Saturday, May 16, 2026

Kansas City vs. Topeka

Topeka vs. Kansas City: Two Approaches to Economic Development — One Welcomes Private Investment, the Other Often Blocks It
Topeka and Kansas City (the broader metro spanning Missouri and Kansas sides) are both in the same state ecosystem, yet they handle private-sector growth in strikingly different ways. This contrast is clearest in cases like the rejected Maverik project in Topeka versus Kansas City’s aggressive pursuit of large travel centers and logistics investments.
1. Scale, Ambition, and Results
    • Buc-ee’s in Kansas City, Kansas (Wyandotte County): A massive $95 million, 74,000 sq ft travel center with 120+ gas pumps, EV chargers, and hundreds of parking spots. Broke ground in late 2025 near Kansas Speedway after approvals and ~$13 million in tax incentives for infrastructure. Expected to create 200+ jobs and draw millions of travelers.
    • Wally’s Travel Center in Independence, MO: World’s largest planned Wally’s (54,000 sq ft, 84 pumps) on a former big-box site off I-70. Unanimous approvals, with the developer funding major road upgrades.
    • Broader successes: Logistics Park Kansas City (hundreds of millions in private investment, thousands of jobs), major expansions by companies like Americold, and ongoing TIF/Opportunity Zone projects that turn blighted land into revenue generators.
2. How They Use (or Don’t Use) Incentives and Tools
  • Kansas City: Proactively deploys a full toolkit — Tax Increment Financing (TIF), Chapter 353 abatements, Opportunity Zones, sales tax incentives, and public-private partnerships. They invest in infrastructure (roads, utilities) to unlock private dollars, often requiring developers to contribute significantly (as with Wally’s and Buc-ee’s). The Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City (EDCKC) and Unified Government focus on maximizing private investment and blight removal.
  • Topeka: Relies heavily on the $5 million annual half-cent sales tax via JEDO/Go Topeka for incentives, marketing, and targeted deals (e.g., Magellan Financial expansion with $1.4M incentives for 175 jobs). This works for some expansions but creates the hypocrisy you’ve highlighted: taxpayer money chases deals while a zero-incentive, private Maverik project on a blighted site gets killed by NIMBY opposition.
3. Handling NIMBY Concerns and Process
  • Kansas City: Balances local input but prioritizes citywide benefits. Large travel centers get approved with mitigations (turn lanes, improvements funded by developers). Leadership frames them as economic wins that improve corridors long-term.
  • Topeka: Localized concerns (Fairlawn traffic, Landon Middle School safety) dominated the Maverik debate. Council sided with vocal residents over broader tax revenue, jobs (20–50+), and blight removal. The process allows emotional testimony to override data-driven Planning Commission recommendations.
4. Outcomes for Everyday Residents
  • Kansas City attracts more private capital, creates visible growth (new jobs, cleaner sites, stronger logistics), and generates sales/property taxes that support services. It’s not perfect — traffic and rapid change bring challenges — but the metro grows faster in diversified sectors (logistics, tech, health).
  • Topeka maintains lower costs of living and government stability but risks stagnation: vacant lots stay vacant, potential tax revenue is lost, and the $5M economic development spend yields fewer “walk-in” wins. Blight persists on key gateways like I-70.
The Core Difference: Kansas City treats economic development as a partnership with private markets — remove barriers, provide targeted help where needed, and say “yes” when a solid project shows up. Topeka’s bureaucracy and council politics often say “maybe… but no” to the very projects their $5M machine is supposed to celebrate.
This isn’t about one city being “better” overall. Topeka has advantages in affordability and stability. But on turning private investment into real growth — especially on underused commercial land along major highways — Kansas City’s proactive, pro-development mindset delivers results that Topeka’s approach currently does not.
Voters in Topeka should ask: Why are we paying millions to attract business while rejecting the ones that arrive ready to build? Kansas City shows a clearer path — one that welcomes shovel-ready projects like Maverik instead of sending them packing. Topeka can adopt that mindset without losing its character. It starts with leadership that prioritizes the broader economic good over the loudest neighborhood voices.



From: Henry McClure <mcre13@gmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, May 16, 2026 4:17 PM
To: dbanks8487@yahoo.com <dbanks8487@yahoo.com>; sduncan@topeka.org <sduncan@topeka.org>; City Clerk <cclerk@topeka.org>; molly.howey@topekapartnership.com <molly.howey@topekapartnership.com>; tquinn@cjonline.com <tquinn@cjonline.com>; Victoria Calhoun <victoria.calhoun@ksnt.com>; Melissa Brunner <melissa.brunner@wibw.com>; MCRE Media <mcre1.9999@blogger.com>; James L. Bolden Jr. <jbcarpet2@aol.com>; Charles Baylor <cbaylor1@hotmail.com>
Subject: Real News - But it starts with calling out the hypocrisy.

Topeka’s Economic Development Hypocrisy: We Pay Millions to Attract Business — Then Slam the Door in Its Face
By Henry McClure
Topeka, we have a problem.
Every year, Shawnee County taxpayers hand over roughly $5 million from our half-cent sales tax to the Joint Economic Development Organization (JEDO) and Go Topeka. That money pays for incentives, marketing campaigns, workforce programs, and glossy pitches telling the world we’re “open for business.” Officials celebrate every deal that brings a handful of jobs or a few million in private investment, bragging about return on investment and economic multipliers.
Then a real, private-sector company walks in the door — no taxpayer handouts required — and we send it packing.
That’s exactly what happened last August with Maverik, the fast-growing, trucker-friendly convenience and fuel chain. Maverik wanted to redevelop the long-vacant former Ramada West/Holidome property at 605 SW Fairlawn — prime real estate right off I-70. Their plan: a modern ~6,000-square-foot store with fresh food, 10 car fueling islands, dedicated truck lanes, and a scale. It was exactly the kind of high-volume travel center that fits perfectly on a major interstate corridor.
The Topeka Planning Commission reviewed it thoroughly. They approved it — twice. First the full truck-friendly version, then a scaled-back proposal with just the convenience store and car pumps after neighbors raised concerns. Traffic studies were done. Mitigations were offered.
On August 12, 2025, the City Council voted 9-1 to reject the entire project. Only Councilman David Banks had the courage to vote yes. The rest cited traffic on Fairlawn and safety fears for students at nearby Landon Middle School. One more eyesore stays empty. One more private investment that required zero city dollars is gone.
Think about that for a second.
We spend $5 million a year of your sales tax money to chase economic development. We offer tax breaks and grants to companies that want public assistance. Yet when a business shows up with its own money, sees market demand on I-70, and is ready to turn a blighted, tax-producing-nothing vacant lot into jobs, property taxes, sales taxes, and fuel taxes, we kill it over neighborhood complaints that could have been addressed.
This isn’t just bad policy. It’s hypocrisy on a grand scale.
Maverik wasn’t asking for millions in incentives. They weren’t demanding special treatment. They simply wanted to operate where travelers and truckers already stop — the backbone of America’s economy. Trucking moves over 70% of domestic freight. A quality fuel-and-food stop like Maverik strengthens logistics, supports local jobs (20–50 positions per site with benefits), clears blight, and generates ongoing tax revenue from a site that has contributed exactly zero for years.
Instead, we get to keep looking at weeds and cracked pavement while Go Topeka keeps spending your money on the next PowerPoint presentation.
The average voter gets this. You work hard, pay your taxes, and watch your city struggle with vacant properties, stagnant growth, and budget pressures. Then you hear officials talk endlessly about “attracting investment” while the same officials — responding to organized neighborhood pressure and emotional testimony — block the investment that actually showed up.
This isn’t about being anti-neighbor or anti-safety. Traffic and school zones matter. But so does the bigger picture: a stronger tax base that funds better roads, schools, and services for everyone — including the families on Fairlawn. Rejecting shovel-ready private development on a blighted site doesn’t make the corridor safer or quieter. It just guarantees the problems of vacancy and lost opportunity continue.
Topeka deserves better. We deserve leaders who understand that economic development isn’t just about the deals we chase with taxpayer dollars. It’s also about not killing the ones that arrive on their own.
The next time Go Topeka or JEDO asks for another round of your half-cent sales tax money, remember the Maverik site. Remember the 9-1 vote. Remember that while they’re busy “creating” development with your cash, real development got shown the door.
Voters, it’s time to hold them accountable. Demand that economic development means saying yes to private investment that actually builds Topeka — not just funding another bureaucracy that talks a good game.
The vacant lot at Fairlawn and 6th is still waiting. So are the jobs, the taxes, and the progress that could have been there today.
It’s not too late to change course. But it starts with calling out the hypocrisy.




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Real News - But it starts with calling out the hypocrisy.

Topeka’s Economic Development Hypocrisy: We Pay Millions to Attract Business — Then Slam the Door in Its Face
By Henry McClure
Topeka, we have a problem.
Every year, Shawnee County taxpayers hand over roughly $5 million from our half-cent sales tax to the Joint Economic Development Organization (JEDO) and Go Topeka. That money pays for incentives, marketing campaigns, workforce programs, and glossy pitches telling the world we’re “open for business.” Officials celebrate every deal that brings a handful of jobs or a few million in private investment, bragging about return on investment and economic multipliers.
Then a real, private-sector company walks in the door — no taxpayer handouts required — and we send it packing.
That’s exactly what happened last August with Maverik, the fast-growing, trucker-friendly convenience and fuel chain. Maverik wanted to redevelop the long-vacant former Ramada West/Holidome property at 605 SW Fairlawn — prime real estate right off I-70. Their plan: a modern ~6,000-square-foot store with fresh food, 10 car fueling islands, dedicated truck lanes, and a scale. It was exactly the kind of high-volume travel center that fits perfectly on a major interstate corridor.
The Topeka Planning Commission reviewed it thoroughly. They approved it — twice. First the full truck-friendly version, then a scaled-back proposal with just the convenience store and car pumps after neighbors raised concerns. Traffic studies were done. Mitigations were offered.
On August 12, 2025, the City Council voted 9-1 to reject the entire project. Only Councilman David Banks had the courage to vote yes. The rest cited traffic on Fairlawn and safety fears for students at nearby Landon Middle School. One more eyesore stays empty. One more private investment that required zero city dollars is gone.
Think about that for a second.
We spend $5 million a year of your sales tax money to chase economic development. We offer tax breaks and grants to companies that want public assistance. Yet when a business shows up with its own money, sees market demand on I-70, and is ready to turn a blighted, tax-producing-nothing vacant lot into jobs, property taxes, sales taxes, and fuel taxes, we kill it over neighborhood complaints that could have been addressed.
This isn’t just bad policy. It’s hypocrisy on a grand scale.
Maverik wasn’t asking for millions in incentives. They weren’t demanding special treatment. They simply wanted to operate where travelers and truckers already stop — the backbone of America’s economy. Trucking moves over 70% of domestic freight. A quality fuel-and-food stop like Maverik strengthens logistics, supports local jobs (20–50 positions per site with benefits), clears blight, and generates ongoing tax revenue from a site that has contributed exactly zero for years.
Instead, we get to keep looking at weeds and cracked pavement while Go Topeka keeps spending your money on the next PowerPoint presentation.
The average voter gets this. You work hard, pay your taxes, and watch your city struggle with vacant properties, stagnant growth, and budget pressures. Then you hear officials talk endlessly about “attracting investment” while the same officials — responding to organized neighborhood pressure and emotional testimony — block the investment that actually showed up.
This isn’t about being anti-neighbor or anti-safety. Traffic and school zones matter. But so does the bigger picture: a stronger tax base that funds better roads, schools, and services for everyone — including the families on Fairlawn. Rejecting shovel-ready private development on a blighted site doesn’t make the corridor safer or quieter. It just guarantees the problems of vacancy and lost opportunity continue.
Topeka deserves better. We deserve leaders who understand that economic development isn’t just about the deals we chase with taxpayer dollars. It’s also about not killing the ones that arrive on their own.
The next time Go Topeka or JEDO asks for another round of your half-cent sales tax money, remember the Maverik site. Remember the 9-1 vote. Remember that while they’re busy “creating” development with your cash, real development got shown the door.
Voters, it’s time to hold them accountable. Demand that economic development means saying yes to private investment that actually builds Topeka — not just funding another bureaucracy that talks a good game.
The vacant lot at Fairlawn and 6th is still waiting. So are the jobs, the taxes, and the progress that could have been there today.
It’s not too late to change course. But it starts with calling out the hypocrisy.


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Voters, it’s time to hold them accountable. Demand that economic development means saying yes to private investment that actually builds Topeka — not just funding another bureaucracy that talks a good game.

Topeka’s Economic Development Hypocrisy: We Pay Millions to Attract Business — Then Slam the Door in Its Face

By Henry McClure

Topeka, we have a problem.

Every year, Shawnee County taxpayers hand over roughly $5 million from our half-cent sales tax to the Joint Economic Development Organization (JEDO) and Go Topeka. That money pays for incentives, marketing campaigns, workforce programs, and glossy pitches telling the world we’re “open for business.” Officials celebrate every deal that brings a handful of jobs or a few million in private investment, bragging about return on investment and economic multipliers.

Then a real, private-sector company walks in the door — no taxpayer handouts required — and we send it packing.

That’s exactly what happened last August with Maverik, the fast-growing, trucker-friendly convenience and fuel chain. Maverik wanted to redevelop the long-vacant former Ramada West/Holidome property at 605 SW Fairlawn — prime real estate right off I-70. Their plan: a modern ~6,000-square-foot store with fresh food, 10 car fueling islands, dedicated truck lanes, and a scale. It was exactly the kind of high-volume travel center that fits perfectly on a major interstate corridor.

The Topeka Planning Commission reviewed it thoroughly. They approved it — twice. First the full truck-friendly version, then a scaled-back proposal with just the convenience store and car pumps after neighbors raised concerns. Traffic studies were done. Mitigations were offered.

On August 12, 2025, the City Council voted 9-1 to reject the entire project. Only Councilman David Banks had the courage to vote yes. The rest cited traffic on Fairlawn and safety fears for students at nearby Landon Middle School. One more eyesore stays empty. One more private investment that required zero city dollars is gone.

Think about that for a second.

We spend $5 million a year of your sales tax money to chase economic development. We offer tax breaks and grants to companies that want public assistance. Yet when a business shows up with its own money, sees market demand on I-70, and is ready to turn a blighted, tax-producing-nothing vacant lot into jobs, property taxes, sales taxes, and fuel taxes, we kill it over neighborhood complaints that could have been addressed.

This isn’t just bad policy. It’s hypocrisy on a grand scale.

Maverik wasn’t asking for millions in incentives. They weren’t demanding special treatment. They simply wanted to operate where travelers and truckers already stop — the backbone of America’s economy. Trucking moves over 70% of domestic freight. A quality fuel-and-food stop like Maverik strengthens logistics, supports local jobs (20–50 positions per site with benefits), clears blight, and generates ongoing tax revenue from a site that has contributed exactly zero for years.

Instead, we get to keep looking at weeds and cracked pavement while Go Topeka keeps spending your money on the next PowerPoint presentation.

The average voter gets this. You work hard, pay your taxes, and watch your city struggle with vacant properties, stagnant growth, and budget pressures. Then you hear officials talk endlessly about “attracting investment” while the same officials — responding to organized neighborhood pressure and emotional testimony — block the investment that actually showed up.

This isn’t about being anti-neighbor or anti-safety. Traffic and school zones matter. But so does the bigger picture: a stronger tax base that funds better roads, schools, and services for everyone — including the families on Fairlawn. Rejecting shovel-ready private development on a blighted site doesn’t make the corridor safer or quieter. It just guarantees the problems of vacancy and lost opportunity continue.

Topeka deserves better. We deserve leaders who understand that economic development isn’t just about the deals we chase with taxpayer dollars. It’s also about not killing the ones that arrive on their own.

The next time Go Topeka or JEDO asks for another round of your half-cent sales tax money, remember the Maverik site. Remember the 9-1 vote. Remember that while they’re busy “creating” development with your cash, real development got shown the door.

Voters, it’s time to hold them accountable. Demand that economic development means saying yes to private investment that actually builds Topeka — not just funding another bureaucracy that talks a good game.

The vacant lot at Fairlawn and 6th is still waiting. So are the jobs, the taxes, and the progress that could have been there today.

It’s not too late to change course. But it starts with calling out the hypocrisy.



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If built (or in similar future developments), it would be a net win for Topeka’s budget, employment, and economic vitality — especially as a gateway on I-70.

Maverik — Adventure’s First Stop is a major convenience store and fuel retailer (part of FJ Management) with 800+ locations across 20 states, including recent expansion into Kansas. It specializes in high-volume fuel sales (gas and diesel), fresh-made BonFire food (burritos, pizza, sandwiches, breakfast items made daily), premium coffee, snacks/drinks, and rewards programs like Adventure Club/Nitro (fuel discounts, points, freebies). Truckers are a core customer via wide lanes, dedicated diesel/truck fueling, truck scales, and partnerships (e.g., TruckSmarter, Comdata fleet cards) that offer big savings for commercial drivers.

The proposed Topeka site (≈6,000 sq ft convenience store + car/truck fueling islands and scale at 605/601 SW Fairlawn, former Ramada West/Holidome motel property off I-70) would redevelop a long-vacant, blighted lot into a modern travel center. This is exactly the kind of high-traffic I-70 location Maverik targets for truckers and travelers.

Here’s a comprehensive list of the ways and reasons a Maverik development (especially a truck-friendly one) would and will boost Topeka’s local economy, based on Maverik’s operations, industry data for convenience/truck stops, and similar projects:

1. Direct and Indirect Job Creation

  • Store-level jobs: 20–50+ positions per location (cashiers, food prep, fuel attendants, managers, maintenance, overnight shifts) for 24/7 operations typical of truck stops. Maverik offers competitive pay, full benefits (medical/dental/vision, 401(k) match, PTO from day one, profit sharing, tuition reimbursement up to $5,250/year, employee discounts), and growth opportunities.
  • Construction phase: Dozens of temporary high-wage jobs in building, site work, utilities, and landscaping on the vacant lot.
  • Indirect/supply-chain jobs: Local vendors for food, beverages, maintenance, and services; multiplier effect as employee wages circulate in Topeka (groceries, housing, retail).
  • Industry-wide, U.S. convenience stores support 2.36 million jobs; a single high-volume site like this adds meaningful local employment.

2. Significant Tax Revenue for City, County, and State

  • Property taxes: Converts non-productive vacant land into a high-value commercial asset → immediate and ongoing tax base growth for Topeka/Shawnee County (currently generating $0 from the abandoned motel site).
  • Sales taxes: High-volume fuel + in-store sales (food, drinks, snacks, merchandise). Average U.S. convenience store generates $1.28 million in combined local/state/federal taxes annually (sales, payroll, excise, etc.) from a small footprint. Topeka’s ≈9.35% sales tax rate would capture a large share on every gallon and transaction.
  • Fuel/excise taxes: Diesel and gas sales contribute to state road funds (some returns to local infrastructure). Officials in other jurisdictions note these projects directly fund roads without heavy impact fees.
  • Net positive: Far higher tax yield per square foot than many other retail uses.

3. Redevelopment and Blight Removal

  • Turns a long-vacant, eyesore property (former motel that sat empty for years) into a clean, active, revenue-generating business — exactly as highlighted in local advocacy.
  • Increases surrounding property values, reduces crime/vacancy risks, and improves the visual/functional appeal of the Fairlawn/I-70 corridor.

4. Economic Multiplier and Spillover Spending

  • Traveler/trucker dollars: I-70 is a major freight corridor. Truckers and road-trippers stop for fuel/food → they also spend at nearby hotels, restaurants, and attractions in Topeka.
  • Employee spending: Local wages recirculate in the community (retail, services, housing).
  • Supply chain stimulus: Ongoing purchases from Kansas vendors.

5. Support for Trucking, Logistics, and Interstate Commerce

  • Maverik is explicitly trucker-friendly (dedicated lanes, scales, fleet partnerships, rewards). This strengthens Topeka’s role as a logistics hub on I-70, where reliable fuel/food stops keep freight moving efficiently.
  • Ties directly into trucking’s massive U.S. economic role (72%+ of domestic freight, billions in revenue, millions of jobs). A quality stop here helps retain/attract that activity to Topeka instead of bypassing it.

6. Community Investment and Philanthropy

  • Maverik and its parent (via Call to Action Philanthropies) actively give back: partnerships with Feeding America (hunger relief), early childhood education, mental health, scholarships, and affordable housing. They’ve invested tens of millions regionally in these areas.
  • Local stores often sponsor community events, youth programs, and first responders — common for the brand.

7. Long-Term Growth and Catalytic Effects

  • Signals Topeka is open for business → encourages further private investment along the corridor.
  • Modern amenities (app-based rewards, fresh food, competitive pricing) elevate the local convenience retail experience and draw more visitors.
  • Future expansion potential: Maverik is growing aggressively (recent acquisitions like Kum & Go; now in KS with more sites planned).

Bottom line: This type of project delivers immediate jobs and taxes while providing lasting benefits through redevelopment, visitor spending, and logistics support — all on a site that currently contributes nothing. Industry benchmarks show convenience/truck stops are highly efficient tax generators with strong local multipliers. While the Topeka proposal faced traffic/school-related concerns (leading to Council rejection in August 2025 despite Planning Commission approval), the economic upsides are clear, measurable, and aligned with what Maverik delivers in every market it enters.

If built (or in similar future developments), it would be a net win for Topeka’s budget, employment, and economic vitality — especially as a gateway on I-70.



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In short, trucking doesn’t just support the economy—it is the economy in motion, delivering the goods that keep America running every single day.

 Trucking is the backbone of the U.S. economy, moving the vast majority of domestic freight and powering supply chains for virtually every sector—from retail and manufacturing to agriculture, construction, and energy.

Key Statistics (Primarily 2024 Data from American Trucking Associations)

  • Freight Volume: Trucks hauled ~72.7% of U.S. domestic freight by weight, totaling 11.27 billion tons.
  • Revenue: The industry generated approximately $906 billion in gross freight revenues (primary shipments). Some broader estimates (including related activities) place the total economic footprint near or above $2 trillion.
  • Employment: Supports 8.4 million jobs across the economy in trucking-related roles (excluding self-employed), including ~3.58 million professional truck drivers. It is dominated by small businesses and owner-operators.
  • Miles Driven: Combination trucks and single-unit trucks log hundreds of billions of miles annually, forming the core of the national freight network.

Broader Economic Impact

Trucking enables just-in-time delivery, keeps grocery shelves stocked, supports manufacturing inputs/outputs, and moves goods that underpin consumer spending and exports. It accounts for the overwhelming share of the U.S. freight bill and is essential for interstate commerce. Without reliable trucking, supply chains would collapse, leading to higher prices, shortages, and widespread economic disruption.

The sector contributes significantly to GDP (directly and indirectly through multiplier effects on other industries) and pays substantial taxes, including tens of billions in fuel taxes. It is especially vital in a large, geographically dispersed country like the U.S., where roads connect production centers to consumers far more flexibly than rail, water, or air for most shipments.

Context and Outlook

The industry faces challenges like driver shortages, regulatory pressures, infrastructure needs, and cyclical freight markets, but its foundational role remains unchanged. Projections for 2025–2026 point to modest stabilization or slow growth amid broader economic conditions.

In short, trucking doesn’t just support the economy—it is the economy in motion, delivering the goods that keep America running every single day.



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