KCRag Forum

New windows being installed in the Switzer/West High annex building.

New house being constructed on the east side of the 2100 block of Madison.



The house is being built on this parcel. The house with the blue porch railing has been demolished.

Two new houses have been erected on the east side of the 2100 block of Holly (near where it dead-ends).



The houses were built on this formerly vacant parcel.

Three new, small houses have been constructed on the west side of Holly south of W. 18th Street.





The houses were built on this parcel.

A new house built on the east side of the street at 1653 Summit.



The house was built on this parcel.

The new house built on the east side of Jefferson south of 18th Street.



The house during construction.

This house on east side of the 1700 block of Summit is being renovated.

Great stuff, thanks for sharing these pics!

Those new houses show why zoning matters to recreate the same density of a neighborhood. there is no urban residential zoning so homes around Staley and homes on the westside have the same rules

today they need an 8 foot side setback and you can see how big that is in the 1653 home.
for the row of three similar homes I bet they used a garden apartment style where they can be closer together

just like the idea of having parking maximums, in the urban core homes should be built to a setback maximum that matches the historic setbacks of the neighborhood.

Looks like all three of those new small houses are under contract.

smh wrote:Looks like all three of those new small houses are under contract.

Dang. My neighbor said they were going for 150k.

bobbyhawks wrote:

smh wrote:Looks like all three of those new small houses are under contract.

Dang. My neighbor said they were going for 150k.

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhom ... 517#photo0

These houses are a good example of what could go on many of the narrow city lots that the Land Bank is selling to adjacent property owners as side-yards because city leaders mistakenly think the lots are too narrow for new houses.

It would seem to me that it would be pretty easy to manufacture these houses off-site, and transport them in sections to assemble on site in a few days. Building larger volumes of this type of house would bring down the per unit price, and reduce onsite construction time. They would fit on many narrow urban lots. Adding these smaller houses into the fabric of existing neighborhoods would provide affordable housing choices for many seniors wishing to stay in their neighborhood, but who want to downsize to a smaller, more affordable home.

I would say there is a market for this type of house since about 40 percent of people living in KCMO live alone. It would be ideal for young professionals, the disabled, and single seniors (there are no stairs to climb).

It's in the City's interest to put houses on narrow lots instead of turning them into side-yards. It increase the number of residents in the City as well as supporting nearby retail.

My same neighbor said they only cost like 30k to 50k to build, so it isn't like the price has to come down that much for land that is super cheap. The unfortunate thing for the neighborhood, though, is that drives the price for comparables up, and anything with more than 1 bed and 1 bath shoots up even more in value. So far, that hasn't been a problem because property taxes have yet to shoot up. There are still a ton of empty lots in the Westside, and even in the Westside North where the average home price is much higher, but the North-end lots are probably being sat upon until someone is committed to building something pretty premium where the land is a smaller percentage of the overall cost.

In a side note, the Switzer Lofts apartments now have open houses every Saturday from 10 AM to 2 PM. They are asking $850 for 348 sq. ft. and over $2,000 for a 2 bed 1324 sq. ft. I haven't been looking at apartments recently, but that seems kinda crazy to me. The facebook is also pretty much setup like a "stuff white people like" meme.

A one bed, one bath without garage and basement, half sized kitchen. I can see $30-50k each for the home construction cost

bobbyhawks wrote:In a side note, the Switzer Lofts apartments now have open houses every Saturday from 10 AM to 2 PM. They are asking $850 for 348 sq. ft. and over $2,000 for a 2 bed 1324 sq. ft. I haven't been looking at apartments recently, but that seems kinda crazy to me. The facebook is also pretty much setup like a "stuff white people like" meme.

Shame they weren't doing more of a neighborhood redevelopment, if only to make it easier to start in with the SodoSopa jokes.

RJ Kietzman is the architect of those small houses on Holly. I wonder if he's already purchased some of the vacant lots around the ones that have sold now?

Here is an aerial of the area showing vacant parcels.

http://tinyurl.com/hhf9d5v

I did some parcel checking. Kietzman doesn't own any of the vacant lots around those houses. I noticed though that there are some parcels on the Westside south of I-35 that are owned by the Land Bank.

flyingember wrote:A one bed, one bath without garage and basement, half sized kitchen. I can see $30-50k each for the home construction cost

A few years ago I believe the cost of new home construction was around $200 per sq ft. I would imagine building on a slab or craw space and no garage would lower that $200 cost. Interesting development.

aknowledgeableperson wrote:

flyingember wrote:A one bed, one bath without garage and basement, half sized kitchen. I can see $30-50k each for the home construction cost

A few years ago I believe the cost of new home construction was around $200 per sq ft. I would imagine building on a slab or craw space and no garage would lower that $200 cost. Interesting development.

$200 per square foot is a high end home. A nice house can still be built for $130-150/sq foot.

Our new infill house (not on westside) is being staked later this month so I've actually priced a real home that can be built.

EPC withdraws embattled West Side mixed-use project

EPC Real Estate Group LLC’s $18 million mixed-use project on Kansas City’s West Side has been withdrawn after a series of concessions that failed to stem neighborhood opposition and delays.

But a firm spokesman said it will be back in a few weeks with a smaller, residential-only plan for the corner of 17th Street and Madison Avenue. It should encounter smoother sailing because it won’t require rezoning or public incentives, he said.

...

Now, with less planned density and without support from incentives, “we just can’t incorporate the cost of the items" that will be scratched, Bradley said. He said EPC is working on a new plan that would place 32 apartments, four townhomes and surface parking on the site.

...

http://tinyurl.com/hdlctsj