Merriam City Council approves next step for $102 million development project
MERRIAM, Kan. — The Merriam City Council on Monday night discussed moving forward with a $102 million development project.
The mixed-resident and retail development would be built at the site of the former Johnson County Library branch, just north of Shawnee Mission Parkway.
Kansas City restaurants gear up for World Cup surge — and this time, they're ready
The city council approved all 13 items presented during the special meeting, including planning and zoning the issuance of general obligation bonds and a community improvement district to help fund the , which includes a new grocery store and apartment complex.
'I've seen it, you know, , which I think is a great improvement, not that Kmart didn't have memories, but something newer is always nicer. So it's good to see for sure,' said Merriam resident Tony Castro.
The city is working with Drake Development on the project, the same company they partnered with to redevelop the old Kmart site as Grand Station.
'I really like what they've done at the Grand Station. I think that it's like definitely bringing people, a lot of people here, which I've always loved this area. They're bringing new things like the Shake Shack and 30 Hop, which I've never had before. So I really like what they're doing,' said Merriam resident Paula Cifuentes.
The plan is to build a grocery store, 200-plus apartment units, restaurants and more across the street from Grand Station, from Shawnee Mission Parkway to 62nd Terrace.
See the latest headlines in Kansas City and across Kansas, Missouri
'I think they did a nice job now where it's at. Not only the apartment units that they have there, but the nice little restaurants and, you know, choices that you have eatery wise. So if they do something similar to where the old library is going to be at, I think it'd be nice,' Castro said.
Some residents believe the marketplace would fill a need in Merriam.
'That would be a really good idea because Mission has a grocery store and like, it's kind of a little far of a drive to get to another grocery store like in Shawnee and Quivira. So I think that would be really beneficial to the people that live here,' Cifuentes added.
This development would be jointly owned between the city and Drake Development.
The city is in line to issue at least $32 million in bonds to cover its side of the costs.
Download WDAF+ for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV
During Monday's special meeting, council members discussed ways the city would pay itself back, including a one percent community improvement district sales tax.
With the city council's approval Monday night, the Grand Marketplace Development is now one step closer to construction.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Analysts rework Roku stock price targets, rating after Amazon deal
Analysts rework Roku stock price targets, rating after Amazon deal originally appeared on TheStreet. Hey, what's on TV tonight? The question sounds just so 20th Century, reeking of rabbit ears and Ricky Ricardo in this age of streaming entertainment, where you can watch just about anything you want any time you want. Including "I Love Lucy." 💵💰Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter 💰 The U.S. has more than 200 million connected-TV users, and 88% of American households have a connected-TV device. According to Nielsen, in 2024 streaming surpassed cable and broadcast viewing time for the first time, with more than 40% of all TV-viewing time spent on streaming. With a new era comes new lingo, so this is probably a good time to mention that streaming refers to the delivery of video content over the internet, while CTV describes streaming video content on a television set connected to the internet. And now two very big names in CTV circles — Amazon () and Roku () — are getting together like Ozzie and Harriet. Amazon's demand-side platform will place ads on top-viewed platforms like the Roku Channel and Amazon Prime Video along with other services available via Roku and Amazon Fire TV operating systems. The alliance aims to 'enable seamless access to logged-in users across major streaming apps,' Kelly MacLean, a vice president at Amazon's ad unit who oversees sales tied to its Amazon DSP, told Variety. The companies said early tests of the technology showed advertisers reaching 40% more unique viewers while they cut back the frequency of a specific ad running in front of the same users by nearly 30%. More Streaming: Walt Disney offers new perks for Disney+ members Bank of America sends strong message on Netflix Netflix has a genius plan to find its next hit show Roku and Amazon estimate their partnership will make available a pool of 80 million connected-TV households in the U.S. The partnership will give rise to 'a better experience for marketers, consumers and programmers that are on our platforms,' says Jay Askinasi, Roku's senior vice president of global media revenue and growth. 'It means more relevant ads, better frequency management from a consumer perspective, more addressability and measurement on our programmer partners," he said. The new service will be available in the U.S. to all advertisers that use Amazon DSP by the fourth quarter of 2025. "Roku has maintained its favorable positioning as it is an agnostic platform allowing it to partner with Amazon, Walmart () , and many others," Wedbush analysts said in a research note. "This allows Roku to create partnerships that leverage others' data, and the exclusivity between Amazon and Roku in their newly announced partnership does not preclude the latter from continuing its partnerships with Walmart, Shopify, () Instacart, and others." As Roku enters the early stages of shoppable ads, Wedbush said, the San Jose, Calif., provider of a streaming-tech platform is establishing itself as a partner to all, "creating a moat as a CTV platform that will further insulate it from competition in the coming years." Wedbush has an outperform rating and $100 price target on Roku. Roku shares are up nearly 50% from a year ago and up 7.8% in 2025. It finished regular trading on June 17 at $80.63, off 1.9%. Several other investment firms issued reports for Roku shares after the deal was announced. Bank of America Global Research raised the firm's price target on Roku to $100 from $85 and affirmed a buy rating after the partnership was unveiled, The Fly reported. Advertisers will have access to the largest authenticated CTV footprint in the U.S. exclusively through Amazon's demand-side platform, B of A said, adding that the expanded partnership is intended to improve performance, planning and measurement for all firm said a key tenet of its bullish thesis is predicated on Roku monetizing its existing inventory through their integrations with demand-side platforms. BofA views this announcement as "another proof point that Roku intends to be more flexible and drive further interoperability within their platform." Citizens JMP analyst Matthew Condon said that the Roku-Amazon deal gives the advertisers within the Seattle tech and e-retail giant's demand-side platform significant reach across Roku and Fire-TV audiences, which can ultimately strengthen Roku's ability to monetize its inventory. The analyst, who reiterated an outperform rating and $95 price target on Roku shares, said he was increasingly confident that the company could sustain mid-teens-percent growth in its platform revenue. Loop Capital analyst Alan Gould upgraded Roku to buy from hold with a price target of $100, up from $80. The analyst cited expectations that the Amazon advertising partnership should begin boosting Roku's financial results starting next year. This development will further strengthen Roku's position as the leading TV operating system in the U.S., Gould said. The analyst noted that the partnership would integrate Roku and Amazon's logged-in connected-TV user bases, representing an estimated 80 million households, through the Amazon demand-side platform. Roku contributes what Gould called its industry-leading user base while Amazon "brings its unmatched shopping feedback loop."Analysts rework Roku stock price targets, rating after Amazon deal first appeared on TheStreet on Jun 18, 2025 This story was originally reported by TheStreet on Jun 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
Miami Herald
5 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Analysts rework Roku stock price targets, rating after Amazon deal
Hey, what's on TV tonight? The question sounds just so 20th Century, reeking of rabbit ears and Ricky Ricardo in this age of streaming entertainment, where you can watch just about anything you want any time you want. Including "I Love Lucy." Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter The U.S. has more than 200 million connected-TV users, and 88% of American households have a connected-TV device. According to Nielsen, in 2024 streaming surpassed cable and broadcast viewing time for the first time, with more than 40% of all TV-viewing time spent on streaming. With a new era comes new lingo, so this is probably a good time to mention that streaming refers to the delivery of video content over the internet, while CTV describes streaming video content on a television set connected to the internet. And now two very big names in CTV circles - Amazon (AMZN) and Roku (ROKU) - are getting together like Ozzie and Harriet. Amazon's demand-side platform will place ads on top-viewed platforms like the Roku Channel and Amazon Prime Video along with other services available via Roku and Amazon Fire TV operating alliance aims to "enable seamless access to logged-in users across major streaming apps," Kelly MacLean, a vice president at Amazon's ad unit who oversees sales tied to its Amazon DSP, told Variety. The companies said early tests of the technology showed advertisers reaching 40% more unique viewers while they cut back the frequency of a specific ad running in front of the same users by nearly 30%. More Streaming: Walt Disney offers new perks for Disney+ membersBank of America sends strong message on NetflixNetflix has a genius plan to find its next hit show Roku and Amazon estimate their partnership will make available a pool of 80 million connected-TV households in the U.S. The partnership will give rise to "a better experience for marketers, consumers and programmers that are on our platforms," says Jay Askinasi, Roku's senior vice president of global media revenue and growth. "It means more relevant ads, better frequency management from a consumer perspective, more addressability and measurement on our programmer partners," he said. The new service will be available in the U.S. to all advertisers that use Amazon DSP by the fourth quarter of 2025. "Roku has maintained its favorable positioning as it is an agnostic platform allowing it to partner with Amazon, Walmart (WMT) , and many others," Wedbush analysts said in a research note. "This allows Roku to create partnerships that leverage others' data, and the exclusivity between Amazon and Roku in their newly announced partnership does not preclude the latter from continuing its partnerships with Walmart, Shopify, (SHOP) Instacart, and others." As Roku enters the early stages of shoppable ads, Wedbush said, the San Jose, Calif., provider of a streaming-tech platform is establishing itself as a partner to all, "creating a moat as a CTV platform that will further insulate it from competition in the coming years." Wedbush has an outperform rating and $100 price target on Roku. Roku shares are up nearly 50% from a year ago and up 7.8% in 2025. It finished regular trading on June 17 at $80.63, off 1.9%. Several other investment firms issued reports for Roku shares after the deal was announced. Bank of America Global Research raised the firm's price target on Roku to $100 from $85 and affirmed a buy rating after the partnership was unveiled, The Fly reported. Advertisers will have access to the largest authenticated CTV footprint in the U.S. exclusively through Amazon's demand-side platform, B of A said, adding that the expanded partnership is intended to improve performance, planning and measurement for all advertisers. Related: Social media influencers are about to make a lot more money The firm said a key tenet of its bullish thesis is predicated on Roku monetizing its existing inventory through their integrations with demand-side platforms. BofA views this announcement as "another proof point that Roku intends to be more flexible and drive further interoperability within their platform." Citizens JMP analyst Matthew Condon said that the Roku-Amazon deal gives the advertisers within the Seattle tech and e-retail giant's demand-side platform significant reach across Roku and Fire-TV audiences, which can ultimately strengthen Roku's ability to monetize its inventory. The analyst, who reiterated an outperform rating and $95 price target on Roku shares, said he was increasingly confident that the company could sustain mid-teens-percent growth in its platform revenue. Loop Capital analyst Alan Gould upgraded Roku to buy from hold with a price target of $100, up from $80. The analyst cited expectations that the Amazon advertising partnership should begin boosting Roku's financial results starting next year. This development will further strengthen Roku's position as the leading TV operating system in the U.S., Gould said. The analyst noted that the partnership would integrate Roku and Amazon's logged-in connected-TV user bases, representing an estimated 80 million households, through the Amazon demand-side platform. Roku contributes what Gould called its industry-leading user base while Amazon "brings its unmatched shopping feedback loop." Related: Fund-management veteran skips emotion in investment strategy The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Kansas City restaurants gear up for World Cup surge — and this time, they're ready
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City has seen big events before, but restaurants often got left hungry for profits. This time, with one organization leading the charge, they're cooking up a different story. They started planning as early as last year. Jackson County short-term rental owners concerned ahead of World Cup 2026 But here's the bigger deal: restaurants aren't just hoping fans will drop by. They're strategically placing their brands front and center to make sure success isn't left to chance. 'In 26 days with all six of these events that come through from June to mid-July, it's not even the whole month and we'll have visitors that are greater than the population of Kansas City,' said Mike Burris, the executive director of Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association. Burris said not being ready for that kind of crowd isn't an option. He's making sure his members rise to the occasion — not simply react to it. 'You're going to have to be nimble – that's the word I keep using – you have to be nimble because it's going to change from the first two teams that get here to those last two teams,' he said. That's why last year, Burris got to work — determined not to repeat what happened during the NFL Draft, when many local businesses missed out on the boom. Ribbon cutting to take place for Margaritaville Hotel Kansas City He and his team invested in geo-fencing software to help restaurants connect with hungry fans searching for food — and boost their marketing game. But it didn't stop there. They're rolling out interpretation guides, tipping explanations for international visitors, and plenty more to make sure no opportunity goes unclaimed. 'You're on the world stage so obviously want to put your best foot forward – but ultimately starting to plan now,' Tyler Banker said. Banker, the director of Front-of-House Operations for the Summit Hospitality Group — which owns Third Street Social, Summit Grill, Pearl Tavern, and more — knows just how important those lessons are. He's got a plan: from beefing up staff to educating customers, they're not leaving anything to chance. And now, restaurant owners have a little extra help — this time from the Missouri Legislature. Lawmakers passed a bill that would let businesses stay open 23 hours a day and sell liquor throughout the World Cup. The bill, which is now on the governor's desk and expected to be signed, would lift restrictions on when alcohol can be sold — impacting bars, restaurants, and liquor stores alike. Back to the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association – they're even assisting with the little things. COMPLETE COVERAGE: Kansas City hosting 2026 World Cup matches For example — the average time a local spends in a dine-in restaurant is about 45 minutes. International travelers? Closer to an hour and a half. That means table turnover will be slower — and patience will be key. Bottom line: Burris says give these businesses a little grace — it's going to be a busy ride. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
