KCRag Forum

(reposting from mybb for discussion)

Story in the Star today about a 37 story convention hotel attached to the west side of the p&l building and rest of block...proposal by Ron Jury.

Http://www.kansascity.com/business/story/1247465.html

Thoughts?

I love the location but am leery of tacking a taller structure to one of our iconic buildings.

Also this finally puts to bed the p&l condo project which sucks....I really liked that project and considered it

Here is the street view from google maps.. Ha Ha

KCMax wrote:

Is it just me, or does that...thing...look kind of hideous next to the P&L building?

I wish the new tower was lower and on both side of the P&L building.  It wouldn't destract from the main building as much and might actually be cheaper because you wouldn't be building so high.  Let the historic building seem to come out of the center of the entire new building complex.

i think PAC and bartle hall ballroom obscures most of the building from the south, other structures obscure it from other directions too. it's the colorful setback on top that needs to be visible (and it is in this rendering).

The proposal has all the charm of the Marriott.

I take that back.  The Marriott has the biggest friggin' porte cochere I've ever seen.

I still really like everything about this plan, except what they are doing to the north.

That is one massive parking structure north of the P&L Building.  Is that just a parking garage?  If the city is going to put a ton of money into this, they should make sure that garage has some residential built on top of it, or better yet, around it.  Like the P&L condos were going to be.

It would be nice if they could combine the convention hotel with the P&L condos and really make this a true mixed use development that will have a massive impact on downtown becoming "24 hour".

GRID wrote: I still really like everything about this plan, except what they are doing to the north.

That is one massive parking structure north of the P&L Building.  Is that just a parking garage?  If the city is going to put a ton of money into this, they should make sure that garage has some residential built on top of it, or better yet, around it.  Like the P&L condos were going to be.

It would be nice if they could combine the convention hotel with the P&L condos and really make this a true mixed use development that will have a massive impact on downtown becoming "24 hour".

Looks like that north building is as high as the meeting rooms, etc. that will be in the KCPL building.  Above that area in the KCPL, as I take it, would be hotel rooms.  If you had a room on the north side and looked out the window I don't think you would want to look at a building just a few feet away.  What a view that would be.

aknowledgeableperson wrote: Looks like that north building is as high as the meeting rooms, etc. that will be in the KCPL building.  Above that area in the KCPL, as I take it, would be hotel rooms.  If you had a room on the north side and looked out the window I don't think you would want to look at a building just a few feet away.  What a view that would be.

Its not like many urban hotels offer 360 degrees of beautiful skyline view.  My room at a major convention hotel in phily a week ago, overlooked a gravel rooftop and someone else's hotel room - didn't stop 'em from billing ~$300 a night. 

And that may be just the view this developer does not want, especially for this market.

Collison: Convention hotel project could use some of the efficiency the city shows elsewhere

City Hall opened a new office last week aimed at making it easier for entrepreneurs to open businesses.

If only the same principle was applied to what?s becoming a tortuous process for deciding whether to pursue a proposed 1,000-room convention hotel project....

It?s been 2? years since a consultant hired by the city recommended building a large convention headquarters hotel. Since then, there?s been more consultants, more positive reports, but no action.

Now, the City Council is planning to spend up to $500,000 for yet another study.

This time they want quicker action. How are they going to accomplish that? By creating a steering committee with more than 20 members to oversee the process of yet again considering the idea and making a final recommendation ? by the end of next year.

This was an exercise in political correctness that just couldn?t say no.

It?s got at least seven City Council members, the city manager, the mayor, the convention facilities director, the finance director, the city planning director and representatives from the Convention & Visitors Association, the Downtown Council, the EDC, the Urban League, the Hispanic EDC, the NAACP and the unions.

KCMax wrote: This time they want quicker action. How are they going to accomplish that? By creating a steering committee with more than 20 members to oversee the process of yet again considering the idea and making a final recommendation ? by the end of next year.

This was an exercise in political correctness that just couldn?t say no.

yeah, a total exercise in futility. everyone knows the eventual outcome. why delay?

Are some of those groups involved because they might hold a large convention in KC?

Here's an idea: Cut the unions out and save the city 20% on the cost of the project.

I thought Collison was a little off base on this.

There is no hurry on a downtown convention hotel. Nothing can get financed in the current market anyway. It will be late 2010 before the timing might be right to solicit real proposals. Why not take some time to build support?

Including the unions and NAACP looks to me to be anticipating the need for some type of public vote. If that is the case, their support is going to be needed. Might as well get buy in as early as possible.

beautyfromashes wrote: Here's an idea: Cut the unions out and save the city 20% on the cost of the project.

yeah, because that's ethical.

mean wrote: Is it just me, or does that...thing...look kind of hideous next to the P&L building?

You are not the only one. It could be the height, the blockiness, the fact that it appears to be an extremely large yet generic structure next to a KC icon... 

If it were completely adjacent to the P&L building, I'd prefer something a bit more complimentary, kind of along the lines of the Four Seasons in New York. and if it were to be a more modern style, at least don't make it one big rectangle that almost seems to try and overpower the art deco structure.

Yes!  Someone else is skeptical of the design!  I said this before, but it was lost in the forum conversion...Stainless Steel should be used to clad this building not faux limestone.  If it looks like a bug chunk of limestone, almost at tall as the P+L, it will ruin the silhouette from the north...and that is an important view.  A shorter, or at least less blocky stainless steel building would set it apart but still use an 'art deco' material.  I think they could come up with a pretty cool design using that material. 

I suppose whenever/if they find an actual hotel operator the design may change anyway.