Status and future of the River Market area??

[flyingember]

For the garage pay for parking with validation in the stores in the river market would be a good model. If you hop on the train and leave the neighborhood, tough.

Parking can be "free" as long as the neighborhood as a whole benefits. Even a 1% increase in sales is nothing to scoff at when that's the profit margin at some places.

Increasing sales is a key metric to drive more retail of course and jobs should follow. One new job at $20k is $2k in money spent downtown, easily.
That's equal to 400 cars at $5 each.

Do that enough times with enough jobs and validating could pay for itself over time, or enough to not be a huge loss.

[rxlexi]

They'll probably figure it out at some point during the decade after which self-driving cars and third-generation hipsters have finally combined to turn downtown parking lanes into impromptu shuffle-board courts by day and nostaligic showcases for pimped out, unlicensed manual-drive minivans by night.

[brewcrew1000]

The River Market would be a great place to start putting an end to the expectation of free parking. Put in parking meters for all on-street spots, and start charging to park in the city- and ATA-owned lots. Use the proceeds to fund a garage.

There will never be enough parking spots so long as they're given away for free.

I figure the Plaza would have been the perfect place to start, the plaza has kind of ruined paid parking in this town. Even though its "a mall" most malls in urban settings still have you pay to park

[swid]

It's difficult for prices to rise, and for the market otherwise to function sanely, when far and away the market's biggest supplier—the city—has zero profit motive and otherwise makes decisions as intelligently as a retarded kindergartner with a heroin habit up two hours past his bedtime.

As River Market parking has now become An Official Problem, the city is having a community forum about it on September 20th.

I'd love to see you (or anyone, for that matter) comment on the issue using (more or less) the verbiage quoted.

[pash]

.

[JBmidtown]

I will be out of town, but if anyone wants to borrow my dim-witted, sleep-deprived, drug-addled child of metaphor, please feel free.

It would be my honor.

[FangKC]

Developer makes an Epoch purchase on Delaware along streetcar line

Epoch Developments LLC, a Denver-based firm that's become a preservation and placemaking leader in the downtown Kansas City area over the past couple of years, has closed on six more historic brick buildings on Delaware Street in the River Market.

http://tinyurl.com/hhuo38c

[DaveKCMO]

The best part of this sale is Craig's focus on activating the ground floor of all of these buildings.

[mister816]

this definitely has my attention.

http://baarchitecture.com/Client_Presen ... index.html

[longviewmo]

Sent that to a friend who lives in one of those neighboring stacks of white buildings... didn't seem too enthused.

[grovester]

I can only imagine the shit storm that would happen if someone proposed a competing farmers market.

[bobbyhawks]

It would serve the current one right. I love it, but they have completely missed a huge opportunity in making almost no substantial improvements and not having a year-round indoor market.

[grovester]

Can't argue with that, but the market is like the airport, loved by everyone who goes there once a year.

[mean]

A year-round indoor market a la Reading Terminal would be amazing. Also, I may not be madly in love with the "River Market Complex" renderings, but I don't really see how anyone would prefer the surface parking.

[kboish]

A year-round indoor market a la Reading Terminal would be amazing. Also, I may not be madly in love with the "River Market Complex" renderings, but I don't really see how anyone would prefer the surface parking.

You'd be surprised. I've heard people complaining that the River Market is losing its "charm" and "character" with all this new development. I looked at them and asked if the surface parking lots were the charm and character they were referring to and they just stared at me blankly, completely missing the sarcasm.

In reality, the RM is more alive than it ever has been in my lifetime and is quickly becoming, if not already, the number one destination downtown and one of the best urban environments we have.

[Critical_Mass]

this definitely has my attention.

http://baarchitecture.com/Client_Presen ... index.html

I'm curious, how did you come across that? it's an unlisted video on youtube and not accessible via the firm's website, from what I can tell.

[DaveKCMO]

I've heard people complaining that the River Market is losing its "charm" and "character" with all this new development.

ignore them. almost everything that's been added is new construction, and will thus never please people who insist on "charm" and "character". they're probably not even residents of the neighborhood (many of whom live in new construction).

agreed on the indoor market option. it leawood can have one...

[KCPowercat]

this definitely has my attention.

http://baarchitecture.com/Client_Presen ... index.html

I like it....River Market could use a hotel....but I'd hate to be that one pair of existing condos on Wyandotte.

[DaveKCMO]

...but I'd hate to be that one pair of existing condos on Wyandotte.

they could be bought out.

[kboish]

I've heard people complaining that the River Market is losing its "charm" and "character" with all this new development.

ignore them. almost everything that's been added is new construction, and will thus never please people who insist on "charm" and "character". they're probably not even residents of the neighborhood (many of whom live in new construction).

They are always Northlanders worried about where they will park...