Prairie Village Community Improvement District

Prairie Village has approved a 1% sales tax increase in only the Village Shops at Prairie Village and Corinth Shopping District to fund the Community Improvement District that will renovate the two shopping districts.

You can see the proposed improvements here on pages 43 and 97. There are some pedestrian-oriented improvements that will be integrated. The crosswalks will be emphasized more in the Village Shops center. The Corinth center will have a new courtyard for pedestrians to mill about and relax. Bike racks will be included and both developments will be integrated with a proposed trail.

Still, it strikes me as a missed opportunity. Both developments will still be areas to drive to and park, rather than centers that residents can walk to from their homes, despite the fact that Prairie Village can boast a sizeable biking and walking population. No parking is being reduced despite the fact that neither center has its lots much more than half full. Parking still lines Mission Road, which should be a walkable, pedestrian-friendly road that connects the two centers together.

City Councilmembers have emphasized wanting to preserve a "village"-type atmosphere for Prairie Village, and this will be a long-term development that will take decades (the tax runs for twenty-two years). My hope is that over time, as the economy recovers, the CID will be able to make more dramatic changes that fundamentally alter the auto-centric layout of the development and foster a more walkable community in Prairie Village.