Belton Council hears from Uptown developer on proposed incentives
- 14 minutes ago
- 3 min read
By Allen Edmonds
Following a quickly conducted business meeting Tuesday night, the Belton City Council was presented with an initial incentive proposal for the Uptown Distict, a multi-use shopping, entertainment and residential project being developed by Petra Development of Wichita, and its local project manager, Tyler Burks.
Burks, a Belton native, has spearheaded the 40-acre development plan for the northwest intersection of M-58 Highway and State Route Y. The nearly $150 million project, which will be anchored by a massive B&B theater/entertainment complex featuring indoor go-cart tracks and laser tag in addition to theaters, will feature retail, dining and multi-family housing as well as two miles of walking and biking trails and six acres of green space and common areas.
Petra will ask the council for incentives to equal 24 percent of the total project costs, which he projected to be more than paid back in sales tax receipts, property tax growth, population growth which brings new resident incomes and personal property tax receipts.
The incentive proposal, which will be formally presented to the council for consideration in the coming weeks, includes: Chapter 100 sales tax exemption on construction materials and a PILOT program on property tax; the creation of a Community Improvement District which will temporarily place a 1 percent sales tax on district-wide retail sales and a special assessment on multi-family units district-wide; a Transportation Development District to fund road and infrastructure improvements inside and leading to the district, which will place a separate 1 percent sales tax on district wide retail; and tha Sales Tax Reimbursement Agreement, which calls for a 1 percent tax reimbursement on retail sales generated.
The CID would last 27 years, the TDD would last 40 years and the STRA would last 15 years. All would be retired early if the project outperforms projections, Burks said.
Burks provided a detailed Incentive Request document outlining the proposal (see link at right for the complete document).
Following Burks' presentation, developer Dave Christie notified the council he would be asking for an exception to the TIF agreement for his Y Belton Plaza, which does not currently include automotive as an approved use.
He said he has been approached by Dobbs Tire regarding locating just to the south of the closed Kneaders building, a plat he has struggled to market since Kneaders closed.
He said he has a buyer currently working on the Kneaders building, “but that fatality, which none of us can explain, has hurt us for years.”
He said the closure was the result of problems within the Kneaders organization. Despite an offer to buy the franchise by local operators, the company rejected those overtures before suddenly closing all locations nationally.
Christie told the council that he believes Dobbs, a retailer from St. Louis that is moving into the area, will generate needed additional traffic to the area.
In other business, the council:
• APPROVED: Bill 2026-12 (final reading), an ordinance approving a Special Use Permit to allow “Vehicle and Equipment Sales - Light” land use in a “C-2” (General Commercial) Zoning District at 1016 N. Scott Ave., Unit E.
• APPROVED: Bill 2026-13 (final reading), an ordinance approving the 29th Amendment to the Old Town Belton Redevelopment Plan to approve the 515-519 Main Street Project as Redevelopment Project 2026-01 and to authorize tax abatement as described therein.
• APPROVED: Bill 2026-14 (final reading), an ordinance approving the 30th Amendment to the Old Town Belton Redevelopment Plan to approve the 704 Main Street Project as Redevelopment Project 2026-02 and to authorize tax abatement as described therein.
• APPROVED: Bill 2026-15 (final reading), an ordinance amending Chapter 2, Division 4, Procedure, of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Belton, Missouri, by clarifying the procedure for abstention.
• APPROVED: Bill 2026-16 (final reading), an ordinance amending Chapter 6, Business Licenses and Regulations, of the Code of Ordinances to clearly define license application timelines.
• APPROVED: Bill 2026-17 (final reading), an ordinance approving a TIPS Hotline Contract with the Kansas City Metropolitan Crime Commission in the amount of $3,000.
• APPROVED: Bill 2026-18 (final reading), an ordinance approving the Belton, Missouri Police Department Municipal Jail 2026 Housing Contract for inmates of the Harrisonville, Missouri Police Department.
• APPROVED: Bill 2026-19 (first reading), an ordinance amending Chapter 4, Animals and Appendix A, Schedule of Fees and Charges of the Code of Ordinances to improve public safety.
• APPROVED: Bill 2026-20 (first reading), an ordinance approving the Belton, Missouri Police Department Municipal Jail 2026 Housing Contract for inmates of the Grandview, Missouri Police Department.
• APPROVED: Bill 2026-21 (first reading), an ordinance approving the Belton, Missouri Police Department Municipal Jail 2026 Housing Contract for inmates of the Peculiar, Missouri Police Department.
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