KCRag Forum

I understood that MAC already owned that building. I thought the condemnation process had to do with the BP? Maybe I crossed a wire in there.

smh wrote:I understood that MAC already owned that building. I thought the condemnation process had to do with the BP? Maybe I crossed a wire in there.

The city is condemning the BP, the convenience store at the NE corner of Troost and Armour, and the vacant hotel. MAC is assembling all the properties at the intersection of Troost and Armour plus the neighboring hotel building for a redevelopment project.

MAC is gonna save the hotel building and remove the BP and the convenience store. The previous article also says there'll be new construction on all four corners. However, I hope there is a misstatement of information because I doubt MAC plans on demolishing the building at the SW corner.

Yes, my post was based on the "new construction on all four corners" line. It was clear they intend to save the hotel.

JLowe2018 wrote:

smh wrote:The previous article also says there'll be new construction on all four corners. However, I hope there is a misstatement of information because I doubt MAC plans on demolishing the building at the SW corner.

The plan is for new construction adjacent to the market building on the SW corner. So not directly on the corner, but close enough. Here is a reminder of the concept:



On another note, I have noticed some activity and new construction fencing up around the buildings on Armour between Baltimore and Wyandotte. Hopefully the rehab is beginning.

Also, the new construction building on Main St. is going vertical. I am pleasantly surprised at how quickly it is moving. When it was announced as Phase III of a project, I assumed it might be some time before it started.

KCDowntown wrote:Found a couple new renderings for the 301 E Armour renovation on this Helix website's In Development page.




KCDowntown

Photo taken today of the new exterior.

The only thing I see when I look at this building is Ferris Buellers jacket.

I think MAC did a great job quickly repositioning the old IBM building. Would like to have a seen a nice matching screen around the parking garage however, and maybe a pool on-site given the asking rents. Mother Earth Coffee should be a great addition to the neighborhood.

The apartment buildings between Wyandotte & Baltimore on Armour have been approved for permits according to KIVA. They have been fenced off for a month or so, I would expect work to start soon.

MAC has been incredible for Midtown's progress.

mgh7676 wrote:The apartment buildings between Wyandotte & Baltimore on Armour have been approved for permits according to KIVA. They have been fenced off for a month or so, I would expect work to start soon.

MAC has been incredible for Midtown's progress.

Dumpster and porta potty have been moved into the back parking lot - looks like things are progressing.

Bike lane update: Squier Park and Hyde Park have both approved a plan for protected bike lanes on Armour. OHP votes tonight. If approved, we're looking at a spring/summer 2017 build. MAC is solidly in support of the plan.

Mac's new construction building on main has been going up very quickly since they started adding the prefab units (as you would expect it to). I would be curious to know how much cheaper this construction process is than standard building.

It's been fun watching this go up. I think they said this will be open to residents by spring. I hope these bring some good retail to the area and help drive out the smoke shops near by.

mykn wrote:It's been fun watching this go up. I think they said this will be open to residents by spring. I hope these bring some good retail to the area and help drive out the smoke shops near by.

I could be wrong about this but I think the smoke shops and hookah places can be a good thing. I think they bring exposure of the city to the suburban kids who probably never been to the city before due to overprotective parents or just general negativity. There are probably going to be 0 smoke shops out in Western Shawnee, so a 18 year old kid with a decent upbringing ventures into Midtown for the first time to visit a Hookah or Smoke shop, he likes what he sees in Midtown because its so different from his upbrining, when he hits 19 he moves into a moderately priced midtown rental and the cycle repeats.

I'd rather see 100 smoke shops go in over 5 Check Cashing, 2 Rent a Centers and 3 Pawn Shops

brewcrew1000 wrote:

mykn wrote:It's been fun watching this go up. I think they said this will be open to residents by spring. I hope these bring some good retail to the area and help drive out the smoke shops near by.

I could be wrong about this but I think the smoke shops and hookah places can be a good thing. I think they bring exposure of the city to the suburban kids who probably never been to the city before due to overprotective parents or just general negativity. There are probably going to be 0 smoke shops out in Western Shawnee, so a 18 year old kid with a decent upbringing ventures into Midtown for the first time to visit a Hookah or Smoke shop, he likes what he sees in Midtown because its so different from his upbrining, when he hits 19 he moves into a moderately priced midtown rental and the cycle repeats.

I'd rather see 100 smoke shops go in over 5 Check Cashing, 2 Rent a Centers and 3 Pawn Shops

I'd definitely rather see that over check cashing and rent a centers, however I feel midtown has the smoke/vape shop thing covered pretty well. I guess when I pick on smoke/vape places, I see them as a sign of low rent. What I really want to see by them leaving is rent going up so we can support wider array of retail in the area.

brewcrew1000 wrote:

mykn wrote:It's been fun watching this go up. I think they said this will be open to residents by spring. I hope these bring some good retail to the area and help drive out the smoke shops near by.

I could be wrong about this but I think the smoke shops and hookah places can be a good thing. I think they bring exposure of the city to the suburban kids who probably never been to the city before due to overprotective parents or just general negativity. There are probably going to be 0 smoke shops out in Western Shawnee, so a 18 year old kid with a decent upbringing ventures into Midtown for the first time to visit a Hookah or Smoke shop, he likes what he sees in Midtown because its so different from his upbrining, when he hits 19 he moves into a moderately priced midtown rental and the cycle repeats.

I'd rather see 100 smoke shops go in over 5 Check Cashing, 2 Rent a Centers and 3 Pawn S\hops

You do realize that KC has a 21+ smoking ordinance? They can move downtown, but they're driving to KS for this kind of business.

Smoking is a low-income resident habit too. 7 in 100 college educated individuals smoke. It jumps to 34 in 100 for people with a GED. So as prices increase along Main it will gentrify and drive most smokers to live further east.

You will see all four kinds of businesses move away because their customers did.

Before the ordinance the Hookah places were 18 and over and it seemed to be filled with lots of young kids. I'm not talking about smoking cigarettes either, I'm talking hookah and marijuana. Smoke Shops that sell cigarettes is a totally different thing.

There are smoke/vape shops all over the metro. No strip mall is complete without one.

so...anyways...does anyone know if the PIEA has been able to purchase the parcels on Armour and Troost yet? The Business Journal article from September gave a timeline of permits in the second quarter, construction soon after and the completion of the 4 corners project by 2018. Seems like an ambitious timeline considering no new information has come out about the project since that article.

I haven't heard an update on the Armour and Troost project for a while, but I believe they are still going through the condemnation/eminent domain process, which takes time. I don't think Mac was expecting to get possession of the properties until the second quarter this year and they were hoping to start soon after.

I am curious how much of the design and planning work might be done ahead of time, before they get possession. I imagine the HPNA and other neighborhood groups will want to have input.

I think I remember hearing that they already have the financing in place for this project, so it could be realistic that they start construction soon after possession and finish within a year. It seems like they started work on the Main St. project very soon after announcing it, so that is encouraging.

Remarkable how this relatively low rise pre fab building dominates the streetscape in the thirties of Main, which is a stretch of low rise and surface lots.
Might be some nice views from the upper floor units.