KANSAS CITY, KS (KCTV) -
For more than 10 years an area of Kansas City, KS, has been growing. Now you have Livestrong Sporting Park, Kansas Speedway, The Legends, Hollywood Casino and so much more.
Race car fans who will be filling the seats at the Kansas Speedway are expected to bring in more than $240 million to the local economy and fans don't have to travel far to spend their money with The Legends shopping district and its restaurants and outlet stores within a short walking distance.
Things have been so great for the area that the mayor of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County said the county is paying its debts in record time.
No matter who wins the Sprint Cup this weekend, the real winner will be all the shops and restaurants in the Village West area.
"I like it up here. I wish Topeka had something like this," Mikkel McGinnis of Topeka said.
"Every time we come out here, every year, we've never missed a year and there's always something else out here. It's crazy," Scott Fryberger of Topeka said.
Darla Larkin drove in from the Wichita area. She gave a rough estimate of how much she thinks she'll spend this weekend.
"If you're including the shopping, the casino and the race weekend, we'll spend $1,000 to $1,500," she said.
"Things are a buzz right here in the Village West area," Mayor Joe Reardon said.
Reardon said the success of The Legends and the whole Village West area is bringing in sales tax revenues way beyond what was predicted.
"We estimate that last year the generation of $50 million in sales tax in this Village West tourism district and we are up 16 percent in sales tax, we believe, this year," he said. "So we're going to finish the year stronger than ever and that's how we are paying off those star bonds early."
The $295 million in star bonds were issued for the infrastructure. Reardon said the first round, $261 million, is already paid off this year for The Legends area so that leaves star bonds for the soccer complex and Cerner, which will be paid off five years ahead of schedule by 2017.
Reardon said once the county makes it to the finish line and pays their debt in full, he hopes that sales tax revenue will be used to help the families of Wyandotte County.
"I think we need to continue to try to reduce our property taxes. Property taxes have skewed higher in Wyandotte County than in other places and this gives us a chance to get after that," Reardon said.
The mayor said what's also exciting in The Legends area will be the 4,000 new jobs in Wyandotte County once the Cerner building is completed.
The Convention and Visitors' Bureau estimates people staying in the 1,000 rooms out near the Legends spend about $170 a day and many have been in the area for the week, not just the weekend.
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