I’m back in The Landmark saddle after a few days on the road visiting our oldest daughter and family in the Knoxville, Tenn. area. Though I was away I was never out of contact, so don’t worry, I think you’ll find the usual ample supply of information in this edition.
Plenty of odds and ends tidbits in the column for you this week. In fact I’ve collected so many notes I could have quickly written two columns instead of one. Be sure to check back next week for some of the leftovers.
So, when the Amazon distribution center going in at I-29 and Mexico City Avenue is up and running, how quickly will those of us in Platte County be able to get our packages? Quicker than now? Maybe, maybe not. We get them pretty darn quickly right now, anyway.
I remember telling the story a year ago of how I ordered a much-needed computer modem off Amazon at 8:30 a.m. on a Sunday and by 3 p.m. that very afternoon it was at my front door. Gonna be tough to beat that kind of speed even when the new distribution facility is in operation.
I suppose it’s possible same day delivery from Amazon will become more common than it currently is for those of us in this neck of the woods. After all, the modem story is the only one I have experienced as far as same day delivery. Most things we order from the e-commerce behemoth come next day. And that’s not a complaint.
By the way, there is an Amazon delivery station located in Riverside at 3950 NW Helena Road. It is a last-mile delivery station, not a full-scale fulfillment or distribution center, but it is a key part of Amazon’s logistics network. The Riverside location is specifically identified as a delivery station, which is a last-mile delivery facility that handles the final leg of a delivery to customers.
If you’ve ever tracked your Amazon packages while they’re en route you have probably at some point noticed the reference to the Riverside facility.
The artificial intelligence (AI) ‘factory’ coming to Platte County is the most recent data center-driven big development news. As you’ll see in our front page story, the AI outfit gets some tax incentives from the state.
As you’ll also notice in our front page piece, local economic development folks are under a non-discloure agreement on the exact location, but Tina Chace, executive director for the Platte County Economic Development Council, did tell me the facility will be in the AirWorld Center complex just south of the airport. That’s about a 10-minute drive from Downtown Platte City, if you’re wanting a point of reference.
Little disappointed in Mother Nature’s fall color display in this region thus far. Typically Platte County views are hard to beat this time of year. Hasn’t been nearly as eye popping in Platte County as it normally is in very late October/early November. One ‘expert’ I questioned says it’s because our late summer was too hot and too dry. Not sure if that’s the reasoning, but it sounded like a legit possibility. Do your own research, as noted health expert Aaron Rodgers said back in the COVID days.
I can tell you the fall colors in and near the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee have us beat, at least at this point in time. It was a perfect time of year to make that drive.
Speaking of the drive to/from Tennessee, gas prices along I-70 in St. Louis were as low as $2.43 in some spots on Sunday. Gas price at the Buc-ee’s in Crossville, Tenn. was also $2.43. Meanwhile, gas price at the QuikTrip in Platte City jumped from around $2.57 on Monday to $2.89 on Tuesday. Your guess is as good as mine for the reasoning.
Speaking of Buc-ee’s, there are signs of early progress for the Buc-ee’s to be constructed in Kansas City, Kan. at 601 Village West Parkway near Legends, the Hollywood Casino and the Kansas Speedway. The 74,000-square-foot facility will have 120 gas pumps, 12 EV charging stations, and is expected to open by October 2027, creating over 200 jobs.
Have you ever taken a moment to mentally consume how much land area is needed for a Buc-ee’s location? The footprint might be larger than a lot of folks realize. Between the typical store size of about 74,000 sq. ft., 100 to 120 fueling positions for motorists to fill their tanks, extensive parking areas for hundreds of cars as well as EV charging stations and other amenities, the required land area is nothing short of massive.
According to Google, a typical Buc-ee’s location requires anywhere from 20 acres to 35 acres. I’m guessing the one I’ve visited many times in Crossville, Tenn. is on the high side of that number. Not sure how much land mass the one coming to Legends in KCK will require. With the naked eye it doesn’t look like there’s an available 35 acres in the area of their “coming soon” sign, but I’m no acreage estimating expert. Probably need a farmer to check in with me on that.
More on this in a future edition, but if you’ve been wondering which Kansas City, Mo. casinos will have a brick and mortar sportsbook after sports betting goes live in Missouri on Dec. 1 here is your answer: Argosy in Riverside right here in Platte County, Ameristar–Kansas City which is about seven miles east of downtown Kansas City, and Harrah’s in North Kansas City.
(Find Foley guesstimating acreage at a Buc-ee’s travel center. Email ivan@plattecountylandmark.com)
