What "hole" would you fill downtown?

Issues concerning Downtown as described by the Downtown Council. River to 31st Street, I-35 to Bruce R. Watkins.
Post Reply
User avatar
NorthOak
Strip mall
Strip mall
Posts: 212
Joined: Wed Aug 24, 2016 1:37 am

What "hole" would you fill downtown?

Post by NorthOak »

Downtown KC has several significant dead space blocks downtown.
What significant "hole" would you fill downtown and what would the project be and look like?
Pretend you're a local billionaire and want to invest $150-250 million to create a renaissance-type project between the river and 31st Street.
The scenario ignores current use, possible future plans, ownership issues, etc.... you can have any property to do with as you see fit.

- Do you fill the 12-1300 block of Grand surface lot?
- What about ugly hole @10th & Grand?
- Surface lot block of 19th & Grand?
- 1200 block of Broadway?
- North loop???

Where, what and which design would you use your quarter billion on?
Last edited by NorthOak on Thu Sep 29, 2016 5:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
aknowledgeableperson is currently on your ignore list.
You will no longer see any of her posts.
User avatar
DaveKCMO
Ambassador
Posts: 20042
Joined: Sun Nov 27, 2005 6:22 pm
Location: Crossroads
Contact:

Re: What "hole" would you fill downtown?

Post by DaveKCMO »

19th & grand! wrap the whole thing in ground-floor retail. should be an easy sell if there was a shared parking agreement with the current owner.
flyingember
Mark Twain Tower
Mark Twain Tower
Posts: 9862
Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2012 7:54 am

Re: What "hole" would you fill downtown?

Post by flyingember »

12th and Central. There's not much notable around this spot in almost any direction for 2-3 blocks. (P&L is changing that to the south luckily) It's one of the parts of downtown I tend to avoid.
earthling
Mark Twain Tower
Mark Twain Tower
Posts: 8519
Joined: Sun Sep 11, 2011 2:27 pm
Location: milky way, orion arm

Re: What "hole" would you fill downtown?

Post by earthling »

Streetcar Line: Every surface lot along streetcar line would be my first priority. Needs high quality very carefully scrutinized TOD projects that maintain a contiguous pedestrian scale, not just any kind of inflll.

River Market: The lot to W of Minsky's. Make it a massive garage with public parking, residential on top and streetfront retail. Reduce need for public parking elsewhere around market area.

CBD: The large lot to E of Phoenix (7th/Wyandotte area) needs to be a series of hirise office, residential, ideally with a couple 'new tallest'.

Xroads: Outside streetcar line lots, the large lot at 19th-20th/Grand per Dave.
Last edited by earthling on Wed Sep 21, 2016 8:36 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
FangKC
City Hall
City Hall
Posts: 18142
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2003 10:02 pm
Location: Old Northeast -- Indian Mound

Re: What "hole" would you fill downtown?

Post by FangKC »

I think you are specifically asking for one specific block, and not several, so I will answer that question.

I would develop the block in the North Loop bounded by Wyandotte, Baltimore, 7th and 8th streets with a mixed-use building incorporating street-level retail, a couple of floors of office space, and the remaining floors with rental apartments.

Parking would be underground and in the center of the block. I would probably anchor a couple of residential towers on the east and west sides of the block to allow light in between the buildings. The number of floors would be determined by how many parking spaces could be accommodated--without it becoming monolithic--replacing the parking for the current cars, and adding additional spaces for the new building tenants. I would try and develop the block using different facades and materials to provide visual contrast and interest, and avoid a monotonous block.

The reason I chose this block over the others is because it would be the first visible breakup of the Tower Properties parking hoard. Something needs to happen in the North Loop to break the psychological illusion that keeps them from being developed.

I would also like to see a North Loop development plan created by the City that encourages street-level retail spaces be built along Wyandotte that can be filled by restaurants and small shops. There needs to be one street downtown that is primarily a neighborhood retail street. It would also provide a more pleasant pedestrian corridor to lead hotel guests from 12th Street to the River Market on foot.

Once the building is completed, I would hope that other developers would then follow and do infill on the other adjacent blocks.

Image
brewcrew1000
Hotel President
Hotel President
Posts: 3104
Joined: Fri Feb 11, 2011 10:10 am
Location: Broadway/Gilham according to google maps

Re: What "hole" would you fill downtown?

Post by brewcrew1000 »

Yo Momma's

In all seriousness 8th and Wynadotte, was at johns big deck for the 1st time yesterday and I couldn't believe the sea of parking while looking out from the deck, it was sick. That rooftop view from John's has to be one of the ugliest i've i have ever seen
flyingember
Mark Twain Tower
Mark Twain Tower
Posts: 9862
Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2012 7:54 am

Re: What "hole" would you fill downtown?

Post by flyingember »

brewcrew1000 wrote:Yo Momma's

In all seriousness 8th and Wynadotte, was at johns big deck for the 1st time yesterday and I couldn't believe the sea of parking while looking out from the deck, it was sick. That rooftop view from John's has to be one of the ugliest i've i have ever seen
Intriguingly it looks like DST bought a couple of them in the past year or so. A parking company used to own 7th to 9th between Central and Baltimore. That's a good sign. They don't build the ultimate projects for downtown but they're not coming in with horrible ones at the same time.
User avatar
FangKC
City Hall
City Hall
Posts: 18142
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2003 10:02 pm
Location: Old Northeast -- Indian Mound

Re: What "hole" would you fill downtown?

Post by FangKC »

I don't think DST is doing real estate development any longer, since that one big agitator investor made them get out of that business. It's more likely they bought the lots to provide parking for the buildings they own in the neighborhood.
flyingember
Mark Twain Tower
Mark Twain Tower
Posts: 9862
Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2012 7:54 am

Re: What "hole" would you fill downtown?

Post by flyingember »

FangKC wrote:I don't think DST is doing real estate development any longer, since that one big agitator investor made them get out of that business. It's more likely they bought the lots to provide parking for the buildings they own in the neighborhood.
They must have seriously hired people in that area since they have a parking garage right next to one building and underneath the other.
User avatar
kcexpress
Parking Garage
Parking Garage
Posts: 22
Joined: Sat Nov 21, 2009 1:21 pm

Re: What "hole" would you fill downtown?

Post by kcexpress »

One of my biggest personal eyesores would be imploded and redeveloped. That would be former KC Public Library / KC School District, which borders 12th, McGee, 13th, and Oak Streets. On a 150-200 million dollar budget, I would completely demolish the 10 story building and parking garage, and replace it with a mixed residential, office, and retail complex consisting of at least two towers adjoined by a parking garage. With the idea that the older historical buildings are almost all renovated, the older 60s and 70s office buildings converted into residential, and 1, 2, 3, and 4 Light quickly becoming a reality, the downtown residential market needs more new blood. While there probably is less room on that block than I would like to imagine, I would love to build a state of the art luxury residential tower, topping out at around 40-45 stories with maybe a smaller mixed use office, hotel tower at maybe 15-20 stories connected by a parking garage that runs underneath.

While it's nice to dream, I would love to see that building gone. The KC School District is reportedly seeking or sought a new location. That building is way outdated and needs to be heavily renovated or gone.
User avatar
DaveKCMO
Ambassador
Posts: 20042
Joined: Sun Nov 27, 2005 6:22 pm
Location: Crossroads
Contact:

Re: What "hole" would you fill downtown?

Post by DaveKCMO »

kcexpress wrote:One of my biggest personal eyesores would be imploded and redeveloped. That would be former KC Public Library / KC School District, which borders 12th, McGee, 13th, and Oak Streets.
sorry, but it will be renovated.
User avatar
FangKC
City Hall
City Hall
Posts: 18142
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2003 10:02 pm
Location: Old Northeast -- Indian Mound

Re: What "hole" would you fill downtown?

Post by FangKC »

Yes, it's not very "green" to tear down a building of that size. The carbon that was created to produce the glass, concrete, and steel to construct it is still floating around in the atmosphere.

With climate change, we're at the point now that we can no longer afford to construct buildings that will be torn down within a few decades.
User avatar
NorthOak
Strip mall
Strip mall
Posts: 212
Joined: Wed Aug 24, 2016 1:37 am

Re: What "hole" would you fill downtown?

Post by NorthOak »

DaveKCMO wrote:
kcexpress wrote:One of my biggest personal eyesores would be imploded and redeveloped. That would be former KC Public Library / KC School District, which borders 12th, McGee, 13th, and Oak Streets.
sorry, but it will be renovated.
Good news. While I don't like the building or it's design so much, it's still a very large and impressive structure.
We have 300 empty surface lots to fill including the entire east village sitting vacant that could use new construction.
aknowledgeableperson is currently on your ignore list.
You will no longer see any of her posts.
hartliss
Colonnade
Colonnade
Posts: 791
Joined: Fri Nov 08, 2002 4:05 pm
Location: Brookside

Re: What "hole" would you fill downtown?

Post by hartliss »

8th and McGee; might be one of the worst intersections in DT KC.
User avatar
kcexpress
Parking Garage
Parking Garage
Posts: 22
Joined: Sat Nov 21, 2009 1:21 pm

Re: What "hole" would you fill downtown?

Post by kcexpress »

NorthOak wrote:
DaveKCMO wrote:
kcexpress wrote:One of my biggest personal eyesores would be imploded and redeveloped. That would be former KC Public Library / KC School District, which borders 12th, McGee, 13th, and Oak Streets.
sorry, but it will be renovated.
Good news. While I don't like the building or it's design so much, it's still a very large and impressive structure.
We have 300 empty surface lots to fill including the entire east village sitting vacant that could use new construction.

Doesn't hurt to dream!! ;-) Anyway, if they renovate it, so be it. I've been in the building numerous times and can't stand the layout. I just hope the finished result is much improved!!
missingkc
Alameda Tower
Alameda Tower
Posts: 1297
Joined: Mon Oct 14, 2002 7:16 pm
Location: Charlotte, NC

Re: What "hole" would you fill downtown?

Post by missingkc »

I have always thought they should have tried to strike a development deal like the public library did on the Plaza: provide land in return for office space in new construction.
User avatar
FangKC
City Hall
City Hall
Posts: 18142
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2003 10:02 pm
Location: Old Northeast -- Indian Mound

Re: What "hole" would you fill downtown?

Post by FangKC »

The library didn't own the 12th and Oak building. They just rented space. The Board of Education owns the building, and they are selling it.

I have a feeling whomever buys the building will do a complete gut renovation, and just retain the shell.
missingkc
Alameda Tower
Alameda Tower
Posts: 1297
Joined: Mon Oct 14, 2002 7:16 pm
Location: Charlotte, NC

Re: What "hole" would you fill downtown?

Post by missingkc »

Correct. I always thought the BoE, not the library, should have struck a deal with a developer. Win for the BoE, win for downtown. Now the BoE is gone - not to a bad place - but gone from downtown.
Post Reply