KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County, including Independence. Share your story idea with Tod.
—
It’s not hard to find empty storefronts in Independence.
The city once boasted some of the best shopping districts in Jackson County — Blue Ridge Mall, Independence Center, Noland Fashion Square, the Noland Road Corridor, etc. — but changes in consumer shopping and spending habits have hollowed out Independence’s tax base in recent years.
Whether it’s the former JCPenney store along 39th Street, which has been vacant for several years, or the Joann Fabrics and Crafts across the street that closed last year, the blighted, empty big-box stores represent lost tax revenue for Independence.
Finding new tax revenue was the driving force behind the Independence City Council’s decision to approve Chapter 100 bonds for a 400-acre hyperscale data center in the Little Blue Valley.
It’s also a reason many residents support the project, which clears the path for Nebiuis, a Dutch AI company, to build a more than 2-million-square-foot facility along Little Blue Parkway at the intersection with Missouri 78.
“I’ve been in this city for 46 years, and I've seen it decline,” said lifelong Independence resident Paul Post. “I’ve seen it decaying.”
Amid flagging sales-tax revenue owing to the retail apocalypse, which has seen shoppers turn to spending online rather than in stores, Independence has made deep cuts to city services and deferred maintenance on countless municipal facilities in recent years.
Undoubtedly, the city bears some responsibility after past projects laden with tax incentives — notably the Cracknerneck Creek TIF, or Bass Pro Shops, debacle — left Independence taxpayers on the hook for millions after the development failed to live up to promises.
But the reality remains that Queen City of the Trails needs new revenue to blaze a new trail into the future.
“My neighborhood's decaying, the community services are gone, and the residents we have and businesses we have are not supporting it, so we have to find tax revenue somewhere else,” Post said.
While he understands the frustration residents on Bly Road near the project expressed, Post believes the citywide benefits from the tax revenue the project is expected to bring will be transformative for Independence.
“We are falling way behind the other cities around us as far as community improvements, school districts, funding — all kinds of issues,” Post said.
He’s nearly paid off his “forever home,” which he built not far from Truman High School several decades ago, and doesn’t want to move. But he also wants to see Independence turn a corner, or he feels like he may have no choice but to put down roots elsewhere.
“I’m actually deeply saddened, because I feel like my kids have gotten left behind a little bit,” Post said.
City leaders said that they hoped the new tax revenue from the data center will allow them to restore services and clear a backlog of deferred maintenance.
Facing a budget imbalance, Independence has cut bus routes and closed Adventure Oasis, a city-owned waterpark, in recent years.
“Those are hard choices,” said Teri Mertell, a longtime Independence resident. “People were not happy.”
But restorations could be on the table thanks to the PILOT fees Nebius will pay once the data center is operational.
The city has also put forth a new Master Parks Plan, which it hopes can improve the quality of life for Independence residents, if only it can find the money to make it happen.
It’s part of the reason Mertell said she has faith in the city council’s decision.
“They did their due diligence, and I'm sorry that people don’t feel that way,” she said.
Opponents of the project — 49 of whom were among the 67 speakers at Monday’s meeting, which lasted 5 hours and 14 minutes — have already filed an intent to seek a referendum petition.
“We are hoping to push this to a vote of the people,” said Rachel Gonzalez, who was among the most vocal critics of the project.
Gonzalez said they hope to get a question on the August 2026 ballot.
—
