Light rail will lead to high-density housing construction along Troost and Prospect avenues, replacing dozens of commercial properties, many of them vacant. Planners expect new stores to cluster near the stations. Other cities such as Dallas, Denver and St. Louis have seen increased property values and increased development near their light-rail lines. Each of these arguments makes some sense, in theory. But whether they will work in the real world is not clear.
Recent history suggests that economic-development predictions are iffy at best in Kansas City.
The city's light-rail consultants obviously have spent time trying to figure out how light rail would affect future development. But these predictions deserve to be questioned at four public hearings scheduled over the next 10 days, as well as during any future campaign to approve a half-cent sales tax increase for the new transit system. This is not exactly a huge amount of development to be brought to a part of Kansas City with a large population of black people, whose support will be needed for a tax increase. Still, Kansas City is not Denver or Dallas or St. Louis. Yael T. Abouhalkah is a member of The Star's Editorial Board.