KANSAS CITY, Mo — As the vote for the 3/8-cent stadiums sales tax looms on April 2, businesses in the Crossroads are grappling with uncertainty about their futures.
Among them is Chartreuse Saloon, who has been in the Crossroads for over two years now. Jill Cockson, owner of the business, said the Royals are ripping a dream she once had by selecting the Crossroads as the site for their proposed ballpark.
"We felt that this neighborhood has been growing for the last 30 years and we have that fabric here," Cockson said. "We have that camaraderie. People come here for a specific experience that is not Power and Light, that is not Westport; we have our own identity."
Cockson's concerns are shared with other business owners who say their futures aren't clear.
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“It's all a lot of promises. We don't see anything in writing," Cockson said. "We took ... months just to get a hold of someone who would even talk to us, we're trying to track them down."
The Royals released their commitment to the Crossroads Community Association over the weekend, but to Cockson, it's just another list.
“It's a bullet list, nothing about that is binding whatsoever. Anyone with any experience whatsoever negotiating any sort of legal document or contract knows that a bullet list of things that we're going to do ... that’s not legally binding verbiage," she said.
As Kansas City prepares for a big decision on April 2, Cockson wants people to know what's at stake.
“If when you go to the polls you are interested in diminishing your own personal opportunity in our community, in our country, then sure, go ahead, vote yes," Cockson said. "But that's what you're doing with a vote yes."
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