900 Baltimore Ave.

Issues concerning Downtown as described by the Downtown Council. River to 31st Street, I-35 to Bruce R. Watkins.
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FangKC
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

Post by FangKC »

Image
flyingember wrote:this is an area I know about

don't expect retail at the SW corner of 9th and Wyandotte. that garage was designed to have a larger structure built on top of it. was originally going to happen with the union carbide project so right now the whole setup is shared resident/office parking. it's the garage for much of baltimore place too. when that new england building condo conversion happens it's where they'll stick the resident parking

the lot you have next to the cosby hotel is owned by the union carbide condo association. it's definitely not going away

the lot behind the kansas city club is for the condos next to the old mcwhirter printing building. I could see it being built on with a larger garage on the opposite side of it

the mid con parking lot is used by the same places.
Yeah, I realize the reality of the situation. My graphic was more fantasy, but based on the premise that land becomes valuable enough that other parking solutions are sought. Some of the current surface lot parking could go away if there were large enough community garages built on large parcels like those on the west side of 9th and Wyandotte.

It would also be possible if many adjacent buildings and lots were bought up by a single owner/developer who could re-distribute parking spaces in other locations -- mostly underground parking garages and those built behind or in the center of lots behind buildings facing the streets, and then build on the former surface lots. After the redevelopment plan is completed, individual buildings could be sold off to different owners again with condo-ownership of certain parking spaces in garages.

I was imagining the garage on the SE corner of 9th and Wyandotte being demolished, as well as the vacant printing building south of it, and a larger underground garage put in place. There might be a second parking deck on top of the retail there, and then apartments on upper floors.

Then the Union Carbide surface lot spaces could go in that garage, and a small annex building constructed connected to the Cosby Hotel facing W. 9th Street.

The Lofts at 917 Wyandotte would park across the street in a underground garage--freeing up those surface spaces for a small narrow building on that lot.
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

Post by flyingember »

if you realized the reality of the situation you wouldn't ignore the reality of the area and make up such an out of touch plan.

is there room for development there, sure. but that plan is just a pipe dream and nothing more.

like tearing out a building for a parking garage is unlikely given the uproar every one causes inside downtown. the same guy that owns the mcwhirter building also owned the cosby hotel. see how well the plan to tear that out went for him

they're unlikely to put in a belowground garage in the 900 block of Wyandotte. part of that lot is owned by the savoy project, they didn't ask for tif money to change the parking layout. a major redevelopment would hold up changes there for decades
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FangKC
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

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Anything can happen in the future if the real estate market changes. I lived in New York City, where it's almost impossible to get things done in real estate development. Yet they get done. Neighborhoods I never thought would see development in my lifetime are being redeveloped.

Things can change given the right dynamic. Kansas City people sort of live in a stasis in that respect. They don't think things can be accomplished. The printer building isn't really a significant historic asset, and it the right project came along that would improve the parcels and create a better streetscape, and living environment, it can happen.

I see your remark as merely pessimistic. My dreams may be outlandish to you, but given the right moment, they are completely possible.
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

Post by grovester »

I see his comments as somewhat asshole-ish, but Fang you are a better person than I.
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

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Last edited by pash on Thu Feb 09, 2017 8:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

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grovester wrote:I see your remark as merely pessimistic. My dreams may be outlandish to you, but given the right moment, they are completely possible.
you might be right long-term, but having talked with the owner of a number of the plots you mention, I don't see anywhere near that idea happening for some time, if in our lifetime. this is an owner that sits for decades before doing anything. he's done some good conversions, granted, but he's not quick about it.

perhaps the land value will rise enough to make him sell more, but this is the same family that took land back from the boy scouts after 20+ years of use. they're not exactly known for doing anything that doesn't suit their interests. and selling isn't always that, even having buildings occupied at all times isn't their primary goal (at one point he had 5 empty buildings out of 11).

you can call it pessemistic. but to even attempt to guess how it will look is a waste of time, especially when one knows even part of the back story for the area.

the place I would love to see developers is between 6th and 8th from Central to Walnut. that is a place ripe for something big, having whole blocks free to develop on. there's space for a big retail project with a big name. for a big north loop hotel without the crunch of the convention district. for a new class A office tower to replace the residential conversions. instead of fitting residential projects onto 1/8 of a lot, imagine the symbolism of someone filling an entire block with a project. and something tells me the city would bring out the red carpet for someone wanting to build that kind of project.
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

Post by loftguy »

"The person who says something cannot be done, should not interrupt the person who is doing it."
-chinese proverb



Seriously, is this worth the energy?
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FangKC
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

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Mostly my point in doing the graphic was to illustrate the need to rebuild the street-wall along W. 9th Street.

Urban districts are just more pleasant overall when you have a continuous street wall of smaller building facades mixed in with bigger apartment buildings. Reassigning existing parking into other locations just means taking 10 parking spots on one parcel and moving them to a more efficient situation--like a larger parking garage that is underground or on the interior of the block. Then you are able to replace the surface parking with a façade of a building.

People still will have parking, but just in a better place out of sight. The problem with single, older, small buildings is they often have their parking on-site, and that creates problems for the urban fabric because gaps between buildings exist. One can accommodate that need by building parking garages on the big, whole blocks and still add residential housing and some small retail spaces.

One doesn't need big retail stores for a district to be successful. A bunch of small boutique retail situations if often enough. Think of Pennsylvania Street in Westport.

There are certain big retail stores I think would do well downtown--like Bed, Bath, and Beyond, Pier 1 Imports, Pottery Barn, or Crate & Barrel. I think those are a few years off because we need to get the downtown population increased first.
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

Post by KCPowercat »

I like Fang's visions....we need more of that in this city. Thanks Fang.
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

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KCPowercat wrote:I like Fang's visions....we need more of that in this city. Thanks Fang.
+1
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

Post by atticus23 »

I second KCPowercat and smh. Regardless if something is "in the clouds" or "years from being done" at least there are those that have a vision and aren't afraid to share them with others. It inspires others to dream out loud and sometimes a lot of little dreams can manifest into something great.
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

Post by smh »

Welcome back Cosby! Here's to another century of greatness. (Apologies for the awful photos, I was pretty excited)

Image

Image

Image

I don't know if I've ever seen a leather ceiling before. Outstanding.
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

Post by Midtownkid »

Popped in today, great space. The bakery next door serves Broadway Roasting Co and great desserts! The macaroons are amazing. Beautiful space too.

Hard to believe this place was almost lost.
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

Post by FangKC »

I went to see the restored building. They did such a good job. I was so happy this building was not lost. It's got a great interior, and they did well restoring the older elements, but creating a functional space.

I look forward to seeing the upper floors when they are done.
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

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Restored Cosby Hotel closes book on library-spurred revitalization

http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/n ... l?page=all
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

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Better photo (shot by DaveKCMO) of the Milwaukee Deli.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =1&theater
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

Post by KCPowercat »

I just don't get why places decide to open a new business in November...it happens all the time...just seems a really tough time to start up business and get going....

they will get my business for sure and maybe it's a way to "soft open" through the winter....but often times businesses start cutting hours right away...
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

Post by flyingember »

Maybe this will lead to an actual good tenant for the tiny cafe on the same block. Hasn't been one worth talking about for years
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

Post by FangKC »

Deli, pizzeria and bakery revive old Cosby Hotel space

http://www.kansascity.com/2013/11/21/46 ... evive.html
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

Post by Demosthenes »

I think this is my favorite thing that has happened in Kansas City recently. Going from sooo close to demolition to this... ahh it almost brings tears to my eyes! Everything about this renovation is perfect.
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