 and Highway 152, a 486,066 

square foot lifestyle and destination entertainment center. The intersection of Interstate 35 and 

Missouri 152 represents the Northland’s newest retail destination with the recent completion of the 

424,292 square foot Liberty Town Center anchored by Super Target, Kohl’s, The Home Depot, 

Michaels, Office Depot, Petsmart, TJ Maxx, and Bed Bath & Beyond. 



The southern Johnson County, Kansas sub-market of Blue Valley/South Leawood represents the 

Kansas City area’s hottest retail location supporting the highest land values, lease rates and levels of 

new construction. The 119 th Street corridor now serves as the primary retail destination with new 

retail construction now focusing on the 135 th Street corridor. By January 2006, the Blue 

Valley/South Leawood sub-market maintained 4.35 million square feet of shopping center space 

operating at a healthy 2.78 percent vacancy rate. 

Shawnee Mission Parkway serves as an emerging retail location within western Johnson County, 

Kansas. The primary concentration of new development has occurred just east of the Interstate 435 

interchange. Major retailers at this location include Lowe’s, Home Depot, Kohl’s, Target, Wal- 

Mart, Petsmart, and Michael’s. By January 2006, the Lenexa/Shawnee sub-market maintained 2.6 

million square feet of shopping center space operating at an 11.26 percent vacancy rate. 

The eastern Jackson County, Missouri communities of Independence, Lee’s Summit and Blue 

Springs now account for 20 percent of the Kansas City area’s total inventory of shopping center 

space, or 7.1 million square feet. The Independence Center hub at Interstates 70 and 470 represents 

eastern Jackson County’s primary retail destination, supporting 2.7 million square feet of retail 

space. Construction of the 735,000 square foot SummitWoods Crossings has provided Lee’s 

Summit with a major cluster of big-box retailers. By January 2006, the Independence/Raytown 

sub-market maintained 4.7 million square feet of retail space operating at a vacancy rate of 13.23 

percent. The inventory of shopping center space in Lee’s Summit totals 1.74 million square feet, 

operating at a healthy vacancy rate of 3.27 percent. Blue Springs maintains an inventory of 639,940 

square feet of retail space operating at a 41.47 percent vacancy rate. 

The Southland (Grandview, Belton and Raymore) retail sub-market is located at the southern edge 

of the metropolitan Kansas City area. By January 2006, this sub-market maintained 4.6 million 

square feet of shopping center space. The bulk of existing space is located within the Highway 71 

corridor. Belton Town Center anchored by Home Depot, Target, and Kohl’s represents the latest 

new construction. The sub-market’s vacancy rate rose from 15.87 percent in January 2004 to 21.42 

percent by January 2005 due primarily to several big-box vacancies. Market conditions improved 

slightly in 2005 marked by a reduction in the overall vacancy rate to 19.53 percent by January 2006. 

The Wyandotte County, Kansas retail sub-market occupies the western portion of the metropolitan 

Kansas City area. The completion of over 400,000 square feet of new space in 2005 increased the 

total inventory of shopping center space in Wyandotte County to 2.25 million square feet by 

January 2005. The vacancy rate has improved from 17.13 percent in January 2003 to 3.49 percent 

by January 2006. The 400-acre Village West Tourism District at the intersection of Interstates 70 

and 435 now houses an 186,000 square foot Cabela’s and a 712,000 square foot Nebraska Furniture 

Mart. In October 2005, RED Development opened the initial phase of The Legends at Village 

West, a 949,524 square foot lifestyle and entertainment center. The center’s grand opening was 

held in April 2006 with new tenants continuing to occupy space. The Village West Tourism 

District has changed the face of Wyandotte County’s retail market. 


Conclusions 

During the past five years a strong local economy fueled a growing and prosperous retail market in 

the Kansas City area marked by accelerated new retail construction activity and the entry of new 

retailers to the market. The current construction boom has produced three significant retail 

development trends. First, growing income and tourism levels has contributed to the proliferation 

of new destination lifestyle and entertainment centers such as Zona Rosa, The Legends at Village 

West and the Kansas City Power & Electric District now under construction. Second, new 

shopping center construction has been led by power centers and big-box retailers concentrating 

within high-growth suburban locations. Third, the decline of first-ring malls has provided the 

opportunity for big-box retailers to penetrate mature urban markets. Malls in the process of being 

redeveloped include Mission Center, Blue Ridge Mall and Antioch Center. 

By 2010, Claritas, Inc. forecasts the Kansas City area population to increase by 5.3 percent to 2.04 

million and the median household income to rise by 12.8 percent to $58,696. The net effect will be 

an estimated increase in annual retail sales of $4.4 billion. These new retail sales will fuel continued 

retail development opportunities throughout the Kansas City market. Areas expected to capture the 

bulk of near-term retail construction include southern Johnson County, northern Kansas City, 

western Wyandotte County and eastern Jackson County. 


Competitive Retail Market Conditions 

This section of the report evaluates competitive retail market conditions directly impacting the 

potential to support a retail and entertainment district adjacent to the proposed multi-use arena at 

Interstate 70 and Little Blue Parkway in Independence, Missouri. The competitive market analysis 

included a discussion of the Independence Center retail hub as well as active and proposed lifestyle 

centers and retail entertainment districts within the metropolitan Kansas City area. 

Independence Center Retail Hub 

The intersection of Interstate 70 and MO 291 in Independence, Missouri serves as the primary 

retail destination for eastern Jackson County. The 850,000 square foot Independence Center 

regional mall is the focal point and has been the catalyst for considerable retail development. 

Since 1999, over 1.0 million square feet of shopping center space has been constructed 

surrounding Independence Center. The Independence Center retail hub now maintains the 

largest concentration of shopping center space in eastern Jackson County with the 2.7 million 

square feet of space accounting for approximately 38 percent of the total inventory. Over the 

past several years, with the opening of the Eastland Center and Hartman Heritage Center, the 

Independence Center retail hub has evolved into a mixed-use urban center now supporting retail, 

office, hotel and high-density residential uses. The pending completion of the 250-bed HCA 

Hospital and 160,000 square foot Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World will further diversify and 

strengthen Independence Center as a mixed-use urban center. 

Hartman Heritage Center is located at the northwest corner of Interstate 70 and Little Blue 

Parkway directly west of the proposed arena. Dial Realty of Overland Park, Kansas is the master 

developer. Existing development includes the 100,000 square foot Landmark Office Building, 

20,000 square foot Realty Executives office building, 203-room Hilton Garden Inn and 15,000 

square foot Hartman Heritage Center Conference Center. Five freestanding restaurants have also 

been constructed, including Hereford House, Macaroni Grill, On the Border, Joe’s Crab Shack 

and O’Charley’s. The 223,000 square foot Pavilions Shopping Center is anchored by Stein Mart, 

Dress Barn, Linens ‘n Things, World Market, Pier 1 Imports, Thomasville Furniture and Bassett. 

The 211-acre Eastland Business Park is being developed along the south side of Interstate 70 

between Interstate 470 and Little Blue Parkway. Existing retail development includes a 148,000 

square foot Costco, 136,000 square foot Lowe’s Home Improvement Center, 32,000 square foot 

Comp USA and three strip centers. Freestanding restaurants include Panera Bread Company, 

Red Robin, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Rib Crib Barbecue, db’s Mongolian Barbecue, Kobe 

Steakhouse & Sushi Bar, Hooters, Carraba’s Italian Grill, Outback Steakhouse, IHOP, and 

Wendy’s. An estimated 365,800 square feet of retail space has been built to date. 

A survey of anchored shopping centers within the Independence Center retail hub was conducted 

in an effort to gauge the level of direct competition to the entertainment retail proposed to 

accompany the arena. As the table on page 28 indicates, nine anchored shopping centers 

surround Independence Center, including six power centers. The total inventory of 1.8 million 

square feet of shop space is operating at a healthy 95.5 percent occupancy rate. No destination 

entertainment or lifestyle centers are present within the Independence Center retail hub. 

Independence Center does house several specialty retailers such as Abercrombie & Fitch, 

Aeropostale, Gap and Banana Republic. 


Independence Center Retail Hub Shopping Centers 

Center Name/ Year Building Area 

Location Built Sq. Ft. Anchor Tenants 

Eastland Center 2002 316,000 Lowe’s, Costco 

NEC I-470 & Hwy 40 Comp USA 

Shops at Eastland 2002 19,180 Northstar Bank 

18931 E. Valley View Parkway 

Eastland Retail Center 2003 20,000 Subway 

18921 E. Valley View Parkway The UPS Store 

Pavilions Shopping Center 2003 223,000 Steinmart, World Market 

NWC Little Blue Pkwy & Jackson Drive Linens N Things 

Independence Commons 1995 399,930 Kohl’s, AMC 20 Theatre 

NEC 39 th Street & Arrowhead Avenue 1999 Marshalls, Office Max 

Independence Plaza 29,720 Famous Footwear 

18675 E. 39 th Street Brook Mays Music 

Bolger Square 1999 337,500 Target Greatland 

NEC 39 th Street & Crackerneck JC Penney 

Bolger Square West 2001 111,500 24 Hour Fitness Sport 

NWC 39 th Street & Crackerneck Jo-Ann Etc. 

Crossroads Center 357,853 Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club 

SWC 39 th Street & Hwy 291 Petsmart 

Totals 1,800,580 

Source: Canyon Research Southwest, Inc. 


Big-box retailers dominate the Independence Center area’s retail base. The primary trade area for 

most big-box retailers encompasses a 3- to 5-mile radius. The table below provides a list of 

discount department store, warehouse club, home improvement and other big-box retailers 

operating within the Independence Center retail hub. Recent retailer closings include 

Brandsmart, Garden Ridge, Rhodes Furniture and Ultimate Electronics. 

The Independence Center retail hub houses the largest concentration of big-box retailers in 

eastern Jackson County. Because of the large retail trade area supported by big-box retailers the 

Independence Center retail hub draws shoppers from outside of the City of Independence. 

Independence Center Retail Hub Big-Box Retailers 

Discount Department Store 

Target Greatland NEC 39th Street & Crackerneck Road 

Wal-Mart Supercenter SWC 39th Street & MO 291 

Kohl's NEC 39th Street & Arrowhead Avenue 

Warehouse Club Stores 

Costco NEC I-470 & Hwy 40 

Sam's Club SWC 39th Street & MO 291 

Home Improvement 

Lowe's NEC I-470 & Hwy 40 

Home Electronics 

Best Buy NEC 39th Street & Arrowhead Avenue 

Circuit City SEC 39th Street & MO 291 

Comp USA NEC I-470 & Hwy 40 

Movie Theatre 

AMC 20 Theatres NEC 39th Street & Arrowhead Avenue 

Clothing & Accessories 

Dress Barn NWC Jackson Drive & Little Blue Parkway 

Marshalls NEC 39th Street & Arrowhead Avenue 

SteinMart NWC Jackson Drive & Little Blue Parkway 

Housewares & Linens 

Bed Bath & Beyond NEC 39th Street & Arrowhead Avenue 

Linens 'N Things NWC Jackson Drive & Little Blue Parkway 

Other Big-Box Retailers 

Barnes & Noble NEC 39th Street & Arrowhead Avenue 

Dick's Sporting Goods NWC 39th Street & Crackerneck Road 

Office Max NEC 39th Street & Arrowhead Avenue 

JC Penney NEC 39th Street & Crackerneck Road 

Petsmart SWC 39th Street & MO 291 


A 180-acre redevelopment project is currently underway at the southwest corner of Interstates 70 

and 470 in Independence, Missouri featuring a city park, a Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World store 

and hotel, and The Falls at Crackerneck retail development. The project is located one mile west 

of the proposed arena site. Tax Increment Financing (TIF) is being used to assist in the 

redevelopment efforts. Mass grading and infrastructure improvements are being completed to 

the site. 

A 160,000 square foot Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World store and a 200-room hotel will anchor 

the 180-acre Redevelopment Project planned for the southwest corner of Interstates 70 and 470. 

The Outdoor World store will exhibit an Adirondack lodge-style with the hotel incorporating a 

lodge-theme. Surrounding the Outdoor World store and hotel will be an 82.6-acre city park and 

open space area designed for a 18-acre lake for fishing, a 60-foot waterfall, an extensive walking 

trail system, wetland and prairie restoration areas, interpretive areas, and outdoor demonstration 

and meeting areas. 

Crackerneck Creek, LLC has plans to develop The Falls at Crackerneck located on 90.4 acres 

located east, west and south of the Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World store. Three retail “villages” 

are designed for 537,000 square feet of retail space. The retail “villages” are planned to support 

a diverse mix of businesses. The East Retail Village is designed for a lifestyle center and a large 

cluster of freestanding sit-down restaurants. This project component could potentially compete 

directly with the destination entertainment and retail space proposed adjacent to the planned 

arena one mile to the east. The West Retail Village is planned for a traditional power center 

with big-box retailers, inline shops and out parcels. The South Retail Village is designed as an 

upscale neighborhood center anchored by a specialty grocery store. 

To conclude, with 1.8 million square feet of peripheral retail space the Independence Center 

retail hub now serves as eastern Jackson County’s primary retail destination. Power centers and 

big-box retailers account for the bulk of peripheral retail space. No lifestyle centers are located 

within the Independence Center retail hub with upscale retailers limited to a handful of stores 

within the mall such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Aeropostale, Ann Taylor Loft, Buckle, Gap, 

Hollister & Co., The Limited and Victoria’s Secret. With the possible exceptions of several 

existing freestanding restaurants and the lifestyle center planned for The Falls at Crackerneck, 

the destination entertainment and retail space proposed to accompany the arena wouldn’t 

compete directly with current retailers within the Independence Center retail hub. 


Kansas City Area Entertainment Retail Districts 

To capitalize on spectator levels and improve the capacity of public assistance the proposed arena in 

Independence, Missouri would be designed to incorporate the development of a destination 

entertainment and lifestyle center. Four comparable destination entertainment and lifestyle 

centers/districts currently operate within the metropolitan Kansas City area, including Country Club 

Plaza, Town Center Plaza, Zona Rosa and The Legends at Village West. The Kansas City Power & 

Light District is now under construction in downtown Kansas City, Missouri adjacent to the new 

Sprint Center. A description of each comparable entertainment and lifestyle center follows below. 

Country Club Plaza 

The Country Club Plaza serves as the Kansas City area’s premier specialty shopping, dining and 

entertainment destination. Occupying 55 acres at 47 th Street west of Main Street, in Kansas City, 

Missouri, Country Club Plaza is designed as a pedestrian-friendly urban center featuring a mixed of 

retail, office, lodging, and residential uses. Retail space totals approximately 900,000 square feet. 

Design elements include landscaped boulevards, public art, outdoor cafes, a wide mix of building 

facades, and 14 parking garages occupying 7,100 spaces. Anchor tenants include Mark Shale, 

Halls, Restoration Hardware, and Cinemark Palace. Dining (36 restaurants), women’s and men’s 

apparel (37 businesses), gifts/specialty shops (14 businesses) and home/art/antiques (10 businesses) 

dominate the retail tenant mix. Recent store openings at Country Club Plaza include Aldo, 

American Eagle Outfitters, Blonde, Max Studio, Urban Outfitters, Brio Tuscan Grille, M&S Grill, 

Cold Stone Creamery, Lillibelle, Brookstone and Gayle’s on the Plaza. Notable upscale retailers 

operating within the Country Club Plaza are listed in the table below. 

Country Club Plaza List of Retailers 

Restaurants Women's Apparel Men's Apparel 

Baja 600 Adrienne Vittadini Brooks Brothers 

Buca di Beppa American Eagle Outfitters Harold's 

California Pizza Kitchen Ann Taylor & Ann Taylor Loft Jack Henry 

Cheesecake Factory A/X Armani Exchange Pinstripes 

Houston's Banana Republic N. Valentino 

Kona Grill bebe 

McCormick & Schmick's Chico's 

P.F. Chang's China Bistro J. Crew 

Plaza III The Steakhouse J. Jill 

Ruth's Chris Steakhouse Talbots 

Tomfooleries Victoria's Secret 

Home/Art/Antiques Shoes Gifts & Specialty Shops 

Pottery Barn Aldo Bang & Olufsen 

Restoration Hardware E.G. Geller Barnes & Noble 

Scandia Down Enzo Angiolini Discovery Channel 

Williams Sonoma Johnstone & Murphy Paper Source 

Z Gallerie Steve's Shoes Sharper Image 


Town Center Plaza 

Town Center Plaza is a 610,287 square foot upscale retail center located at 119 th Street and Nall 

Avenue within southern Johnson County, Kansas. Demographics within a 10-mile radius are 

impressive, including a population of 646,208 people and an average household income of $77,124. 

Town Center Plaza houses nearly 90 national and specialty shops, 15 restaurants, and the AMC 20 

Theatres. Anchor tenants include The Jones Store (121,233 square feet); Dick’s Sporting Goods 

(100,000 sq. ft.); Barnes & Noble (30,000 sq. ft.); Pottery Barn (12,000 sq. ft.); Gap/Gap Body 

(10,000 sq. ft.); Restoration Hardware; and William Sonoma. A partial tenant list is outlined in the 

table below. 

Town Center Plaza List of Retailers 

Restaurants Apparel & Accessories Miscellaneous 

Baja Fresh Abercrombie & Fitch AMC 20 Theatres 

Bravo Cucina Italiana American Eagle Outfitters Barnes & Noble 

Bristol Bar & Grill Ann Taylor & Ann Taylor Loft Bath & Body Works 

Dean & Deluca The Buckle Bose 

Fenton's Cache' Dick's Sporting Goods 

Hereford House Chico's EB Games 

Houlihan's Claire's Kirkland's 

La Doice Vita Coldwater Creek Pottery Barn 

On the Border Mexican Café Gap/Gap Body Restoration Hardware 

Panera Bread J. Jill Sharper Image 

Sushi House Limited & Limited Too Things Remembered 

Blue Chip Cookies Victoria's Secret Thomas Kinkade Gallery 

Cold Stone Creamery White House Black Market Williams Sonoma 

Hawthorne Plaza is located immediately south of Town Center Plaza and houses such upscale 

retailers as Tivol Fine Jewelers, Talbots, Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, Steve’s Shoes, Casa Bonita Home, 

Rumors Salon, and 40 Sardines Restaurant. Together, Town Center Plaza and Hawthorne Plaza 

form southern Johnson County’s premiere upscale retail destination. 


Zona Rosa 

Steiner + Associates, Inc., is developing Zona Rosa, a 93-acre mixed-use project located at 

Interstate 29 and Barry Road within the Northlands region of Kansas City, Missouri. Zona Rosa 

is designed as an urban village with pedestrian promenades and public plazas supporting nearly 

1.0 million square feet of specialty retail, restaurants, entertainment, office, and residential space 

and 330 hotel rooms. 

At build-out Zona Rosa will support 648,030 square feet of specialty retail and restaurant space. 

The initial phase opened in mid-2004 designed with 468,681 square feet of specialty retail space 

and fourteen out parcels supporting up to 129,610 square feet of restaurant and retail space. Over 

95 percent of the shop space is now leased to a wide variety of national specialty retailers designed 

to create a unique and upscale shopping experience. Anchor tenants include Dick’s Sporting 

Goods, Marshalls Megastore, Barnes & Noble, DSW Shoes, and Majestic Theatre and Comedy 

Club. Dining (19 restaurants), apparel & accessories (22 stores), and entertainment venues 

highlight Zona Rosa’s tenant mix. 

Zona Rosa List of Retail Tenants 

Restaurants Apparel & Accessories 

Abuelo's Mexican Food New York NY Fresh Deli Abercrombie & Fitch Gap Kids/baby Gap 

Auntie Anne's Pretzels O'Dowd's Irish Pub Aeropostale Hollister Co. 

Bo Lings Chinese Please Qdoba Mexican Grill American Eagle Hot Topic 

Bravo Cucina Italiana Quizno's Subs Ann Taylor Loft Lane Bryant 

Cold Stone Creamery Rib Crib The Buckle Lids 

The Cookie Factory Smokehouse Barbeque Cache' Limited Too 

Granite City Food & Brewery Swagat Fine Indian Cuisine Claire's Men's Wearhouse 

Hereford House Ted's Montana Grill Dress Barn New York & Company 

Kelso's Pizza Tomfooleries Express Pacific Sunwear 

The Majestic Café Forever 21 Perfume Pizazz 

Mimi's Café Gap Victoria's Secret 

Entertainment Anchor Tenants Health & Beauty Jewelry 

GameStop Marshalls MegaStore Avalon Salon & Spa Balano Jewelry 

The Majestic Theatres Dick's Sporting Goods Bath & Body Works Helzberg Diamonds 

The Improv Comedy Club Barnes & Noble Beauty Express Kay Jewelers 

Nail EnVogue Zales Jewelers 

Home Furnishings Shoes Optical Misc. 

Ethan Allen DSW Lenscrafters Build-a-Bear Workshop 

Norwalk Furniture Stride Rite Sunglass Hut The Children's Place 

The Sharper Image Disney Store 


Legends at Village West 

RED Development is underway on The Legends at Village West, a 949,524 square foot destination 

lifestyle and entertainment center located within the 400-acre Village West Tourism District. The 

Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas is developing The Village 

West Tourism District is designed as a retail and entertainment destination supporting retail, 

entertainment, and hotel development. A 712,000 square foot Nebraska Furniture Mart and 

186,000 square foot Cabela’s anchor the Village West Tourism District. These one-of-kind retail 

concepts and exceptional regional transportation access allows the Village West Tourism District 

to penetrate a trade area consisting of over 8.7 million people within a 4-hour drive time. 

Attracted by the expanded regional draw such complementary retail and entertainment venues as 

the Community America Ballpark, The Legends at Village West, four hotels totaling 515 rooms, 

and 20 restaurants and retailers have opened at the Village West Tourism District. 

Development at The Legends at Village West has progressed in phases. The 14-screen, 86,916 

square foot Legends 14 Theatres opened in November 2005. Grand opening for the balance of the 

destination development occurred on April 22, 2006. Major retailers now open for business include 

Dave & Busters, TJ Maxx, Linens ‘N Things, T-Rex, Off Broadway Shoes, Home Decorators 

Collection, Books-a-Million, and Old Navy. Specialty retailers include Aeropostale, American 

Eagle Outfitters, Banana Republic, Brooks Bros., Hot Topic, Osh Kosh, Timberline, and Tommy 

Hilfiger. A 126,800 square foot Target and 97,440 square feet JC Penney are built on out lots. 

Completion of The Legends at Village West will further strengthen the position of the Village West 

Tourism District as a regional shopping and entertainment destination. 

Kansas City Power & Light District 

The Kansas City Power & Light District now under construction in downtown Kansas City, 

Missouri by Baltimore-based Cordish Company. Located between the Bartle Hall Convention 

Center expansion and the $250 million Sprint Center Arena now under construction, the Kansas 

City Power & Light District will cover nine city blocks. The $850 million mixed-use 

development is planned for over 3.0 million square feet of destination entertainment and 

shopping, office, and residential space. 

The Kansas City Power & Light District will feature 450,000 square feet of upscale shopping 

and entertainment, including boutiques, art galleries, bookstores, unique concept shops, a health 

club, a gourmet supermarket, restaurants, clubs, lounges, live music venues, comedy clubs, cafes, 

and one-of-kind entertainment attractions. The heart of the District will be Power & Light Live, 

a collection of nighttime venues focused around a covered outdoor plaza designed for major 

concerts. Anchored by the 700,000 square foot H&R Block Headquarters, the District will also 

include 1.3 million square feet of office space in three buildings. To create a 24-hour 

environment, the District will incorporate 1,500 residential units. 

As part of the Kansas City Power & Light District, AMC Entertainment, Inc. has agreed to 

revitalize the historic Midland and Empire Theaters. The Midland Theater will be revitalized 

into a live performance theater, restaurant and bar, and will anchor the northwest corner of the 

Kansas City Power & Light District. The Empire Theater will serve as the District’s southwest 

corner anchor and will be restored to operate as a unique AMC movie theater complex. 


The first phase of the Kansas City Power & Light District is scheduled to open by Fall 2007 

consisting of approximately 450,000 square feet of retail and entertainment space. Phase 2 is 

planned for 1,500 residential units and approximately 1.0 million square feet of office space. A 

major component of the Power & Light District will be the world headquarters for H&R Block 

now under construction. The 19-story, 700,000 square foot office tower is designed with a 2story 

glass lobby featuring a 20-foot tall natural stone “water wall” and a European-inspired 

piazza. Announced tenants of the Kansas City Power & Light District include Cosentino’s 

Downtown Gourmet Market, AMC Theatres, Bristol Seafood Grill, ChinaBar and Vivino V. 

Conclusions 

The table on page 36 provides a matrix comparing the tenant mix of the four destination retail and 

entertainment centers in the metropolitan Kansas City area. The purpose of this comparative 

analysis is to identify a potential market niche and retail mix for the destination entertainment and 

retail planned to accompany the proposed arena in Independence, Missouri. 

Zona Rosa, Country Club Plaza, and Town Center Plaza maintain a similar tenant mix highlighted 

by apparel stores, dining establishments, specialty stores, and entertainment venues. In fact, these 

destination retail and entertainment centers share many of the same retailers (i.e., American Eagle 

Outfitters, Ann Taylor, Express, The Gap, Barnes & Noble, and Sharper Image) due to similar 

market positioning, high trade area income levels, and their distance apart which allows for the 

operating of “sister” stores. Both Zona Rosa and Town Center Plaza service primarily the local 

market, whereas Country Club Plaza maintains a much larger tourist and visitor draw. Given the 

presence of Nebraska Furniture Mart, Cabela’s and the Kansas Speedway, the Village West 

Tourism District enjoys a regional trade area draw much larger than that of the three other 

destination entertainment and lifestyle centers/districts operating in the Kansas City area. Theme 

restaurants and one-of-a-kind entertainment venues (i.e., Dave & Busters and T-Rex) account for a 

higher percentage of the Legends at Village West’s tenant mix. 

While Kansas City’s existing destination entertainment and lifestyle centers would appear to create 

formidable competition, given its association with a 6,000-seat multi-purpose arena the envisioned 

tenant mix of the destination entertainment and retail component is envisioned to emphasize 

restaurants, nightclubs and entertainment. The tenant mix of Zona Rosa, Country Club Plaza, and 

Town Center Plaza heavily favor soft goods retailers and restaurants, with nightclubs and 

entertainment playing much lesser of a role. The Legends at Village West is deemed the primary 

competitor having placed much more emphasis on creating a distinctive retail environment through 

the tenancy of “one-of-a-kind” retailers, restaurants, and entertainment venues not currently 

operating in the Kansas City market. This market positioning has attracted local residents, tourists, 

and area visitors as well as generated above-average retail sales volumes. 

The Kansas City Power & Light District currently under construction in downtown Kansas City, 

Missouri is being developed using the proximity and synergy of the neighboring Sprint Center. 

While the development concept of the Kansas City Power & Light District is similar to that of the 

proposed arena and associated retail in Independence, Missouri, the large scale, mixed-use design 

and downtown location will minimize the extent of direct competition. 


Kansas City Area Entertainment & Lifestyle Centers – Tenant Mix 

Country Town Zona Legends at 

Retailer Club Plaza Center Rosa Village West 

Dining 

Abuelo's Mexican Food Embassy X 

Applebee's X 

Arthur Bryants X 

Bo Ling's Chinese Restaurant X X 

Bravo Italiana X X 

Bristol X 

Buca di Beppo X 

California Pizza Kitchen X 

The Capital Grill X 

The Cheesecake Factory X 

Caliente Cuban X 

Cantina Corona X 

Johnny Carino's X 

Cheeseburger in Paradise X 

Chili's X 

Claddagh Irish Pub X 

Coyote Ugly X 

Bob Evans X 

Granite City X X 

Hereford House X 

Hooters X 

Houlihan's X 

Houston's X 

IHOP X 

Kona Grill X 

Margarita Mama's X 

McCormick & Schmick's X 

O'Dowd's Little Dublin X X 

Outback Steakhouse X 

P.F. Chang's China Bistro X 

Red Lobster X 

Ruth's Chris Steakhouse X 

Ted's Montana Grill X X 

Tomfooleries Restaurant & Bar X X 

Yardhouse X 

Apparel & Accessories 

Adidas X 

Aeropostale X X 

Ambercrombie & Fitch X 

American Eagle Outfitters X X X X 

Ann Taylor/Loft X X X X 

Banana Republic X X X 

bebe X 

Brooks Brothers X 

Buckle X X X 


Kansas City Area Entertainment & Lifestyle Centers (Continued) 

Country Town Zona Legends at 

Retailer Club Plaza Center Rosa Village West 

Cache X X 

Cavender's Western Outfitter X 

Chico's X X 

Coldwater Creek X 

Express X X X 

Forever 21 X X 

Gap X X X X 

H&M X 

Harolds X X 

Hollister Co. X 

J. Crew X 

J. Jill X X 

Jockey X 

Lane Bryant X 

Limited X X 

Off Broadway Shoes X 

Old Navy X 

Orvis X 

Rack Room X 

Talbots X X 

Timberline X 

Victoria's Secret X X X 

White House/Black Market X X 

Specialty Retailers 

Books-A-Million X 

Barnes & Noble X X X 

Border's Books 

Cold Stone Creamery X X X X 

Dick's Sporting Goods X X 

Discovery Channel X X 

Godiva Chocolaties X X 

Home Decorators Collection X 

Pottery Barn X X 

Restoration Hardware X X 

Sharper Image X X X 

The Children's Place X X X 

Williams-Sonoma X X 

Entertainment 

Cinemark Theaters X 

Majestic Theatres & Comedy Club X 

AMC 20 Theaters X 

Dave & Buster's X 

Legends 14 Theatres X 

Pin-Up Bowl X 

T-Rex X 


Two lifestyle centers are proposed for future development in Lee’s Summit, Missouri that will 

compete for tenants with the proposed arena’s destination entertainment and retail component. 

These proposed lifestyle centers include Summit Fair by RED Development and City Walk by 

Coventry and Developers Diversified Realty Corporation. These proposed lifestyle centers 

benefit from a considerable lead time in planning and marketing as well as being located within 

the growing affluent community of Lee’s Summit. 

RED Development, the developer of The Legends at Village West, has plans to construct an 

open-air lifestyle shopping center located at the northeast corner of Chipman Road and U.S. 

Highway 50. Referred to as Summit Fair, the preliminary site plan calls for a 548,186 square 

foot lifestyle center and five out parcels designed for 39,080 square feet of retail space. The 

lifestyle center possesses a “Main Street” design featuring 19 individual retail buildings. The 

preliminary site plan includes one anchor department store of 142,000 square feet, ten medium 

sized retailers ranging in size from 18,000 to 25,000 square feet, and 87,284 square feet of shop 

space. The shop space is being marketed to upscale specialty retailers and restaurants. The 

58.74-acre parcel requires the realignment of Blue Parkway and the purchase of the western 

portion of the Summit Technology Center campus. A Tax Increment Financing Plan was 

approved to fund transportation and infrastructure improvements to the Summit Fair site. 

Greenpoint Development, LLC in conjunction with Coventry and Developers Diversified Realty 

Corporation is planning CityWalk at the intersection of U.S. Highway 50 and MO 291. The 

developer is seeking financial incentives in the form of a Super TIF. The preliminary site plan 

calls for a 639,024 square foot lifestyle center at the southwest corner of U.S. Highway 50 and 

MO 291, plus a 200,000 square foot “big-box” retailer and freestanding out parcel designed for a 

12,000 square foot restaurant at the southeast corner. 


Forecast Retail Space Demand 

Given its unique market positioning and prospective tenant mix, the proposed arena’s destination 

entertainment and retail component will attract customers from throughout the greater 

metropolitan Kansas City area. However, primary trade area for the arena’s destination 

entertainment and retail component is defined as the geographic region within a 15-mile radius 

(includes the adjoining communities of Kansas City, Lee’s Summit and Blue Springs) with the 

secondary trade area encompassing a 30-mile radius. Retail space demand for the primary trade 

area through 2011 has been forecast to provide insight into future competitive market conditions. 

Net demand for retail floor space is a direct function of consumer population and income levels. 

According to data published Claritas, Inc. the 2006 population for the primary area of 715,202 

residents is forecast to reach 723,600 by 2011, a gain of 8,398 residents. Claritas Inc. estimates 

the per capita income level for the primary trade area to increase from $24,529 in 2006 to 

$27,313 by 2011. Based on the composition of retail sales within the metropolitan Kansas City 

area, expenditures on goods and services (excluding automobile sales) amount to approximately 

45 percent of total personal income. Based on per capita retail sales (excludes automobile sales) 

of $12,396 for 2005, the primary trade area’s retail pull factor has been estimated at 1.18. The 

retail pull factor measures the relative strength of a city’s retail trade and is measured as a ratio 

of city over state per capita sales tax collections. A pull factor value exceeding 1.00 indicates 

that the community is attracting an above average rate of retail sales. Based on Dollars & Cents 

of Shopping Centers, an average retail sales rate of $250 per square foot was used to quantify 

future demand for retail space. 

Projected Primary Trade Area Retail Space Demand: 2006 – 2011 

2006 2011 Gains 

Population 715,202 8,398 

Per Capita Income $24,529 $27,313 

Total Personal Income $17,543,189,858 $229,374,574 

% Income Spent on Goods & Services (excluding automobiles) 45% 45% 

Retail Pull Factor 1.18 1.18 

Total Potential Non-Automotive Retail Sales $9,315,433,837 $121,797,899 

Less: 2005 Non-Automotive Retail Sales $8,865,809,630 

Potential Capture of Additional Non-Automotive Retail Sales $449,624,207 $121,797,899 

Average Retail Sales Per Square Foot $230 $250 

Supportable Additional Retail Space (Sq. Ft.) 1,954,888 487,192 

Source: Canyon Research Southwest, Inc.; January 2007. 

The 2006 primary trade area population of 715,202 residents is estimated to generate demand for 

an additional 1.95 million square feet of occupied retail space. By 2011, the 8,398 new residents 

are forecast to generate demand for an additional 487,192 square feet of occupied retail space. In 

total, over the next five years the opportunity exists for the primary trade area to support an 

additional 2.44 million square feet of occupied retail space. 


The metropolitan Kansas City area supports an estimated 3.4 million square feet of existing and 

under construction lifestyle and destination retail and entertainment space, accounting for 8.9 

percent of the metro-wide retail inventory. The inventory of lifestyle and destination retail and 

entertainment space is estimated to capture approximately 5.1 percent of total retail sales in the 

metropolitan Kansas City area. 

At a capture rate of 5.1 percent of total retail sales by 2011 and average sales of $300 per square 

foot, the primary trade area is forecast to support approximately 1.78 million square feet of 

upscale retail space. Lifestyle and destination retail and entertainment districts operating within 

the primary trade area include Country Club Plaza and the Kansas City Power & Light District 

totaling 1.35 million square feet of retail space. Assuming these centers operate at an average 

occupancy rate of 95 percent, by the year 2011 the primary trade area is forecast to support an 

estimated 500,000 square feet of occupied destination retail and entertainment space. The 

proposed arena’s retail component will be competing against Summit Fair, CityWalk and other 

projects to capture this unmet demand for destination retail and entertainment space. 

Entertainment District Site Evaluation 

Shopping center developers and major retailers evaluate potential sites based on a series of site 

specific criteria. Common selection criteria when evaluating an arena-based destination 

entertainment and retail development site include visibility and exposure, accessibility, 

compatibility of adjacent land uses, trade area demographics, the level of direct competition and 

synergy with arena development. Using these site selection criteria the proposed arena site was 

evaluated as a potential destination entertainment and retail development location. 

Visibility 

Visibility has a significant influence on retail sales volumes. The proposed arena site is situated 

adjacent to Little Blue Parkway (a 4-lane major arterial street) and Interstate 70 (6 lanes), providing 

sufficient visibility and exposure to support destination entertainment and retail development. 

Accessibility 

Regional, local and on-site accessibility is critical for successful destination entertainment and 

retail center development. Site accessibility criteria include: 1) hierarchy of streets; 2) the vehicular 

speed and traffic counts past the site; 3) a traffic signal within 500 feet of the site and 4) the ability 

to make a left turn as ingress into the site. Using these criteria the proposed arena site was evaluated 

as a potential destination entertainment and retail site. 

1. The term “hierarchy of streets” refers to the character of the surrounding area’s 

vehicular transportation network. The roadway network in and around eastern 

Jackson County includes major arterials following a grid pattern, highways 

and freeways. Interstate 70 adjacent to the site serves as Jackson County’s 

primary east-west transportation corridor. Interstate 470 approximately one 

mile west of the proposed arena site is part of a beltway system that provides 

direct access to the entire Kansas City metropolitan area. The proposed arena 

site is located at the intersection of Interstate 70 and Little Blue Parkway, 


providing efficient neighborhood and regional access as well as an expanded 

retail trade area. Direct on-site access will be provided from Little Blue 

Parkway. 

2. The posted speed limits past the site on Little Blue Parkway allows for 

convenient on-site ingress and egress. 

3. A signalized intersection at Little Blue Parkway and Jackson Street provides 

the proposed arena site with convenient on-site ingress and egress. 

4. The signalized intersection at Little Blue Parkway and Jackson Street provides 

the proposed arena site with convenient left turn site ingress. 

The proposed arena site possesses adequate vehicular accessibility to support destination 

entertainment and retail development. 

Compatibility of Adjacent Land Uses 

The proposed arena site is located within the Independence Center urban core whose 2.7 million 

square feet of retail space is accompanied hotels, office buildings, restaurants and the 250-bed 

HCA Hospital now under construction. Hartman Heritage Center is located immediately west of 

the arena site. This major mixed-use development consists of 120,000 square feet of office 

space, 203-room Hilton Garden Inn and 15,000 square foot Hartman Heritage Center Conference 

Center, five freestanding restaurants (Hereford House, Macaroni Grill, On the Border, Joe’s Crab 

Shack and O’Charley’s) and the 223,000 square foot Pavilions Shopping Center. 

Location within the Independence Center urban core will generate on-site demand for dining, 

entertainment, and shopping. Therefore, existing area development is compatible with the 

proposed arena site and will assist in establishing an entertainment and retail destination. 

Trade Area Demographics 

The population within a 15-mile radius of the proposed site is young, educated, affluent, and 

growing. Claritas, Inc. estimated the 2006 population at 715,202, possessing a median age of 

36.34 years, and an average household income of $59,412. One-quarter of households maintain 

an annual income of $75,000 or more. By the year 2011, the population within a 15-mile radius 

is forecast to increase to 723,600 residents with the average household income reaching $65,936. 

Nearly 29 percent of the population is aged between 25 and 44 years. This age group is a large 

consumer of entertainment, specialty and boutique retail, and sit-down restaurants. The 

demographic characteristics within a 15-mile radius of the proposed arena site bode well for the 

opportunity to support destination entertainment and retail development. 

Competition 

Four destination entertainment and retail centers currently operate within the metropolitan Kansas 

City area, including the Country Club Plaza at Main Street and Ward Parkway in central Kansas 

City; Zona Rosa in the Northlands; Town Center Plaza at 119 th Street and Roe Avenue in Leawood 

and The Legends at Village West at Interstates 435 and 70 in Kansas City, Kansas. 


While Kansas City’s existing destination entertainment and lifestyle centers would appear to create 

formidable competition, given its association with a 6,000-seat multi-purpose arena the envisioned 

tenant mix of the destination entertainment and retail component is envisioned to emphasize 

restaurants, nightclubs and entertainment. The tenant mix of Zona Rosa, Country Club Plaza, and 

Town Center Plaza heavily favor soft goods retailers and restaurants, with nightclubs and 

entertainment playing much lesser of a role. The Legends at Village West is deemed the primary 

competitor having placed much more emphasis on creating a distinctive retail environment through 

the tenancy of “one-of-a-kind” retailers, restaurants, and entertainment venues not currently 

operating in the Kansas City market. The Legends at Village West is located approximately 25 

miles west of the proposed arena site in Independence, Missouri, greatly minimizing the extent of 

direct competition. 






The proposed arena site is located within the Independence Center retail hub. No lifestyle centers 

are located within the Independence Center retail hub with upscale retailers limited to a handful 

of stores within the mall such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Aeropostale, Ann Taylor Loft, Buckle, 

Gap, Hollister & Co., The Limited and Victoria’s Secret. The AMC 20 Theatres is the only 

entertainment venue operating within the Independence Center retail hub. Future competition 

may result from the lifestyle center planned for The Falls at Crackerneck. 

The proposed arena site is envisioned to support considerable restaurant development. Major sitdown 

restaurant chains operating within the Independence Center retail hub are identified in the 

table below. A total of 25 sit-down restaurants operate within the Independence Center retail hub. 

Notable restaurants include Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Chili’s, Macaroni Grill and Outback 

Steakhouse. Restaurant chains with restaurants in the Kansas City area but not operating in the 

Independence Center retail hub include Bravo Italiana, California Pizza Kitchen, Cheesecake 

Factory, Johnny Carino’s, Granite City, Kona Grill and many more. 

Independence Center Sit-down Restaurants 

Restaurant Restaurant Restaurant 

bd's Mongolian Barbecue Hooters Outback Steakhouse 

Bob Evans IHOP Panera Bread 

Buffalo Wild Wings Joe's Crab Shack Red Robin 

Carrabba's Italian Grill Kobe Steakhouse & Sushi Bar Rib Cribb Barbecue 

Chili's Lone Star Steakhouse Smokehouse Barbecue 

Chipotle Mexican Grill Longhorn Steakhouse TGI Fridays 

Fazoli's Macaroni Grill Zio's Italian Kitchen 

54th Street Grill O'Charley's 

Hereford House On the Border Mexican Grill 


Synergy with Arena Development 

The multi-use arena proposed in Independence, Missouri is forecast to host 100 events per year 

with a combined attendance of 387,500 spectators. Throughout the country destination 

entertainment and retail districts have been developed in conjunction with newly constructed 

multi-purpose arenas, capitalizing on the large event attendance throughout the year. Recent 

examples include three arenas that opened in 2006 for Central Hockey League franchises. These 

new arenas include the Broomfield Event Center home to the Rocky Mountain Rage, Prescott 

Valley Convention and Events Center home to the Arizona Sundogs, and the Santa Ana Star 

Center home to the New Mexico Scorpions. Each multi-use arena features a suburban location 

and is integrated into a large-scale, mixed-use urban center featuring restaurants, nightclubs, 

shopping and entertainment venues. These recent arena development trends suggest that retail 

space accompany the arena proposed in Independence, Missouri. 

This report concludes that the proposed arena site in Independence, Missouri is a feasible 

destination entertainment and retail site, possessing the necessary access, visibility, exposure, trade 

area demographics, and location within a major retail hub. A growing trade area population and 

business community, limited presence of upscale retailers and pent-up upscale retail space demand 

provides the opportunity to attract destination and specialty retailers and support feasible 

development. The multi-use arena provides retailers and restaurants with a large and captive 

customer base. 

Conclusions 

A 6,000-seat sports arena and associated entertainment and retail district is being proposed for 

development at the northeast corner of Interstate 70 and Little Blue Parkway in suburban 


Throughout the country destination entertainment and retail districts are being developed in 

conjunction with newly constructed multi-purpose arenas, capitalizing on the large event 

attendance throughout the year. Arena-based destination entertainment and retail districts are 

generally positioned to support a vibrant day and nightlife through the tenancy of theme restaurants, 

nightclubs, specialty retailers and entertainment venues. 

Three multi-use arenas anchored by new Central Hockey League franchises opened for the 2006- 

07 season. Each multi-use arena features a suburban location and is integrated into a large-scale, 

mixed-use urban center featuring restaurants, nightclubs, shopping and entertainment venues. 

These recent arena development trends suggest that retail space accompany the arena proposed in 


The proposed arena site is located within eastern Jackson County’s primary retail destination 

anchored by the 850,000 square foot Independence Center regional mall. The Independence 

Center retail hub maintains 2.7 million square feet of space. Over the past several years, with the 

opening of the Eastland Center and Hartman Heritage Center, the Independence Center retail hub 

has evolved into a mixed-use urban center now supporting retail, office, hotel and high-density 

residential uses. The pending completion of the 250-bed HCA Hospital and 160,000 square foot 


Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World will further diversify and strengthen Independence Center as a 

mixed-use urban center. 

No lifestyle centers are located within the Independence Center retail hub with upscale retailers 

limited to a handful of stores within the mall such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Aeropostale, Ann 

Taylor Loft, Buckle, Gap, Hollister & Co., The Limited and Victoria’s Secret. The AMC 20 

Theatres is the only entertainment venue operating within the Independence Center retail hub. 

Future competition may result from the lifestyle center planned for The Falls at Crackerneck. 

Kansas City’s five existing and pending destination entertainment and lifestyle centers will have 

varying degrees of competition on the proposed arena’s entertainment and retail district. The 

tenant mix of the destination entertainment and retail district is envisioned to emphasize restaurants, 

nightclubs and entertainment. The tenant mix of Zona Rosa, Country Club Plaza, and Town Center 

Plaza heavily favor soft goods retailers and restaurants, with nightclubs and entertainment playing 

much lesser of a role. The Legends at Village West is deemed the primary competitor having 

placed much more emphasis on creating a distinctive retail environment through the tenancy of 

“one-of-a-kind” retailers, restaurants, and entertainment venues not currently operating in the 

Kansas City market. The Legends at Village West is located approximately 25 miles west of the 

proposed arena site in Independence, Missouri, reducing the extent of direct competition. 






The proposed arena site in Independence, Missouri is a feasible destination entertainment and retail 

site, possessing the necessary access, visibility, exposure, trade area demographics, and location 

within a major retail hub. A growing trade area population and business community, limited 

presence of upscale retailers and pent-up upscale retail space demand provides the opportunity to 

attract destination and specialty retailers and support feasible development. The multi-use arena 

provides retailers and restaurants with a large and captive customer base. 



The preliminary master plan for the proposed arenas in Overland Park and Olathe included 333,941 

to 572,500 square feet of shops and pad space which is sufficient to create a critical mass of 

entertainment venues and specialty shopping. It is recommended that 200,000 to 300,000 square 

feet of destination entertainment and retail space accompany the multi-use arena proposed in 




STUDY CONCLUSIONS 

The City of Independence, Missouri is evaluating the viability of constructing a 6,000-seat multiuse 

arena accompanied by an entertainment/retail district on a vacant site located at the northeast 

corner of Interstate 70 and Little Blue Parkway. Canyon Research Southwest, Inc. has prepared 

a Sports Arena Market Feasibility Study that evaluates the short-term development potential of 

both the 6,000-seat sports arena and accompanied entertainment/retail district. 

Based on the study findings, the Sports Arena Market Feasibility Study addressed the 

supportable arena size and square footage of entertainment retail space and forecast both arena 

event demand and retail sales generated by the accompanied entertainment/retail district. 

Development Plan 

The multi-use arena proposed for the northeast corner of Interstate 70 and Little Blue Parkway in 

Independence, Missouri if tentatively designed for a seat capacity for 6,000 spectators. The midsized 

multi-use arena is designed to compliment existing sports and entertainment facilities in the 

Kansas City area. 

Kansas City’s demographics and inventory of sports venues suggests a mid-size arena is 





CHL franchises operate in arenas ranging in size from the 4,986 to 10,400 seats. The average arena 

size seats 6,793 spectators. The three CHL franchises opening play during the 2006-07 season all 

serve as the anchor tenant of a new 5,100- to 6,200-seat multi-use facility designed with club seats, 

luxury suites, excellent spectator sight lines, concessions and flexibility to host a wide range of 

events. Each multi-use facility also features a suburban location and is integrated into a large-scale, 

mixed-use urban center. Therefore, the seating capacity for the proposed arena in Independence, 

Missouri appears to meet the requirements of minor league hockey and other sports leagues and 

special events. 

To enhance the spectators overall experience and generate additional revenues mid-sized suburban 

arenas now incorporate a retail component. The tenancy of these accompanied retail districts 

consists predominantly of restaurants, nightclubs, entertainment venues and some specialty shops. 

The market positioning of the retail district is to create a vibrant entertainment and retail 

environment that is complimentary to the events hosted by the multi-use arena. 



The preliminary master plan for the once proposed arenas in Overland Park and Olathe included 

333,941 to 572,500 square feet of shops and pad space. It is recommended that 200,000 to 300,000 

square feet of destination entertainment and retail space accompany the multi-use arena proposed in 




Forecast Arena Demand 

The multi-use arena proposed Independence is anticipated to serve as the home for one or more 

minor league sports teams with a CHL team the most likely anchor tenant. The proposed 6,000seat 

multi-use arena is conservatively forecast to host 100 events per year and a total attendance 

of 387,500 spectators. These demand forecasts assume that the arena houses at least one anchor 

tenant, is managed by a national sports facility management company, and hosts such special 

events as concerts, family shows, amateur sporting events and conventions/trade shows. These 

event and attendance forecasts do not include such community activities as high school 








Concerts 15 5,500 62,500 

Family Shows 10 4,500 45,000 





Totals 100 3,826 387,500 

The proposed 6,000-seat multi-use arena will have a significant economic impact on the 

community. Direct impacts measure the spending and job creation that occurs as a direct result 

of the operations and activities that occur within the arena. Indirect impacts consist of respending 

of the initial or direct expenditures, or the supply of goods or services resulting from 

the initial direct spending within the arena. The proposed arena is forecast to generate 90 fulltime 

equivalent jobs and average per spectator spending of $20 for event tickets and parking and 

$10 on food and beverage. Operation of the proposed multi-use arena is forecast to generate a 

first-year direct economic impact in the form of job creation and spending estimated at 

approximately $13.7 million. Using a multiplier of 1.75, the direct and indirect (total) economic 

impact is estimated at approximately $24.0 million. 


Forecast Retail Sales Revenues 

The proposed multi-use arena’s entertainment and retail district will be designed to attract 

customers on both event and non-event nights. Its location off Interstate 70 within eastern 

Jackson County’s largest retail hub will assist in drawing customers on non-event nights. Retail 

sales for the entertainment and retail district were estimated based on several sources, including: 

• Dollars & Cents of Shopping Centers 2006 published by the Urban Land Institute; 

• Retail sales data published by the International Council of Shopping Centers; 

• Financial data published in the Annual Reports of national tenants that commonly occupy 

destination entertainment and retail district; and 

• Consultant’s internal database on actual retail sales of similar destination entertainment and 

retail developments operating in the Kansas City area. 

Retail sales volumes for the proposed entertainment and retail district were forecast taking into 

consideration both competitive retail market forces (i.e., direct competition from similar 

destination retail developments operating in the Kansas City) and trade area demographics (i.e., 

population and income levels, age distribution and educational attainment) were considered. 

During the first full year of operation the entertainment and retail district accompanying the 

proposed multi-use arena in Independence, Missouri is forecast to generate retail sales of $310 

per square foot of retail floor area, equating to total sales of approximately $62 million to $93 

million. 


ADDENDA 


EXHIBIT A 

Canyon Research Southwest, Inc., Client Roster 


CLIENT ROSTER 

During its period of operation, Canyon Research Southwest, Inc. has provided real estate 

consulting services for a number of leading organizations including: 

Abigail Properties 

Appraisal Technology, Inc. 

Arizona State Land Department 

Aspen Group 

Bain & Company, Inc. (Boston, Massachusetts) 

Bashas' Markets, Inc. 

Belz-Burrow (Jonesboro, Arkansas) 

Brook Group 

Browning-Ferris Industries 

Burch & Cracchiolo PA 

CB Commercial 

CEI Realty Company (San Francisco, California) 

Cavan Real Estate Investments 

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints 

Circle G Development 

City of Belton, Missouri 

City of Fenton, Missouri 

City of Glendale Economic Development Department 


City of Liberty, Missouri 

City of Manhattan, Kansas 

City of Mesa Economic Development Department 

City of Mesa Real Estate Services 

City of Osage Beach, Missouri 

City of Phoenix Economic Development Department 

City of Phoenix Real Estate Department 

City of Tucson Community Services Department 

City of Warsaw, Missouri 

City of Webster Groves, Missouri 

Danny’s Family Car Wash 

Diamond Ventures 

D.J. Christie, Inc. (Overland Park, Kansas) 

DMB Associates, Inc. 

DMJM Arizona, Inc. 

Dushoff & McCall 

Gammage & Burnham 

Gilded Age (St. Louis, Missouri) 

W.M. Grace Development 

Greystone Group (Newport Beach, California) 

Greenberg & Associates, Inc. (Tucson, Arizona) 

Holiday Hospitality Corporation (Atlanta, Georgia) 

JPI Development 


Kaiser Permanente (Oakland, California) 

LandGrant Development (San Diego, California) 

Landmark Organization, Inc. (Austin, Texas) 

Lee’s Summit Economic Development Council (Lee’s Summit Missouri) 

Lerner Companies (Omaha, NE) 

Lewis and Roca 

Loftworks, LLC (St. Louis, Missouri) 

Lowe’s Home Centers, Inc. (North Wilkesboro, NC) 

Maclay Properties Company (Dallas, Texas) 

Marriott International, Inc. (Washington, D.C.) 

McGowan/Walsh (St. Louis, Missouri) 

MCO Properties 

Metropolitan Housing Corporation (Tucson, Arizona) 

Microtel Inns 

Miller, Klutznick, Davis, Gray (Denver, Colorado) 

Navajo Nation Division of Economic Development 

Northern Equities Company 

Northern Trust Bank 

Opus Northwest 

Opus West Corporation 

Pederson Group, Inc. 

Phelps Dodge Corporation 

Pivotal Group 

Pulte Home Corporation (Phoenix, Arizona) 

Pulte Home of Greater Kansas City 

Ralph J. Brekan & Company 

RED Capital Development (Kansas City, Missouri and Phoenix, Arizona) 

River Run Development (Boise, Idaho) 

Royal Properties (Champaign, Illinois 

Steiner + Associates (Columbus, Ohio) 

SWD Holdings, Inc. (San Francisco, California) 

Tetra Tech, Inc. (Tucson, Arizona) 

The Innova Group Tucson 

The University of Arizona Department of Economic Development 

The University of Arizona Medical Center 

Tucson Realty (Tucson, Arizona) 

Union Homes (Salt Lake City, Utah) 

United Properties 

USbancorp Piper Jaffray (Kansas City, Missouri) 

Wal-Mart, Inc. (Bentonville, Arkansas) 

Wells Fargo Bank Corporate Properties Group 

Westinghouse Communities 

Wolfswinkel Group 

Yavapai-Apache Nation (Camp Verde, Arizona) 


EXHIBIT B 

Resume of Eric S. Lander, Principal 



EDUCATION 

ERIC S. LANDER 

In May, 1981, Mr. Lander received a B.S. in Marketing from the Arizona State University 

College of Business Administration. He attended Arizona State University from September 

1977 to May 1981, and received honors status for his superior cumulative grade point average. 

During this time, he was an active member of the Marketing Club and National AMA as well as 

a participant in several research projects involving both local and national firms. In May, 1992, 

Mr. Lander received a Masters in Real Estate Development and Investment from New York 

University, graduating with honors. 

BUSINESS EXPERIENCE 


President (October 1984 to Present) 

Established Canyon Research Southwest, Inc. as a multi-disciplined real estate consulting firm 

designed to provide comprehensive research and analysis to the development, financial, 

investment, and municipal communities. Responsibilities include direct marketing, project 

management, staffing, and client relations. The firm has performed in excess of 400 major 

consulting assignments with over 75 local and national clients. Fields of expertise include market 

and feasibility analysis of large-scale master planned communities, freeway oriented mixed-use 

projects, retail centers, office complexes, business parks, and hotels. Additional services include 

fiscal impact studies, property valuation, and development plan analysis. 

Mountain West Research 

Associate (December 1988 to January 1990) 

Senior Consultant (October 1983 to October 1984) 

Mr. Lander assisted in managing the Commercial Real Estate Services Division of Mountain 

West, Arizona's largest real estate and economic development consulting firm. Responsibilities 

included direct marketing, personnel management, client relations, and consulting on large-scale 

commercial, office, industrial, and hotel projects. Also contributed to several real estate 

publications and assisted in the management and marketing of the firm's commercial, office, and 

industrial (COI) data base. 

Iliff, Thorn & Company 

Marketing Assistant (January 1982 to December 1983) 

Joined Iliff, Thorn & Company during its infancy and became solely responsible for providing inhouse 

marketing support services to its commercial real estate brokers. These services included 

demographic research, office/industrial/retail market studies, raw land sales packages, site 

selection analysis, client relations, and property research. Major accomplishments included 

establishing and implementing office and industrial absorption studies, devised central office 

market and available raw land files, and organized the development of an industrial/retail map. 

Also, during this time, Mr. Lander obtained a real estate sales license and became involved in 

commercial brokerage activities. 


ERIC S. LANDER 

RANGE OF EXPERIENCE 

Page 2 

In 1987, Mr. Lander, in cooperation with the Drachman Institute of Regional Land Planning, published a 

working paper titled "Land Development as Value Added in the Development Process and Appropriate 

Criteria to Rank Sites for Selection of Master Planned Satellite Communities." Since the publication of 

this working paper, Mr. Lander has conducted numerous market feasibility studies on existing and 

proposed, large-scale, master planned communities in the Southwestern United States, totaling over 

80,000 acres. The working paper was also evaluated and utilized by such prestigious universities as 

Harvard, M.I.T. and the University of North Carolina as part of their Masters program in Real Estate, City 

and Regional Planning, and Business. 

Mr. Lander is an instructor with the Commercial Real Estate Institute, teaching classes in Market 

Analysis, Commercial Property Valuation and Land Valuation. 

Developed a model designed to evaluate and rank the development potential of freeway 

interchanges. The methodology for ranking freeway properties is based on a list of 25 criteria 

which provide a framework to efficiently compare the strengths and weaknesses of various freeway 

sites. Seven (7) criteria have been established which apply to metropolitan area economic base and 

real estate market, five (5) criteria evaluate the region influenced by the presence of the freeway in 

question, and thirteen (13) interchange and site-specific criteria are aimed at determining future real 

estate development opportunities. This model has been utilized in evaluating freeway-oriented, 

mixed-use projects anchored by regional malls, business parks, office complexes, and hotels. 

Mr. Lander has provided consulting services on downtown redevelopment and historic preservation 

efforts. Recent examples include a heritage tourism study for the Erie Canal terminus in Buffalo, 

New York; evaluation of potential office, retail, hotel and arena development in the downtown areas 

of Glendale and Mesa, Arizona; retail market evaluation and redevelopment plan for downtown 

Warsaw, Missouri; a downtown master plan for downtown Lee’s Summit, Missouri; and a 

redevelopment plan for the 24 Highway Corridor in Independence, Missouri. 

Mr. Lander has conducted TIF and TDD Revenue Projections for a variety of large-scale retail 

projects in Missouri and Kansas. Tax Increment Financing and Transportation Development 

Districts are government-backed funding mechanisms designed to finance project-specific public 

infrastructure improvement. Funded is provided via the issue and sale of bonds. In the case of Tax 

Increment Financing the bonds are repaid with incremental increases in property tax and sales tax 

revenue generated by the designated redevelopment area. Transportation Development Districts 

involve the levy of an additional sales tax on businesses operating within the redevelopment area. 

Mr. Lander has conducted STAR Bond Feasibility and Market Studies on several proposed 

developments in Kansas, including the Kansas City Tourism District, Legends at Village West, 

Kansas City Research & Medical Campus, and Rosedale Station Shopping Center. The Market 

Study evaluates the market positioning, market demand, short-term development potential, and 

economic impact for the proposed Redevelopment District. Meanwhile, the Feasibility Study 

provides a STAR Bond revenue vs. costs comparison to determine the ability of the Redevelopment 

District to cover debt service for the projected STAR Bond obligations throughout the bond 

maturity period.

Independence Arena Feasibility Study - City of Independence ...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?