Coffee Wonk on Broadway

[dangerboy]

Just opened in the old Planet Cafe space at Broadway and Knickerbocker.  So far it's a ad hoc setup, but it's good to see someone making a go of it in this location.

[PumpkinStalker]

Looks like they have a facebook fan page.  Hours on Fri/Sat say til midnight, good news!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kansas-Ci ... 260?v=info

[omenapt]

Great

the fact that KC still has not developed this area to become one of the trendiest and dynamic little disctricts is beyond me and tells me alot about whats wrong with this town...It has the infrastrucutre, proper mix of residential, commercial and entertainment and nice archtecture...Is this all LArry Sell's fault...gosh it makes me burn!

[dangerboy]

At least Patterson is taking over more of the building stock and actually trying to put tenants into it.  There are several renovation projects that should improve things soon.

[chrizow]

it seemed fairly "dynamic" to me in the last couple of years - pakistani restaurant, cafe trio, outabounds, the "hangout" or whatever, and a couple of other random businesses.  it felt like one of the more eclectic, "urban" blocks in midtown.

[moderne]

One problem holding back this once very urban corridor is the state of the housing stock.  While Roanoke and Valentine neighborhoods have held their own, the more densley populated area between Broadway and Main has fallen to Troost like ruin, and then there is the black hole of cleared land controlled my KC Life.

[LenexatoKCMO]

One problem holding back this once very urban corridor is the state of the housing stock.  While Roanoke and Valentine neighborhoods have held their own, the more densley populated area between Broadway and Main has fallen to Troost like ruin, and then there is the black hole of cleared land controlled my KC Life.

Seems like an easy explanation - the corridor between broadway and main has way more shabby apartments.  Seems like the key to improving midtown in general lies in convincing people that it is a desireable place to rent an apartment.  God knows there is plenty of apartment stock, but without more high-end demand, what incentive do the building owners have to run it as anything more than a tennement slum.  In turn, the single family housing suffers because who wants to invest in living and improving a place next door to a flop house.

[dangerboy]

I disagree.  There is a lot of decent housing in that district.  Many single-family houses in great shape.  Several 6-plex apartment buildings that have been rehabbed.

[LenexatoKCMO]

I disagree.  There is a lot of decent housing in that district.  Many single-family houses in great shape.   Several 6-plex apartment buildings that have been rehabbed.

Yeah, I don't guess I disagree with that either - it just seems a bit patchier.  And you have to think the property values would soar if they could clean up a lot more of the not-rehabbed apartments.  It would be nice to see some more of these places get up to the point were they would be on at least a comptetive level with the suburban apartment complexes and help fill some of the demand we keep hearing about from young people who want to live dt but can't afford condo payment-sized rents. 

[chrizow]

yeah, Old Hyde Park is one of the sadder areas of midtown in this regard.  for every huge old house in amazing shape, there are awful apartment buildings that are ghetto.  lots of shitty 1970s suburban apartment complex buildings too.  yuck.  the same goes for east of main between main and gillham, from armour to 39th.  it sucks. 

are a lot of these places Section 8?  if so, it would be nice to see them go to market-rate. 

It would be nice to see some more of these places get up to the point were they would be on at least a comptetive level with the suburban apartment complexes and help fill some of the demand we keep hearing about from young people who want to live dt but can't afford condo payment-sized rents. 

there is no shortage of cheap rentals in the plaza/midtown area though.  it's not downtown necessarily, but you can find a sweet apartment in midtown for $350-600 a month very easily. 

[beautyfromashes]

The problem is there are SO MANY apartments.  There is starting to be some renovation with the Ellison, Valentine and Chatham apartments, but, it seems it is going to take forever to clear out the riff raff.  Some of the 1970's apartments just need to be torn down altogether.  They don't belong there and just attract the worst elements.  Not sure how that will happen.

[loftguy]

The source of the problem is not the large number of apartments, but rather the make of of the ownership of many of these apartments. 

The biggest challenge is best described as slumlord operators.  They bought buildings for a song, put nothing into maintenance and are expert at hardass rent collection.  They prey on the weak and collaborate with those who are skating the outer margins of the law.

The other class of owners that hurt the neighborhod are amateur property operators.  They often paid too much for their property, get ripped off by repair and maintenance contractors, are lousy at collecting rent and generally are just hanging on by the skin of their teeth.  As result, the quality of thier investment diminishes.

Both of these classes of managers are contributing to the state of the neighborhood.  It's really hard for decent homeowners and quality renovators to bring the area forward when there is such a large resident base in substandard housing.  Lower income residents aren't the problem.  It's the poor managers that create the dilemna.

[beautyfromashes]

^ you sound like you have some experience with this.  Curious what your solution would be?

[loftguy]

^ you sound like you have some experience with this.  Curious what your solution would be?

My ideal would be to see the city, county and state governments work cooperatively (I know, I know) to acquire several blocks of properties and assist a quality developer(s) in renovating this apartment stock into mostly low to moderate income housing.  Get the investment into these tired buildings, create a new neighborhood experience and fill the blocks with those who represent our workforce housing (service industry, labor, career-starting & seniors).

[beautyfromashes]

My ideal would be to see the city, county and state governments work cooperatively (I know, I know) to acquire several blocks of properties and assist a quality developer(s) in renovating this apartment stock into mostly low to moderate income housing.  Get the investment into these tired buildings, create a new neighborhood experience and fill the blocks with those who represent our workforce housing (service industry, labor, career-starting & seniors).

I drive through here on my way to work and see the MAC property signs on Armour.  I thought this was a good sign when they went up.  But, now they have just boarded up all the properties on that street.  Don't know much about MAC.  Why are they not doing anything with those great buildings?

[chrizow]

I drive through here on my way to work and see the MAC property signs on Armour.  I thought this was a good sign when they went up.  But, now they have just boarded up all the properties on that street.  Don't know much about MAC.  Why are they not doing anything with those great buildings?

i dont know what they are doing with the smaller, now boarded up buildings on armour there, but MAC is the company that has renovated a few buildings on Armour east of Gillham, and they are doing the big ones between Main and Gillham as well.  they seem to have their shit together and are renting the apartments at market rate.  it's just taking a long time because they are renovating all those huge buildings.

[WSPanic]

Not to hijack the hijackers, but there was some guy with a "Donuts" sign flagging down cars around 9:30/10:00 on Friday night in front of this place. I've seen the "Donut" sign out in the morning - need to stop by and check it out.

[omenapt]

Oh, and I googled "wonk" and it comes from "know" backwards and i believe it got started in DC in the late 80's or early 90's  as a term for know it all pundits and politicos!