Remarks by Hillary Shields
116 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 4 of 5
- Play at 14:46
“We pause for a moment of reflection and gratitude for the opportunity to serve our community. Grant us wisdom to make thoughtful decisions, humility to listen with open minds, and courage to do what is right even when it is difficult. Help us to treat one another and every member of our community with respect, recognizing that while we may not always agree, we all share a common commitment to the well-being of our city. May our work tonight be guided by integrity, compassion, and a spirit of service, and may the decisions we make contribute to a stronger, safer, and more welcoming community…”
City Council · Jul 7, 2026
- Play at 17:02
“Thank you. So I want to say a big shout out to LS Goal, who's been hosting a whole series of really amazing Football Friday events. The last one is going to be this Friday. So if you haven't had a chance to come out to Green Street, they've been having watch parties and kids activities and face painting and bubble guy and all kinds of stuff. So one last chance to do that. Also have Farmers Market Wednesday and Saturday. And then finally, I want to say Good luck to Council Member Pryor's daughter who's playing in her all-star game tonight.”
City Council · Jul 7, 2026
- Play at 1:28:38
“Thank you, Mayor. So we talked a little bit about the but-for test, which I understand doesn't apply specifically legally in this case. But can you talk a little bit, or can the developer talk a little bit about if this type of a package wasn't approved, what would it look like developing this property? Would it happen at all? What kind of a time frame? What would be different if there weren't this financing structure in place for the public improvements?”
City Council · Jul 7, 2026
- Play at 1:30:36
“A follow-up first. Yes. But if a council for, I understand that we've approved a lot of these over the years, but if for some reason they wouldn't approve them for any projects, would the property develop at all, do you think? Probably not. Okay. Because that's part of why it's been vacant for so long is the lack of infrastructure.”
City Council · Jul 7, 2026
- Play at 1:31:01
“Okay, and then if the developer has anything to add.”
City Council · Jul 7, 2026
- Play at 1:33:01
“And I would guess, or maybe you can confirm, like, being able to know that you've got the funding to construct all of Todd George Parkway at one time, it's probably more efficient, cheaper to do it than to do This section, then this section, then this section, is that?”
City Council · Jul 7, 2026
- Play at 1:33:45
“So yeah, it is significantly more efficient for both the city as well as the developer to do it Cohesively and then when we talked you've talked about I think mr. Bush I guess do like the connectivity of trails planning the parks selling the property of the schools Streets utilities all of that. Is this something that if you were to sell it off bit by bit by I can imagine that you could have an idea of what the master plan is, but it'd be harder to implement?”
City Council · Jul 7, 2026
- Play at 1:35:40
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
City Council · Jul 7, 2026
- Play at 1:38:14
“Right. I think I've just got one more, and then I'll stop. Could you go to slide 16, the one that had kind of the cost-benefit analysis? So right now, per year, this entire 1,000 acres is only producing $4,000 in tax revenue. That's all the jurisdictions, right? Correct. That's the city, the state, everything.”
City Council · Jul 7, 2026
- Play at 1:38:37
“Okay. And then, as far as the benefit to the developer, both the improvements that are going to get built, the tax abatement, all of it, there's no risk to the city here, right? Like, we're not writing anyone a check. you build this and your property values increase such that your taxes would increase some of that will get spent on improvements some of that will go to the taxing jurisdictions and some of that will you just won't have to pay that's the abatement right yes that's correct and but there's never like a time when the city might be on the hook to put money down to make this happen…”
City Council · Jul 7, 2026
- Play at 1:40:02
“And so if it's successful and everything's built out the way that they're hoping, the city could go from that $900 a year to over the 30 years, let's see, we've got 63 million in pilots and then the 20 million single family and the 197 million sales tax. So if everything works out, the city could see significant more revenues.”
City Council · Jul 7, 2026
- Play at 1:40:24
“If nothing happens. and this doesn't develop, we stay at our $1,000 a year.”
City Council · Jul 7, 2026
- Play at 1:40:28
“And I think I've asked this before when we had kind of more conceptual, but the city feels like those revenues will be adequate to pay for any additional services, any additional police service, fire service, water utilities, staff, that those revenues will be more than enough to cover the additional burden on the city?”
City Council · Jul 7, 2026
- Play at 2:00:19
“Thank you, Mayor. I actually just had a couple of follow-up questions kind of based on some of Council Member Rader's questions. When she was asking about whether there were any additional incentives that might be requested, on that slide 15, there were some items that had a double star by them that said these would be... office and retail for business attraction evaluated case by case. Can you explain just a little bit what that those double stars kind of mean and what that would look like?”
City Council · Jul 7, 2026
- Play at 2:01:01
“So I guess I had understood your comment before to be like an industrial component, excuse me, can come in and say we need more than 75%. So are the numbers that are the 75 industrial, 50% residential, are those set in stone and the only thing that's negotiable is the office and retail or?”
City Council · Jul 7, 2026
- Play at 2:01:21
“Okay. Okay, thank you. I just wanted to clarify on that. And then kind of following up on the I-470 question, there is that Struther Road interchange that was constructed several years ago. Correct. So I know that doesn't fix all the 470 issues, but it seems like that was sort of constructed to plan for development in this area. So right now it just kind of goes – I mean, I'm not going to say nowhere. There's development on one side of the road, but on the other side, that interchange is just not really serving anything currently, right? I used to work up there, and it always seems strange…”
City Council · Jul 7, 2026
- Play at 2:02:04
“But I'm just saying like, like just, just the left of where your, your mouse is right now. Like there's, we put in, or somebody put in that big Strother interchange. Is that, that was anticipating this area development?”
City Council · Jul 7, 2026
- Play at 2:02:35
“Okay. So we can always do better, and I'm sure the mayor talked a little bit about what we've been working on with 470, but it seems like some of this is anticipated in terms of the infrastructure that's already been put in?”
City Council · Jul 7, 2026
- Play at 2:45:58
“Thank you, Mayor. So, I will be supporting this application. I think that this is, we've talked about before when this has been presented to us in a conceptual form, this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity. It's an opportunity a lot of cities never get to be able to make this kind of proactive, forward-looking, master plan development of this amount of area. We've seen the charts. I don't think we saw them tonight, but if this PRI land, land reserve land, was a city in Missouri, it would be, I don't want to misquote, but around the size of Grain Valley. It's... huge. And it would be…”
City Council · Jul 7, 2026
- Play at 3:08:04
“Thank you, Mayor. I move for a second reading of Bill number 26-120, an ordinance approving the Arborside Land Clearance Redevelopment Authority LCRA Redevelopment Plan pursuant to the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority Act and authorizing and directing further actions in connection therewith.”
City Council · Jul 7, 2026
- Play at 3:13:06
“Thank you. I move for second reading of bill number 26-121, an ordinance approving the petition for establishment of the Arborside Community Improvement District and authorizing and directing further actions in connection therewith.”
City Council · Jul 7, 2026
- Play at 3:46:51
“Thank you, Mayor. So generally, like when you say that you recommend approval with these conditions. That's basically saying like under the comprehensive plan or strategic plan, the UDO, like when you compare this project to that, it kind of ticks the boxes of something that meets the requirements that we have set out for you, right? That's kind of what you're saying?”
City Council · Jul 7, 2026
- Play at 3:47:13
“Okay. So as far as like condition six, for example, about the rear facade and the types of materials, The reason why staff is not recommending that is because it doesn't match the new material requirements that we adopted. I think it was just a few months ago, something like that.”
City Council · Jul 7, 2026
- Play at 3:47:34
“Is that right? Yes. OK. So would that then be a policy consideration for us, whether we wanted to keep that requirement in or modify? Is that within the discretion of the council to say we want to strike or modify that? Yes. OK. But staff, just based on the current UDO, Our recommendation is to keep it because it'd be consistent with this, the letter in spirit of the UDO. Okay. Um, condition eight about the canopy. You said you feel like that's basically been addressed. Um, the ordinance, it looked like that the ordinance attached to our packet didn't have that is. Yes. So would that…”
City Council · Jul 7, 2026
- Play at 3:50:36
“OKAY. THAT WAS GOOD. MY NEXT QUESTION IS, TO WHAT EXTENT WOULD IT INCREASE THE COST TO DO WHAT'S REQUIRED UNDER THE EDO VERSUS WHAT YOU'RE CURRENTLY PROPOSING? AND SO YOU THINK IT WOULD BE AROUND A $2 MILLION COST INCREASE?”
City Council · Jul 7, 2026