KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. A viewer in Raymore sent me a concerned message about warehouse development. I took those concerns to the City. Share your story idea with Ryan.
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It's easy to miss the last exit to Raymore and that's a problem for a city trying to attract more people.
If you miss southbound I-49 exit 174 to Belton and Raymore, North Cass Parkway is your only exit option to get back into Raymore, Missouri.
This was the subject of a concerned viewer's message: "I feel this is the financial future of Raymore."
I've covered development in this community in the past as KSHB 41's Cass County beat reporter.
Back in August, I reported on NUULY, the parent company operating clothing brands like Urban Outfitter. The company is expanding operations in the Raymore Commerce Center. The expansion is expecting to create 1,800 jobs.
"These are jobs that didn’t exist just two or three years ago,'' Raymore Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Melisa Ferrari told me. "It’s bringing more opportunities for the people that live around here and bringing people into our area,"
At Tuesday night's Raymore Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, the board approved a zoning application that will head to the city council next month. The 300,000 square-foot project would bring a few hundred jobs. The project, will sit near the intersection of South Dean Avenue and North Cass Parkway.
"It's currently a competitive bid process through the federal government," said David Gress, Raymore's development services director. "They're working through the process to try and consolidate two older, large facilities they have in a neighboring municipality."
I found out about the project a couple weeks ago following a city council work session and since then, there has been one public feedback meeting opportunity called a "Good Neighbor Meeting."
Only a few residents turned out, according to meeting documents, and there wasn't much concern shared.
I waited to see what the Planning and Zoning Commission ruled on the application.
With my time spent reporting on issues in Cass County, I knew there was a large neighborhood nearby and I canvassed the area on Wednesday night searching for their opinions on the warehouses.
"I just like being out a little bit farther from the city, just getting more of a small town feel," Zach Trujillo, a nine-year Raymore resident told me. "I've seen a lot of change, a lot of new housing developments, a lot of new business, well unfortunately, not a lot of new businesses, but a lot of new development when it comes to industrial development."
Trujillo is a dad and works outside Raymore.
Gress explained to me that's what a large portion of residents do — live in Raymore, work elsewhere.
"We are historically a bedroom community," he said.
Another nearby resident, Eric Taylor, told me the warehouse can be somewhat of an eyesore.
"I mean, look at it," he said. "It doesn’t bring a lot of people this way."
Both residents agreed the city needs new development, but those projects must draw people into the area.
"I'd like to see more focus on parks," Trujillo said.
Taylor spends much of his money across state line in Kansas on entertainment, shopping, and dining.
"There’s a lot more to do over there — restaurants, Top Golf, things like that," he said. "Over here, it’s pretty much grocery store, gas station, and highway."
According to Gress, the city faces a challenge attracting developers for those kinds of projects.
"We’ve tried for years to try and get development interests down here, and the challenge we’ve had for almost every group that we’ve talked to is, there isn’t enough traffic, there isn’t enough people, there aren’t enough housing units down here," Gress said.
There's currently four warehouses in the Raymore Commerce Center with a fifth under construction.
If a project with the federal government pans out, there would be a sixth building.
Earlier this week, I reported on the City of Belton Mayor Norman Larkey announcing a major multi-use development project.
Larkey shared in his Monday State of the City address the development would bring 600 housing units, dining, retail, and an entertainment district in the heart of Belton.
Raymore and Belton are separated by Interstate 49.
I asked Gress if Raymore would be considered a city of warehouses, considering the community lacks a downtown.
"As this continues to grow, our hope is that this continues to raise the bar for the interest we hope to see," he told me.
Gress said if the city can bring jobs, improve the traffic, and housing units in the area, those entertainment type of projects will come. It's part of the Raymore Comprehensive Plan in development at the south side industrial park.
"Grow the tax base with sustainable, well-paying jobs," project documents state.
While thousands of jobs are being created in the Raymore Commerce Center, it's unclear how many of those jobs will entice residents to live in Raymore.
One employee stopped to ask me why we were filming the buildings while reporting this story. I explained and he told me he lives in Jackson County.
Following that interaction, my colleague and I got stuck in evening shift traffic. I noticed there were multiple cars leaving with license plates from out of the area.
"The more people that are here, in this city, that is more people that are likely to stop on their way home to grab a bite to eat or stop at a Walmart or Sam’s Club on their way home," Gress said. "That’s additional tax dollars that are coming to the city, potentially."
It's still unclear where all these employees are living and spending their money. As we worked our way through the intersection and traffic, we stopped again to grab more video.
I estimated 95% of the cars leaving work turned west toward I-49.
I don't know where they are headed, north or south on the interstate, or straight over the highway into Belton. They also could be heading on I-49 to get off at the next exit into town. But there weren't many cars driving north on Dean Avenue into the heart of Raymore.
"The traffic coming in and out of the warehouses on a daily basis, it’s just kind of a nuisance," Trujillo told me. "I don't know if those workers maybe live in this area or not."
At that same intersection, there is an approximate 140-acre piece of land that sits along the interstate.
Gress told me it's the only true entrance to Raymore. He says the city is hoping to develop that area, but much of what will come depends on the projects just south of it and what interest it brings to developers.
"We’ve waited this long for something to happen [at the Commerce Center], and so we want to be able to make sure that the next thing that we do, it’s gotta be worth the wait we have so far," Gress told me. "Our residents and our elected leadership have both been very clear that they want something special when that time comes, showing you’re in Raymore now."
The Raymore City Council must approve the application to rezone the tract across from the Raymore Commerce Center next month.
It's also not a set in stone zoning change — the city is working it out to be similar to conditional use zoning, where if the government does not select Raymore, it can be rezoned for its prior purpose.
I asked neighbors what they would like the city to work on to bring to their community.
"I would say, think about what brings people to certain areas," Taylor added.
Trujillo also said he commends the trail system Raymore has and hopes the rural landscape of the community isn't lost. He suggests investing to expand that trail system and focus on less industrial development.
As for the zoning application, the City of Raymore should know by late 2026 if they are awarded the project.
For more information on how to get involved in the Raymore local government, click here, for the meeting website.
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