Without responsible planning, short-term benefits turn into disadvantages

Platte County has had quite a successful decade, especially in terms of economic development and population growth. This was re-enforced again last week when county population estimates from the Census bureau put Platte County’s 2009 population at 90,688, an increase of just under 17,000 people from 2000. Continuing to be one of the fastest growing counties in Missouri has brought significant benefits including increased revenues for education, more opportunities for employment and new businesses, and the added choices available to consumers. While positive growth is important to maintain, it’s imperative to make sure the economic development we see in the next decade is implemented responsibly with long-term sustainability in mind.

You don’t need to look too far to find examples of short-term economic benefits turning into long-term disadvantages. Although they thrived leading into the new millennium, Metro North and Antioch Mall are now nearly obsolete. Developers and public officials have been trying to figure out for years what exactly to do with what is now a symbol of a retail development era of the past. What were once high concentrations of economic power are now an eyesore reflecting on the surrounding businesses and neighborhoods.
In coming years you’ll also be able to look to Johnson County, a symbol of financial strength and growth over recent decades, and their many municipalities to see who has planned for the eventual maximization of retail supply. Strip malls and retail centers didn’t seem like they could be built fast enough at one time. As they age and lose their appeal, tenants find their way to newer locations down the road, leaving empty buildings and parking lots to breakdown.
Many could say these are results of the free market at work, but one thing not considered is the lasting effects failure has on a community. Not only are jobs lost, tax dollars for public improvements decrease, and home values go down, but surrounding businesses that rely on the demand created by these large developments tend to see lower revenues as well. This is why responsible planning is just as much a factor in our county’s financial sustainability as development itself.

Although this growth would never happen without the investment of developers, sometimes their short-term commitment is similar to the approach politicians take towards poll numbers and exchange the long-term vision of a community for rewards in the present. By the time 20 or 30 years have passed, the original owner or development group is long gone, having seen their profit years before. It’s nothing to say of their character, but simply the capitalist nature of our society to get out at the top. This is why in addition to responsibly planning the development of new economic assets with current ones to expand our county’s growth, encouraging the re-development of older, underutilized centers and buildings will allow for the rejuvenation of entire neighborhoods and street intersections. This creates both the tangible benefit of more economic activity using already present resources and the opportunity to restore an area’s image.

Riverside, Parkville, Platte City, and our major intersections in Kansas City including Zona Rosa and along Barry Road are seeing great progress, but it is important in 20 years that we have planned well enough and built a strong enough infrastructure to ensure the continued economic strength of our county. Although unpredictable and difficult to do, our county must take steps towards growth similar to the steps we take in our own personal lives towards long-term health and well-being.