The Future of Crown Center

[kcjak]

I've often wondered why Crown Center didn't build more housing and offer incentives to it's employees. They, in turn, would frequent the restaurants and businesses around the area.

Also, I was under the impression that Hallmark sold some of the land between the fitness center and the Founders development.  Anyone else know of this?

[GRID]

In my 4 hour "certified tourism ambassador" training last week at JCCC, they spoke of the convention business pretty bleakly.  It wasn't a pretty picture they painted.  I can't remember the term, but conventions look for the number of AVAILABLE hotel rooms a city has on any given day, not just how many total rooms we have.  With the tourism industry, our downtown has just over 1,000 left for the convention industry.  The CC hotels add a couple hundred, sure, but the facilitator pointed out that shuttling is time consuming and expensive.  Conventions want their hotels to be clustered.  They reiterrated that we are severly shorted on hotel and convention space, which most of us here agree on.  I definitely think we have plenty of boutique and smaller hotels for what we need.  We really do need another large hotel according to the KC Convention and Visitors Bureau.  Is CC the right spot?  Well, maybe.  It's certainly an option.  Another option would be to build between 13th and 12th Streets by the Train place...forget what line it is.  Build them a deep underground garage that is partitioned for part train people, part hotel people, and slap a giant 1000 room hotel there, 20-30 stories.

Yep.

Our downtown hotel situation is killing us.

[Sussudio]

I retract that. I guess it feels like we have a lot of hotels, but when you do the math on the rooms and the proximity to convention space that makes sense.

[cknab1]

Hallmark was all ready to go with a series of Town Homes just south of Santa Fe Place 2 years ago.  They told us when we purchased at Santa Fe that we would be losing the 4 Tennis courts to this development.  They were also going to add another San Francisco Tower just south of the existing one, but keep it about 18 floors rather then the 30 like the first tower.  However, after the market slowed down and Santa Fe did not sell out as fast as they thought, they put that idea on hold.  We still have about 18 units left out of 110 in Santa Fe Place.  They have replaced our pool this year so I don’t think they are giving up on residential, just waiting until things pick up again.  Which I think (hope) will happen in the next year or two.

[eliphar17]

  However, after the market slowed down and Santa Fe did not sell out as fast as they thought, they put that idea on hold.  We still have about 18 units left out of 110 in Santa Fe Place.  They have replaced our pool this year so I don’t think they are giving up on residential, just waiting until things pick up again.

Until there is a lot of demand from KC residents for urban residential projects, they won't happen. Pretty simple. Has very little to do with TIFs, Funkhouser, convention hotels, etc.

[medleyj]

Also, I was under the impression that Hallmark sold some of the land between the fitness center and the Founders development.  Anyone else know of this?

I checked the GIS map over at kcmo.org (http://gisweb.kcmo.org/egisnet/reportin ... earch.aspx). It shows that Halmark owns all the plats between McGee and Gilham all the way up to the North edge of the Founders development.

[ignatius]

I haven't read the whole thread but with the proceeds of the sale, Crown Center Development will have a nice sum of cash to do something significant.  I don't think they'll do spec office building w/out an interested tenant.  Another hotel in CC doesn't make sense as all new rooms need to be in the Loop. The housing market needs to normalize before building new condos. So what would the do?  My guess is they'll pursue a tenant for a new office tower.

[rxlexi]

^^^ or, they'll choose option 4, non of the above, and sit on their tidy earnings much as they do the real estate wasteland between a quickly redeveloping Union Hill and the edge of a still thriving Crown Center.  You would think there might even be some strong potential for some type of student housing with UMKC Med and Dental schools now focused exclusively on Hospital Hill. 

[PumpkinStalker]

Apparently CC is starting a farmers market on April 29 I believe.  I'll get more info.

[cknab1]

It will be starting April 29th at Crown Center Square running every other Tuesday,  produce and other products from local farmers.

Dates are: April 29 - May 13, 27 - June 10, 24 - July 8, 22 - August 5, 19 - September 2, 16, 30

Phone: 816-274-8444
Admission: FREE
Time: 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

[GRID]

sweet

I wonder how many people work in Crown Center verse the Loop?, especially now with the IRS and Fed Reserve.

[DaveKCMO]

sweet

I wonder how many people work in Crown Center verse the Loop?, especially now with the IRS and Fed Reserve.

i've heard about 5K in the CC area.

[cknab1]

There are about 4600 people just at Hallmark.  I think I heard the Fed is at 950 people righht now, although I'm not sure what the final number will be.  The IRS is between 1800 and 6000 depending on the time of year.  Those are some old numbers, maybe someone has some newer figures.

[GRID]

i've heard about 5K in the CC area.

huh?  Maybe Halmark alone.

[FangKC]

Have the Federal Reserve Workers all moved to the new tower?

[Highlander]

There are about 4600 people just at Hallmark.  I think I heard the Fed is at 950 people righht now, although I'm not sure what the final number will be.  The IRS is between 1800 and 6000 depending on the time of year.  Those are some old numbers, maybe someone has some newer figures.

There are also two office towers directly south of CC, one of them housing one of KC's largest law firms.  Who occupies the 28 story tower across from the Hyatt and CC?

[chrizow]

not sure which building you are referring to Highlander, but the law firm of Lathrop and Gage has most (if not all?) of 2345 Grand, which is probably a 25-30 story building.  Shook Hardy and Bacon (now the second largest firm based in KC after the newly-created Husch Blackwell Sanders) occupies all of 2555 Grand.  2555 Grand was recently sold by crown center to a management group out of Houston. 

[cknab1]

Assurant insurance company is also located in the building that was to house IBM.  The UMB bank has a branch in the 2400 buildings along with a some offices from Children Mercy's.

In a side note, Milano in Crown Center has started a Sunday brunch.  I’m not a big fan of the food at Milano although I go there at least twice a week after work for a drink or two, but this is really good.  For $15 you choose one each from three different areas.  A fruit section, egg section and meat section.  The fruit stuff is good and although they list that first, you should have that last.  In the egg section, I had the omelet or frittata.  It was great.  It was loaded with ham, salami and a smoked mozzarella cheese mixed in.  My meat choice was the pork tenderloins with roasted potatoes.  It was quite excellent as well.  Also the portions, although not huge are plenty to eat.  Add a spicy Bloody Mary and it’s a great one to start the day.  They offer it from 10:00 till 2:00.  Originally I had thought that $15 was more then I wanted to spend, but after I had it, I’ll be back.

[DaveKCMO]

huh?  Maybe Halmark alone.

i thought that's the figure i saw shown on the light rail map (within a 5 minute walk from the max stop). i got nothin' to back that up.

[PumpkinStalker]

In regards to discussion about Hallmark employee figures:

http://corporate.hallmark.com/Company/Hallmark-Facts