GSA considers big office complex downtown

[tat2kc]

Could be a huge boost to the east village!

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/15802312.htm

[zlohban]

I say no to the riverfront location.  They would most likely take advantage of all the empty land and build a spread out suburban type campus.

[kard]

I say no to the riverfront location.  They would most likely take advantage of all the empty land and build a spread out suburban type campus.

There's a big plan for development around the park already (there's a big thread on this)...this could spur that on much more quickly then things are going now.

That would be great.

But...with a Gov tenant going there, I have to wonder how they'd do the access / security / setbacks.  It could really change things from the neat plans that were just recently completed.

[KCMax]

I agree with Kard. I think this would spur growth on the riverfront, not inhibit it. With all those employees nearby, there will be an incentive to provide retail and dining options nearby. Sounds like a great development.

[beautyfromashes]

It's a government tenant, it should go in the federal district.

[DaveKCMO]

there's already a "government district" in the east village (city hall, county courthouse, DOT, federal courthouse). i say no to the riverfront as well for that reason alone.

[kard]

I don't understand why things have to be in certain districts.  Explain.

[DaveKCMO]

arts districts... shopping districts... intermodal facilities... food courts...

just makes sense to me to cluster similar things together.

[LenexatoKCMO]

arts districts... shopping districts... intermodal facilities... food courts...

just makes sense to me to cluster similar things together.

Up to the point where one use chokes all the other uses and an entire side of downtown winds up only getting used between 8:00 and 5:00.  I am all for a moratorium on more government offices in the imediate vicinity of the current "Government District".  Lets stick these offices in some other part of the greater downtown area that could stand to benefit from having increased day time office traffic.  Lets save the remaining area around Illus Davis for residential and commercial uses. 

[kard]

arts districts... shopping districts... intermodal facilities... food courts...

just makes sense to me to cluster similar things together.

How about "mixed-use?"  A person-less neighborhood invites negative elements as the current Government District shows after 5pm.

[beautyfromashes]

Someone explain to me why government employees wouldn't want to live in buildings close to where they work.  I contend if you built good housing, as I assume the East Village will be, close to the government district then workers in that area would live in them.  Having another government entity in the area isn't going to make the after 5PM problem worse, it should cause an increased demand for residential in the area.  Am I missing something?

[LenexatoKCMO]

Someone explain to me why government employees wouldn't want to live in buildings close to where they work.  I contend if you built good housing, as I assume the East Village will be, close to the government district then workers in that area would live in them.  Having another government entity in the area isn't going to make the after 5PM problem worse, it should cause an increased demand for residential in the area.  Am I missing something?

Some very well may - though there have been some around here in the past that have expressed doubts about whether the typical fed employee is likely to choose downtown.  That is neither here nor there - the problem is that this portion of town has become completely daytime offices - while there are other parts of downtown that could really stand to have some daytime offices.  Why keep shoving more of the same into an area that is already 100% one use?  Is having a giant GSA building on the East Side of Illus Davis going to do anything to help clean up the park after dark - no, all it will do is ensure that some other building that might actually help with that doesn't go in.

[DaveKCMO]

How about "mixed-use?"  A person-less neighborhood invites negative elements as the current Government District shows after 5pm.

i'm not saying there shouldn't be retail or residential mixed in... i'm advocating focus, not segregation. the riverfront focus should be the park and the neighborhood, not some sprawling government complex.

[beautyfromashes]

yeah, I don't buy that the typical fed employee won't choose downtown.  I think putting the GSA in the government/fed district will only make East Village more of a success.  I understand the need for more round the clock activity, but, EV should take care of some of that need and hopefully having new buildings for GSA and JE Dunn should continue to spur the area and increase traffic.

[kard]

i'm not saying there shouldn't be retail or residential mixed in... i'm advocating focus, not segregation. the riverfront focus should be the park and the neighborhood, not some sprawling government complex.

The Riverfront plan was designed with office space around the edges.  This would be an awesome, reliable tenant for the area--they could demand roads and the connections to I-29/35 that have been talked about (and to which MoDot has kind of blown off, I thought).  This kind of tenant could really spur the development there.

However.  This kind of tenant would also demand large setbacks and would probably not work with the current design.  But they could redesign it and make it work.

I just don't see the logic in saying "Oh, it's a government tenant--it HAS to go in the Gov District."  (I'm exaggerating a bit about what people are saying, but I'd really like to look at all options first).  I'm not saying it wouldn't work in the Gov District--it would do fine--but this could be a real catalyst for development of the Riverfront.

[midtown guy]

yeah, I don't buy that the typical fed employee won't choose downtown.  I think putting the GSA in the government/fed district will only make East Village more of a success.  I understand the need for more round the clock activity, but, EV should take care of some of that need and hopefully having new buildings for GSA and JE Dunn should continue to spur the area and increase traffic.

I don't think the typical fed employee will choose downtown.  The majority of people who prefer to live downtown are young people who like the more vibrant lifestly that comes with it.  As people become older, they are likely to opt for the suburbs because it is perceived to be a better environment for raising kids (especially until KCMO can figure out how to run a school district).  I always think that the majority of downtown people are younger and end up in jobs that cater to younger people - -advertising, architecture, etc.  I just don't think of federal jobs appealing to the younger population.

[zlohban]

I agree with Kard. I think this would spur growth on the riverfront, not inhibit it. With all those employees nearby, there will be an incentive to provide retail and dining options nearby. Sounds like a great development.

I would much rather have these additional downtown federal employees closer to the new Power & Light District to support those new restaurants and that new shopping.  Let the riverfront mixed-use development (if it ever happens) use the river market for shopping and dining.

[Pastense]

2,000 government employees are not going to generate any significant new retail or dining activity at the riverfront. Get them downtown where they can lend some support to the new retail the city has gambled its future to produce.

[kcmetro]

2,000 government employees are not going to generate any significant new retail or dining activity at the riverfront. Get them downtown where they can lend some support to the new retail the city has gambled its future to produce.

Exactly. Why abandon an opportunity to bring more people to the CBD when it hasn't even become "vibrant" yet? We shouldn't go spreading ourselves thin by trying to inject life into the riverfront before our CBD even gets off the ground. Make the loop as good as it can be, then worry about riverfront and other surrounding areas.

[Highlander]

I would much rather have these additional downtown federal employees closer to the new Power & Light District to support those new restaurants and that new shopping.  Let the riverfront mixed-use development (if it ever happens) use the river market for shopping and dining.

I agree with this post and the Pastense's.  Create a critical mass downtown instead of continuing to spread assets around where they cannot be mutually supportive.  The only stipulation I would have is that we need the design of the building that houses these employees to be much more urban friendly than recent trends in government-sponsered architecture would demand.