Public hearing held on Blue Ridge Crossing East Community Improvement District; first reading scheduled

The Independence City Council opened and closed a full public hearing Jan. 21 on a petition to form the Blue Ridge Crossing East Community Improvement District (CID), and completed the ordinance’s first reading (C5-002). Final council approval and any tax imposition are scheduled for a subsequent meeting.

Tom Scannell, the city’s community development director, told the council the proposed CID boundary would cover properties including Burlington Coat Factory, Pier 88 Seafood, Starbucks and McDonald’s near U.S. 24 and I-70 and would impose a 1% additional sales tax for up to 20 years. Scannell said the tax revenue is intended to fund exterior improvements and services such as security, snow removal, landscaping and maintenance.

Opposition and concerns Becky Hague spoke in opposition, questioning the scope and benefits of the proposed CID and raising concerns about retail owners and whether they hold current city business licenses: “I know this is a small SID area, but there are other small SIDs around town that seem to be benefiting also… These SIDs bring in over $10,000,000 annually to benefit the property owners.”

Property owner perspective Dan Horn of IAS Partners, who said his company owns and manages Blue Ridge Crossing Shopping Center, described the security and staffing problems the center faces and said property owners already spend money on private security. Horn said the CID would fund a dispatch service to increase security presence and would be coordinated with a parallel CID petition on the Kansas City, Mo., side of the development: “We already spend over $100,000 a year to hire private security. Currently they’re there 8 hours per day, and it’s just not enough,” he said.

Council and staff notes Staff confirmed that all businesses in the proposed district had valid business licenses when checked two weeks before the meeting. Council members explained that CIDs are formed under state statute and require both the consent of property owners who hold a majority of ownership and a majority of property by value; the council’s vote is the final municipal approval step mandated by law. The council also discussed how CIDs can vary widely in size and function; examples including the Nolan Road CID were cited to illustrate typical CID uses such as landscaping, banners and monument signs.

Procedural status The council completed first reading on ordinance C5-002 to establish the Blue Ridge Crossing East CID; by local rules, final action will be taken at a subsequent council meeting following required notices and any additional materials.

Ending: Staff and property owners said the CID funds would be focused on security and maintenance; opponents said the additional sales tax would burden consumers and questioned transparency on how funds are spent.