Amenities missing from downtown

Issues concerning Downtown as described by the Downtown Council. River to 31st Street, I-35 to Bruce R. Watkins.
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KCPowercat
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Re: Amenities missing from downtown

Post by KCPowercat »

Gotta love non residents offering expert opinion on what residents need
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Re: Amenities missing from downtown

Post by flyingember »

grovester wrote:
Man that is one goofy post.
Read the post before mine. To be ok with Three Light because it's not in the crossroads to keep chains out of the crossroads.
That's the same protectionist ideas for business that have come up time and time again and never work. As if somehow those businesses will be protected because the chain is a block away from where chains shouldn't be?

I would be way more concerned about the store design.

I like the idea of Three Light for the shopping. As I think more I dislike it for the store. Are you ok with a busy truck dock facing this new cap that's being discussed? How about place it on Walnut so it faces the retail space in Two Light? The target in downtown Chicago uses a tunnel, what about a new curb cut onto Main? Truck docks are a dead space for downtown. How often do you stand around 10th east of Main where Commerce has theirs?

One KC Place and City Center Square would need to have large dock structures with a storage space available. What side do you want to redesign to add this?

Target needs to be in the best project that serves all of downtown well. Not the best spot for shopping.

With multiple transit options I would much rather see Target locate on the edge of downtown. Stick it right next to 71 in the east village with an access alley along the freeway. No one will care it's there. Put it on Truman Road backing up to 70.
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Re: Amenities missing from downtown

Post by smh »

Somebody talk to me about this City Center Square idea. That was a new one to me, but I'm all ears.
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Re: Amenities missing from downtown

Post by DaveKCMO »

smh wrote:Somebody talk to me about this City Center Square idea. That was a new one to me, but I'm all ears.
that food court is a waste of space and the first floor tenants aren't all that either (although one is the last post office in the loop). CCS already has loading docks, three big entrances on main and baltimore, and is right on the streetcar route. also, it already has a starbucks!
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Re: Amenities missing from downtown

Post by smh »

DaveKCMO wrote:
smh wrote:Somebody talk to me about this City Center Square idea. That was a new one to me, but I'm all ears.
that food court is a waste of space and the first floor tenants aren't all that either (although one is the last post office in the loop). CCS already has loading docks, three big entrances on main and baltimore, and is right on the streetcar route. also, it already has a starbucks!
That would be quite the transformation. and probably require walking through the target to get to the elevators, no? I'm up for it, but I struggle to envision the layout.
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Re: Amenities missing from downtown

Post by grecobs »

Just throwing it out there... H&R Block’s new CEO, Jeff Jones, is a former Target executive.
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Re: Amenities missing from downtown

Post by FangKC »

grecobs wrote:Just throwing it out there... H&R Block’s new CEO, Jeff Jones, is a former Target executive.
That is a notable insight. It wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility that he might mention to his former colleagues that downtown Kansas City has enough population now for an urban Target store.

I doubt Target will go into any existing building. I would imagine they would want to be involved in a new building from the get-go, so they can have input into the design of their store's layout.
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Re: Amenities missing from downtown

Post by earthling »

Is a little disconcerting that Target plans to open over 100 small format stores (already about 60 open) and no sign of downtown KC on the table after many tries. Given some of those goods are many miles away, such a store would serve midtown and city core as well, not just downtown. KC needs to include that in the pitch, as well as increase in hotel rooms.
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Re: Amenities missing from downtown

Post by tskev »

I had emailed a Target executive a few times since Christmas without a response, but sent that article when it came out last week. Their regional real estate director gave me a call on Thursday. She said KC is not on the radar in the foreseeable future. They re-evaluate sites quarterly, but at the moment, Target is focusing on the 10 largest cities/metros in the country, as well as a few select college towns.

I guess their strategy is to open multiple urban stores when they go into a market--so that right there hurts KC. According to her, they are constantly looking at the numbers, and go off of about 300 different metrics. The population they want is 40,000. She said things can change, but I'm guessing we are a few years away from having one.
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Re: Amenities missing from downtown

Post by KCPowercat »

There are other options like Walmart Express.....but what is everybody wanting out of a Target store that a better cvs/walgreens wouldn't provide?
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Re: Amenities missing from downtown

Post by earthling »

Not good news. If only they'd consider Midtown in scope it might be more plausible. At least there are Amazon like services for hard to find goods/housewares. Function Junction in Crown Center helps a bit. A Target like store isn't critical but would be a nice score and momentum builder.
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Re: Amenities missing from downtown

Post by KCPowercat »

I ask because I've lived downtown for a long time, my trips to a target type store are maybe once every other month.....and if CVS was better stocked it wouldn't be that often.
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Re: Amenities missing from downtown

Post by beautyfromashes »

I don’t really understand the direct need for a Target store. There’s already a grocery store DT. Costco will be on the new extension down Main for electronics. I’d much rather see a Crate & Barrel added and several smaller clothing stores. I don’t see why we really need a big box taking up a large amount of space DT.
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Re: Amenities missing from downtown

Post by earthling »

I don't go very often either to those types of stores (more often use AMZ, etc) but it would cover missing products for central part of city - maybe drawing more interest in downtown living, potentially drawing more outside developers. BTW, looking to move downtown this year.

BTM, it's not a big box, Target does small format urban stores now at bases of usually existing buildings and they focus on items that aren't available in the area. It's a good catch to score, but agree not entirely necessary.
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Re: Amenities missing from downtown

Post by WoodDraw »

How extensive will the CVS renovation be? I'm very excited for that project.
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Re: Amenities missing from downtown

Post by beautyfromashes »

earthling wrote: BTM, it's not a big box, Target does small format urban stores now at bases of usually existing buildings and they focus on items that aren't available in the area. It's a good catch to score, but agree not entirely necessary.
I’ve been to the one in DT Minneapolis. That one is two stories and has an escalator that carries carts. It was still big, perhaps the size of a two story Dicks Sporting Goods. If that’s the type of story, id still consider it a big box.

So, I sounds a bit like Target brings some legitimacy and that is part of the draw. Perhaps, Target is a symbol to suburbanites that this is a ‘safe place’?
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Re: Amenities missing from downtown

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earthling wrote:Not good news. If only they'd consider Midtown in scope it might be more plausible. At least there are Amazon like services for hard to find goods/housewares. Function Junction in Crown Center helps a bit. A Target like store isn't critical but would be a nice score and momentum builder.
If they are looking at multiple urban stores in each city, then midtown would have to have a separate store. We'd may need 3 urban areas that meet the population requirements: Downtown, Midtown, downtown OP/Northtown/Lawrence, etc. Each place would need to have 40,000 pop. Midtown is close to that, but over too large of an area, so maybe Plaza and Westport area combined would have to reach 40,000. and a third area might have to as well. I think we are pretty far from that.

Also, probably a big metric they use is the car-free population. They aren't going to open one downtown if they think they can just make people drive to Ward Parkway and Mission, and right now many people living downtown still have to have cars. That applies to grocery stores as well.
So, I sounds a bit like Target brings some legitimacy and that is part of the draw. Perhaps, Target is a symbol to suburbanites that this is a ‘safe place’?
That's a big part of the reason why I want a Target downtown. Downtown has to be seen as a normal place to live. The reason sprawl has persisted for so long is because it is seen as normal in the US.
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Re: Amenities missing from downtown

Post by earthling »

beautyfromashes wrote:
earthling wrote: BFA, it's not a big box, Target does small format urban stores now at bases of usually existing buildings and they focus on items that aren't available in the area. It's a good catch to score, but agree not entirely necessary.
I’ve been to the one in DT Minneapolis. That one is two stories and has an escalator that carries carts. It was still big, perhaps the size of a two story Dicks Sporting Goods. If that’s the type of story, id still consider it a big box.
That's a flagship urban store. Most of their small format stores are 12K-80K sqft, for comparison DT Consentino's is about 35K if I recall. And 'tower', Midtown could be part of the scope until DT population hits 40K.

Ideally there would be local stores covering the gaps but there just aren't many local housewares operators outside Function Junction for kitchen wares. And otherwise agree with you broader clothing stores are needed downtown, and local operators could cover those bases more easily. Target isn't necessary, would just be a good get - a small one that focuses on covering gaps.

Sounds like downtowners will have to settle for upcoming CVS upgrade.
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Re: Amenities missing from downtown

Post by KCPowercat »

WoodDraw wrote:How extensive will the CVS renovation be? I'm very excited for that project.
they are closing down for 2 months so hopefully extensive.
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Re: Amenities missing from downtown

Post by smh »

KCPowercat wrote:
WoodDraw wrote:How extensive will the CVS renovation be? I'm very excited for that project.
they are closing down for 2 months so hopefully extensive.
Here's hoping they reopen the basement.
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