So you wanted to build an aquarium in Mission, Kansas, eh?

I was just on Facebook (yeah, so what?) and a "friend" out there (actually the photographer Roy Inman) just made an excellent point about the announcement that Crown Center and Crown Center Development had just inked a deal to put in a $15 million aquarium in that same Crown Center location.

Anybody rememeber the aquarium that is supposed to be going into the old Mission Mall location, once it's developed?

How would you like to be the ones behind that development now?

I can tell you I wouldn't want my money in it, that's for sure.

How does this seemingly much smaller Mission, Kansas location compete when going up against Crown Center, Union Station and all that is there and downtown?

Sure, I guess people could and would just come in from Kansas and stop right there but can this city really support two thriving, successful aquariums? 

I'd say it's doubtful, at best.

The downtown plan, I'd say, just shot a huge hole in the old Mission Mall's plans.

And check this out: 

The announcements come two weeks after Kansas officials approved extending a deadline the developer must meet to retain $63 million in sales tax revenue bonds for the project, which will be anchored by a 75,000-square-foot aquarium and include 140 market-rate apartments, an eight-screen movie theater and a boutique hotel.

So it brings up a very good question.  That is, since there's state tax money being used for the Mission development, shouldn't all those crusty, Conservative, Republican Kansans be cheering for the KCMO downtown plan, since it doesn't use any government tax money?

Or so one might think, anyway, eh?

Links:  http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2010/12/03/mission-gateway-developer-prepares-to.html
http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2011/02/09/halls-crown-center-will-get-15m.html?ana=RSS&s=article_search&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bizj_kansascity+%28Kansas+City+Business+Journal%29
http://www.fox4kc.com/news/wdaf-crown-center-diving-into-aquarium-project-20110210,0,1141757.story