Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines!
The Cruise Kearney! initiative to welcome cruising back to Kearney Street kicked off Friday, May 26. Cruise Kearney events are 6-10 p.m. on the second Friday of each month, April through October
The Cruise Kearney! initiative came about after City Council unanimously approved a resolution in April to support cruising on Kearney as a community tradition that brings neighborhoods together while promoting civic engagement and encouraging tourism.
Cruise Kearney! organizers emphasize that the events are family-friendly and that all makes and models of cars, trucks and motorcycles are welcome.
“I think cruising brings enormous opportunities to the businesses on Kearney and really all of north Springfield,” said Zone 1 Councilwoman Phyllis Ferguson.
For more information, please join the Cruising Kearney Street Facebook group.
KEARNEY STREET REDEVELOPMENT STUDY
Planning firm PGAV completed a corridor study for the portion of Kearney Street between Kansas Expressway and Glenstone Avenue and presented its final report to City Council in June. Among the key findings was that the Kearney Street corridor has the potential to capture additional retail sales from the available $95 million in unmet household demand in the trade area around Kearney Street.
PGAV recommended the development of a deep value clothing retailer such as T.J. Maxx or Ross because these discounted fashion chains have had growing sales and are opening hundreds of stores while they capture market share from flagging retailers such as Macy’s. View the final report here.