Downtown Buildings with Activity

Issues concerning Downtown as described by the Downtown Council. River to 31st Street, I-35 to Bruce R. Watkins.
scooterj
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Re: Downtown Buildings with Activity

Post by scooterj »

Strange, I can't find any info searching via name or address. And Kiva doesn't show any open permits except for one for basement electrical work.

(Also strange because I drive by this building almost every day and hadn't noticed it was being worked on.)
loftguy
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Re: Downtown Buildings with Activity

Post by loftguy »

It has been looking like yet another edition of 'Hillbilly Renovations'...
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DaveKCMO
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Re: Downtown Buildings with Activity

Post by DaveKCMO »

When I click through the "permits" link for that on parcel viewer, there's nothing recent. This leads me to believe this renovation is NOT permitted by the city. I'd report it to 311. There's usually a reason people avoid getting permits...
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Re: Downtown Buildings with Activity

Post by flyingember »

DaveKCMO wrote:When I click through the "permits" link for that on parcel viewer, there's nothing recent. This leads me to believe this renovation is NOT permitted by the city. I'd report it to 311. There's usually a reason people avoid getting permits...
And reported.

Permits are all associated with the address of the property so it would be obvious if they existed.
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Re: Downtown Buildings with Activity

Post by swid »

I was primed to make another joke about the neverending Pickleman's project (as the posters covering the windows appear to have fallen down yet again recently), but I'll be damned - they were issued a new permit today.
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Re: Downtown Buildings with Activity

Post by swid »

swid wrote: Wed Apr 11, 2018 10:25 am They've had signs up on the railing for the past week or so that say "Under New Management / Extensively Remodeled", so I don't know if that's a step in getting consent, they got their liquor license back while appealing, or something else.
In the past 2-3 weeks (if not longer than that) Stanford's appears to have shut down again. Even if it was actually separated from Craig Glazer's management, I can't imagine it popping up again there (or anywhere else in the metro) with his death.

Any wagers as to what the next attempt at putting lipstick on that pig of a location will be?
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KCPowercat
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Re: Downtown Buildings with Activity

Post by KCPowercat »

Stables did good business there for years....a sports bar would be nice there.
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smh
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Re: Downtown Buildings with Activity

Post by smh »

KCPowercat wrote: Sat Aug 18, 2018 10:54 am Stables did good business there for years....a sports bar would be nice there.
Tear that awful garage down and build a hi-rise.
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Critical_Mass
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Re: Downtown Buildings with Activity

Post by Critical_Mass »

Does anyone know what's up with 718 Grand? Years ago there was an announced residential conversion of the garage that never happened. Lately the building has been fenced off and some repair(?) work is being done. No permits that I can see on the parcel viewer. Last time I walked by I viewed it from the backside and it looked like it was maybe getting torn down?

(Let me know if the photo isn't viewable)

Image
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Re: Downtown Buildings with Activity

Post by flyingember »

It made the dangerous building list in 2017

Kill water and Spire permits in January
Water excavation in February
Hauling permit from April

Pre-demo residential inspection permit from May which it looks like they failed (maybe?)
https://compasskc.kcmo.org/EnerGov_Prod ... CD2503972E

So either they're finally moving forward to demolish the interior or they're taking the building down. Not enough detail to tell.
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taxi
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Re: Downtown Buildings with Activity

Post by taxi »

That building, along with the cool 2 story historic Sanderson's Diner around the corner and the White Castle across the street, sold at auction several years ago to a cat named Monte. He is from Nebraska and wants to use real estate to enlarge the kingdom of God. I suppose he thinks God lives in Nebraska and not Kansas City, which is curious because I once watched a guy who looked like Jesus come out of 718 Grand and take a shit on the north side of that building. Besides Buffalo Hide or whatever they call it, he is letting the other buildings deteriorate beyond repair. The Sanderson's building has been open and neglected since the day he bought it and even Helen Keller could see that tons of people have been living rent free in these buildings, in unsafe conditions. I know people have offered to help him redevelop them. Both are a great loss.
if you'd like to give him what for:
402-202-1776
Monte.Froehlich@usproperty.biz
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KCPowercat
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Re: Downtown Buildings with Activity

Post by KCPowercat »

I was told by one of the barbers at Buffalo mane that they looked to renovate it to move their barbershop there but it was already too far gone to save.... That was 3 years ago I think. Barbers aren't structural engineers though usually so probably just got that info from Ole Monte.
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beautyfromashes
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Re: Downtown Buildings with Activity

Post by beautyfromashes »

718 Grand definitely being torn down, back to front.
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beautyfromashes
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Re: Downtown Buildings with Activity

Post by beautyfromashes »

I almost feel like the person responsible for demolition permits should be an elected position, on the ballot for everyone to vote for/against. They almost have as much power for the future direction of the city than a council person.
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Re: Downtown Buildings with Activity

Post by horizons82 »

beautyfromashes wrote: Mon Sep 03, 2018 1:32 pm I almost feel like the person responsible for demolition permits should be an elected position, on the ballot for everyone to vote for/against. They almost have as much power for the future direction of the city than a council person.
That'd probably create more problems than it'd solve. I could easily see a Shields-ite/HKC type gaining hold and strangling development where it's just starting to occur.
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taxi
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Re: Downtown Buildings with Activity

Post by taxi »

How about mandatory jail time for owners who buy perfectly good buildings and slowly let them deteriorate, neglecting them while simultaneously refusing to sell. I can hit 3 or 4 of these from my door with a golf ball, and I'm a shitty golfer. I could also find buyers for each of these, without any problem, at fair market value. If they were rehabbed, I could easily fill them with renters. It is frustrating as hell.
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rxlexi
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Re: Downtown Buildings with Activity

Post by rxlexi »

How about mandatory jail time for owners who buy perfectly good buildings and slowly let them deteriorate, neglecting them while simultaneously refusing to sell. I can hit 3 or 4 of these from my door with a golf ball, and I'm a shitty golfer. I could also find buyers for each of these, without any problem, at fair market value. If they were rehabbed, I could easily fill them with renters. It is frustrating as hell.
=D>

There has got to be some way to regulate/legislate our way out of this problem. An owner can sit on a property, sure, but allowing it to hopelessly deteriorate into demolition fodder should not be possible without extraordinarily stiff penalties.

As noted previously, loss of these buildings can potentially affect communities for decades, not to mention the nuisance that they represent while open to the elements, etc.
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Re: Downtown Buildings with Activity

Post by flyingember »

rxlexi wrote: Tue Sep 04, 2018 12:26 pm
There has got to be some way to regulate/legislate our way out of this problem. An owner can sit on a property, sure, but allowing it to hopelessly deteriorate into demolition fodder should not be possible without extraordinarily stiff penalties.
We have tons of regulation. I would accelerate the process.

Like if you reach the top 5% of unpaid fines plus taxes you should have a year to fix all the issues cited and pay every dollar or the city starts the process to take the property.

This gives owners the incentive to make the piddly fixes like junk dumped in the yard or not being mowed and to make partial tax payments.
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Re: Downtown Buildings with Activity

Post by snigglefritz »

Picklemans signage going up on 12th and Walnut. This is finally, actually, visibly happening.
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Re: Downtown Buildings with Activity

Post by earthling »

^Bummer was hoping it would fail for better eats.
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