Renovations of apartment buildings along Armour Blvd.

Discuss items in the urban core outside of Downtown as described above. Everything in the core including the east side (18th & Vine area), Northeast, Plaza, Westport, Brookside, Valentine, Waldo, 39th street, & the entire midtown area.
KCKev2
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Re: Renovations of apartment buildings along Armour Blvd.

Post by KCKev2 »

Certainly better than neighbors - 625-29 E Armour Blvd and The Hamilton, but this will be across from the iconic Newbern Apartments. Is this design complementary, neutral, or distracting?
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Re: Renovations of apartment buildings along Armour Blvd.

Post by FangKC »

Developer Passes ‘Squint Test’ on New Armour Apartment Project
The design of the first apartment building in MAC Properties planned $78 million Armour Corners redevelopment won support from the City Plan Commission Wednesday after its developer noted it had passed the “squint test.”

Peter Cassel of Chicago-based MAC said a consultant who assisted in the design of the seven-story building planned for 520 E. Armour offered a pragmatic way to gauge whether it blended with its historic neighbors.

“We were told to design it so when you squint your eyes, you can’t tell the difference between the new and old buildings,” he told the Plan Commission.

The Commission unanimously endorsed the design and if, as expected, it’s approved by the City Council next month, construction should begin early next summer with a summer 2020 completion. Helix Architecture + Design is the architect.
...
https://cityscenekc.com/developer-passe ... XBn8taL9Bs
KCKev2
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Re: Renovations of apartment buildings along Armour Blvd.

Post by KCKev2 »

I'm fine with the design, and don't think it's distracting, and may even be complementary. But have to haha at the "squinting test" - whatever that means. I'm more eager to see contemporary design for the corners at Armour and Troost. I think that's the right the approach.
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Re: Renovations of apartment buildings along Armour Blvd.

Post by TheLastGentleman »

Sympathetic Modern: Too afraid to be traditionalist and draw the ire of the modernists, but also too afraid to be modernist and draw the ire of the traditionalists.
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Re: Renovations of apartment buildings along Armour Blvd.

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Armour Crossing Development Increases Parking But Some Neighbors Want More
MAC Properties has expanded the development site of its planned $78 million Armour Crossing apartment to provide more parking, but is still facing pushback from some neighbors on the issue.
...
Peter Cassel of MAC told the board of the Planned Industrial Expansion Authority last week the land will allow his firm to add another 35- to 45 parking spaces to the 170 already planned for Armour Corners.

The additional land to be used for surface parking includes two vacant lots and a pre-war six-unit apartment building at 3429 S. Harrison that will be razed.
...
Pete Hughes, president of the Center City Neighborhood Association, said the additional parking was a good first step, but fell short of the neighborhood’s desire to have a .8 parking space per unit ratio for the project.

The current MAC plan, including the additional spaces off Harrison, would be about .6 per unit.

Hughes suggest MAC build structure parking for the project. The ratio desired by his association would require slightly more than 270 total spaces for the project.

“We feel a couple million (dollars) for structured parking is doable,” he said.

Cassel said structured parking would be too costly, adding that a .5 ratio has worked in other apartment projects along Armour developed by MAC.
...
In a related matter, Cassel said work should begin by July on another apartment building that’s part of the Armour Crossing development but located a couple blocks away at 520 E. Armour. It’s a seven-story, 110-unit apartment project.
...
https://tinyurl.com/ybnzlbdx
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Re: Renovations of apartment buildings along Armour Blvd.

Post by kcjak »

FangKC wrote: Thu Jan 24, 2019 1:26 pm
Armour Crossing Development Increases Parking But Some Neighbors Want More
MAC Properties has expanded the development site of its planned $78 million Armour Crossing apartment to provide more parking, but is still facing pushback from some neighbors on the issue.
...
Peter Cassel of MAC told the board of the Planned Industrial Expansion Authority last week the land will allow his firm to add another 35- to 45 parking spaces to the 170 already planned for Armour Corners.

The additional land to be used for surface parking includes two vacant lots and a pre-war six-unit apartment building at 3429 S. Harrison that will be razed.
...
Pete Hughes, president of the Center City Neighborhood Association, said the additional parking was a good first step, but fell short of the neighborhood’s desire to have a .8 parking space per unit ratio for the project.

The current MAC plan, including the additional spaces off Harrison, would be about .6 per unit.

Hughes suggest MAC build structure parking for the project. The ratio desired by his association would require slightly more than 270 total spaces for the project.

“We feel a couple million (dollars) for structured parking is doable,” he said.

Cassel said structured parking would be too costly, adding that a .5 ratio has worked in other apartment projects along Armour developed by MAC.
...
In a related matter, Cassel said work should begin by July on another apartment building that’s part of the Armour Crossing development but located a couple blocks away at 520 E. Armour. It’s a seven-story, 110-unit apartment project.
...
https://tinyurl.com/ybnzlbdx
The quip about throwing a couple million dollars toward structured parking shows the unbelievably misguided mentality of the neighborhood associations.
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FangKC
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Re: Renovations of apartment buildings along Armour Blvd.

Post by FangKC »

Pete Hughes, president of the Center City Neighborhood Association, said the additional parking was a good first step, but fell short of the neighborhood’s desire to have a .8 parking space per unit ratio for the project.

The current MAC plan, including the additional spaces off Harrison, would be about .6 per unit.

Hughes suggest MAC build structure parking for the project. The ratio desired by his association would require slightly more than 270 total spaces for the project.

“We feel a couple million (dollars) for structured parking is doable,” he said.

Cassel said structured parking would be too costly, adding that a .5 ratio has worked in other apartment projects along Armour developed by MAC.
Since it's the Center City Neighborhood Association that wants the structured parking for the project, which MAC doesn't think it needs, the Association should pay a CID tax to pay off the structured parking. It's easy to spend other people's money, but when it's you that has to pay, then the current parking minimums would probably be acceptable. If MAC was building 10-story buildings on all four corners, then they might need structured parking.

And hey, good on you Center City for causing an existing apartment building to be demolished for solve your parking obsession. :roll: Tear apartments down to build apartments. Geez.

3429 S. Harrison--six units.

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Last edited by FangKC on Thu Jan 24, 2019 2:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Renovations of apartment buildings along Armour Blvd.

Post by tower »

Or ask them to donate their homes for the parking lot.
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Re: Renovations of apartment buildings along Armour Blvd.

Post by AlbertHammond »

FangKC wrote: Thu Jan 24, 2019 2:03 pm And hey, good on you Center City for causing an existing apartment building to be demolished for solve your parking obsession. :roll: Tear apartments down to build apartments. Geez.

3429 S. Harrison--six units.

Image
When I see this photo of a doomed older apartment building, I see an affordable housing opportunity being lost. We are so focused on building "new" affordable housing that we can't see it when its right in front of us.
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Re: Renovations of apartment buildings along Armour Blvd.

Post by FangKC »

tower wrote: Thu Jan 24, 2019 2:11 pm Or ask them to donate their homes for the parking lot.
Peter Hughes owns several parcels along Troost and Forest -- several of which have no structures on them.

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Re: Renovations of apartment buildings along Armour Blvd.

Post by FangKC »

AlbertHammond wrote: Thu Jan 24, 2019 2:26 pm
FangKC wrote: Thu Jan 24, 2019 2:03 pm And hey, good on you Center City for causing an existing apartment building to be demolished for solve your parking obsession. :roll: Tear apartments down to build apartments. Geez.

3429 S. Harrison--six units.

Image
When I see this photo of a doomed older apartment building, I see an affordable housing opportunity being lost. We are so focused on building "new" affordable housing that we can't see it when its right in front of us.
The exterior of this building looks solid. It's not only the loss of existing affordable apartments, it's the waste of functional buildings that end up in landfill. The energy to create this building in 1920 is still up in our atmosphere warming the planet. The greenest buildings are older ones that already exist, and the thick brick walls provide natural mass, and reduce heating and cooling costs. Sure, it might need to have the windows resealed, and more efficient boiler. It's also got a good-sized flat roof for solar.
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Re: Renovations of apartment buildings along Armour Blvd.

Post by AlbertHammond »

FangKC wrote: Thu Jan 24, 2019 2:46 pm
AlbertHammond wrote: Thu Jan 24, 2019 2:26 pm
FangKC wrote: Thu Jan 24, 2019 2:03 pm And hey, good on you Center City for causing an existing apartment building to be demolished for solve your parking obsession. :roll: Tear apartments down to build apartments. Geez.

3429 S. Harrison--six units.

Image
When I see this photo of a doomed older apartment building, I see an affordable housing opportunity being lost. We are so focused on building "new" affordable housing that we can't see it when its right in front of us.
The exterior of this building looks solid. It's not only the loss of existing affordable apartments, it's the waste of functional buildings that end up in landfill. The energy to create this building in 1920 is still up in our atmosphere warming the planet. The greenest buildings are older ones that already exist, and the thick brick walls provide natural mass, and reduce heating and cooling costs. Sure, it might need to have the windows resealed, and more efficient boiler. It's also got a good-sized flat roof for solar.
....and that too!
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TheLastGentleman
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Re: Renovations of apartment buildings along Armour Blvd.

Post by TheLastGentleman »

That's a very nice facade. It'll be sad to see it come down.
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Re: Renovations of apartment buildings along Armour Blvd.

Post by moderne »

The load bearing structure of this building has been compromised due to termite and carpenter ants to the point it is unsafe.
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Re: Renovations of apartment buildings along Armour Blvd.

Post by chaglang »

An early version of this development had a parking garage on the Center City corner of the intersection. It was revised because that's such a poor use of that parcel, and because Center City has lost the most residents compared to SP and HP and could use more people. If Pete wants Center City wants to absorb a parking garage to get the project to .8, and let all the project residents live in SP and HP, that's very generous.
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Re: Renovations of apartment buildings along Armour Blvd.

Post by KCDowntown »

There is a plan on compasskc to renovate the American Red Cross building at 211 W Armour Blvd into 67 apartments.

The permit, and multiple diagrams and renderings (on the attachments tab) are located here.

I might be reading the diagrams wrong but it appears the building will have 13 basement apartments and 18 apartments per floor on 1-3.

The existing parking lot has 103 spaces - but only 67 are required - which will warm a NIMBY's heart somewhere.

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Re: Renovations of apartment buildings along Armour Blvd.

Post by KCtoBrooklyn »

FangKC wrote: Thu Jan 24, 2019 2:03 pm Image
Demo has started on this building. I still haven't seen/heard anything of the revised plan for this site. You would think MAC would want to get the ball rolling on the approval process.
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Re: Renovations of apartment buildings along Armour Blvd.

Post by flyingember »

This is probably them getting the ball rolling. Once the building is down they can do easier geotechnical surveys on the land.
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Re: Renovations of apartment buildings along Armour Blvd.

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Mac Plans to Renovate Former Red Cross Building Into Apartments
Mac Properties plans to renovate the former American Red Cross building at 211 W. Armour Blvd. into 61 apartments, the latest installment in the firm’s ongoing transformation of the Armour corridor in midtown.

The proposed $11.7 million project would expand the Chicago-based firm’s apartment portfolio along Armour. Over the past decade, Mac has redeveloped 28 historic buildings, creating 1,700 apartments in a 15-block corridor from Campbell Street to Broadway.

Mac also plans to break ground this summer on an apartment building at 520 E. Armour, part of a larger, 450-unit Armour Corners project in the works for the intersection of Armour and Troost.
...
https://cityscenekc.com/mac-plans-to-re ... partments/
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Re: Renovations of apartment buildings along Armour Blvd.

Post by earthling »

Looks be a nice improvement to building appearance...
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