American Corporations' 'Dead Buildings'

We see it all over towns and cities across America- businesses that seemingly out-grow their old locations and build new structures- often with TIFs (corporate welfare)-leaving their old buildings behind.


In Metro Kansas City- this is common with corporations like Walmart and Quiktrip- with Walmart being one of the worst in abandoning their old locations and leaving them to rot.

Walmart eyesores abound locally- the 2 best examples being the old Supercenter in the 9300 block of Hillcrest in south KC-MO and in Raytown- at 67th Street and Blue Ridge.

Tax subsidies were issued by both cities for the world's biggest corporation to leave their old buildings where they were for new structures.

South KC-MO's Walmart was replaced- with taxpayer subsidies- by the new location at the old Blue Ridge Mall at U.S. 40 and Sterling.

The OLD Walmart on Hillcrest along with the Benjamin Plaza strip center slides into an unsightly un-attraction for motorists on busy I-435- not to mention area residents.

A planned development for the old Bannister Mall area that once included a new soccer stadium for the Kansas City Wizards will likely never be built in my lifetime.

Meanwhile Raytown's old Walmart on busy Blue Ridge- along with the strip shopping center that it anchored- becomes a civic eyesore while Raytown's new Walmart on Missouri-350 could cost that Jackson County city's taxpayers millions of dollars in corporate welfare.

It's not nearly as bad with Quiktrip- most of their old locations are bought by smaller convenience-store chains.

What burns me is why don't cities DEMAND that old locations are either sold or demolished before corporate welfare is issued for new locations?

Both Walmart cases I have mentioned here have resulted in or at the very least continues the declines of the surrounding neighborhoods with their abandoned- crumbling buildings.

Cities where corporations want to leave old locations for new ones and corporate welfare is involved should INSIST that old locations be sold or leveled before ANY 'welfare' kicks in.

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