The population of south Kansas City is expected to explode in the next few years. Local leaders see this as an opportunity and are trying to get people to eat, shop and live in that area.
Cerner is building the largest office park in Missouri history, which is expected to transform the Bannister Mall area. The company said more than 3,000 employees will work there in January of 2017, and there will be 16,000 new Cerner jobs created by 2025.
The South Kansas City Alliance (SKCA) completed a survey with Cerner employees to find out what surrounding businesses they would frequent.
"We want to make sure our community had the resources and services, retail, housing, they were looking for,” said Stacey Johnson-Cosby, SKCA president. “We don't want to lose them to Johnson County, Lee's Summit. We want to keep them right here in Kansas City. In the neighborhood, in the community where they will be working.”
The survey found many of those who responded want to live 20 minutes or less from work, and many would look at homes $200,000 or more.
The priorities when deciding where to live ranked in the following order:
1. Safety (91 percent)
2. Housing price / rental cost (75 percent)
3. Characteristics of the house itself (71 percent)
4. The quality of public schools (61 percent)
5. Green space, parks and recreation areas within walking distance or a short drive (55 percent)
6. Shopping and entertainment within walking distance or a short drive (50 percent)
The SKCA also said there is a strong need for more businesses. It said the only type of business saturated or fully supported by the market in South Kansas City is a liquor store.
"We especially need more sit down restaurants. All we have out here is fast food," explained John Sharp, a SKCA board member.
The survey also showed 70 percent of those polled from Cerner plan on moving within five years. It showed 75 percent of those surveyed plan on buying a home in that same time.
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