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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staubio
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

Post by staubio »

ignatius wrote: glad to see this building saved but even better is that there is a momentum of downtown residents who are now impacting things that happen downtown.  that's the much bigger deal here.  downtown as a community is maturing.
Agreed. I think even 5 years ago, this would have come down with a few whimpers of old school preservationists not rising above the sound of falling brick. Now, downtowners and the preservation community responded swiftly, the city responded and we've got a workable plan. This is a different downtown.
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

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mean wrote: Infuriating that the city was all, "Whoop, it's dangerous, spend > $10,000 to tear it down!" instead of, "Spend the $4,000 to fix it."
Ridiculous. Hope this is a lesson learned going forward.
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

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The thing that encouraged me about this whole thing was reading that the Downtown Council got so involved finding a new owner, and that the City Manager, Troy Schulte, was also involved in finding a solution.

When it's a historic building of this type and vintage that contributes to a streetscape and historic district (preserving an architectural place in time for a whole block), the City should side on preservation when there is a failure in the structure.

It's right to point out that it was cheaper to stabilize the building than demolish it, and that should be a lesson going forward.

Just because some bricks fall off a building doesn't mean that it automatically should be demolished. In that case, the City should have a rescue plan instead of a demolition plan.  Barricade the sidewalk and part of the street if necessary.

The other thing I think needs to be done is that the City's Landmarks Commission should identify significant buildings that should be preserved (even if they aren't on the Historic Register), and work with the city inspections department and City Council (through new ordinances) to increase the number of inspections on these empty buildings to make sure the roof is maintained and they are developing water damage in the walls that could prove perilous in the future.

Literally millions in taxpayer money (historic tax credits, or TIF) could have been saved with the Mainstreet Theater renovation had the roof just been maintained in past years and all that water damage prevented. I'm sure there had to be mold remediation removing debris as well as stabilizing the walls that had been damaged by water.  So many interior details in the theater were completely lost.
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

Post by FangKC »

KC-wildcat wrote: First floor retail, second floor office. 

What retail do people want to see in there?  What would do well in that part of town? 

Catholic bookstore? 

I've always thought a little indie coffee shop that also sold snacks would be great there.
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

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Absolutely no foot traffic in that immediate area. Not sure what would work there.
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

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It might work if they focused on evenings when the other coffee places are closed and have live performances, readings, WiFi, etc.  A lot of people leaving the downtown library have nowhere to hang out after it closes.
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

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An old school deli. If done right this could be really popular with more discerning downtown lunch customers.
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

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A used bookstore would be cool downtown but I see that in a higher traffic area like crossroads or city market.
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

Post by taxi »

Used bookstores make tons of money! Especially when they rent at retail prices in the CBD. Sign me up.
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

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taxi wrote: Used bookstores make tons of money! Especially when they rent at retail prices in the CBD. Sign me up.
maybe it could also sell blank VHS tapes.
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

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Used bookstores in places like downtown almost always have to have owned their building outright for years to stay open.  Many used book stores these days make a good portion of their money selling books through online services like Ebay and Amazon.
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

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Ill shut up with my dumb ideas. :)
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

Post by ignatius »

the downtown council needs to put out another survey to residents on what they want.  so far they got the market and it's a success.

if they do another survey, someone may jump for the number one item if that's what downtowner's want. is likely to easier to find what can succeed with this method than just trying different things and hope for the best.

even if a major retailer came in number one, the retailer would probably like to know that.  could make a difference and they go for it.
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

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I would love to have an urban electronics retailer (Best Buy). Though the Cosby is obviously not the appropriate spot for that. Perhaps the ground floor of the new Polsinelli tower...
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

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Wonder what happened to the staples talk....that seemed pretty serious a while back.
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

Post by mean »

How about... The Cosby Hotel? Get Bill Cosby to endorse it or something. "You know what I like better than Jello Pudding Pops? Flying into Kansas City to catching a performance of the KC Symphony. And when I do, I stay at the Cosby Hotel, because Cosby knows quality. Free chocolate cake for the kids."
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

Post by FangKC »

I wonder if the Cosby would be more marketable if they were able to add new space on the parking lot to the west?
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

Post by taxi »

I'm pretty sure that parking lot is for the Union Carbide lofts.
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

Post by FangKC »

I'm not talking about the parking garage to the west. I'm talking about the small space where the west wing of the Cosby Hotel used to be. The part that was demolished.

I think there is only room for six or seven cars there. I can't imagine the new buyers would purchase the property without that parcel.
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Re: 900 Baltimore Ave.

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Ross Dress for Less?
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