Historic Old Northeast

[FangKC]

The Northeast News reports that the City will vote on an ordinance today to buy the Royale Motel on the SW corner of Independence Avenue and Paseo Boulevard, and demolish it as part of the Paseo Gateway project.

http://northeastnews.net/pages/?p=30421

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — The Royale Inn at Independence Boulevard and The Paseo could soon be a thing of the past if City Councilman Scott Wagner’s ordinance passes the full council.

Filed on Jan. 14, the ordinance authorizes the city to allocate $2.7 million for the acquisition and eventual demolition of the aging motel located at 600 Paseo Boulevard. One idea to replace the motel — an area where most Northeast residents feel is a maven for drugs, prostitution and other illicit activity — would be adding green space. The acquisition of the motel property is a strategic point in the Paseo Gateway Plan that is set to revitalize the Paseo Boulevard from the I-35 exit ramp all the way down to Truman Road, creating a true gateway to Kansas City’s urban core. Bobbi Baker Hughes, Director of the Independence Avenue CID, is excited about the progress.

...

The council will vote on the ordinance at its Jan. 28, meeting. The news was revealed at a recent Northeast Alliance Together [NEAT] meeting by J.C. Alonzo, of Shockey Consulting Services, who was giving the organization an update on the Paseo Gateway Project. Alonzo said it’s important to open the gateway for a better connection to the city because there are residents in the metro area who don’t travel outside their neighborhood.

...

The ordinance advances an option originally signed last March by Brinshore Development LLC., to acquire the property from the current owner, DevRam LLC.

[FangKC]

KC plans to purchase and demolish Royale Inn to improve gateway to downtown

... the Kansas City Council approved $2.7 million to purchase and demolish the other property, the Royale Inn, at 600 Paseo.

...“This is an amazing opportunity to actually do something,” Ray told the committee, adding that the intersection is a major city connection to downtown as well as to the Northland.

Councilman Scott Wagner, a former Northeast neighborhood leader who now lives in the Northland, said residents have been trying since 2003 to improve both the safety and economic development potential of the Independence/Paseo intersection and the area around it, and this is a big step forward.

The city has an option to negotiate a final purchase of the Royale Inn for $1.8 million from Devram LLC, and the closing should come later this year. The negotiation and purchase avoid a lengthy and possibly even more costly condemnation process.

The council authorized up to $900,000 in additional funds for asbestos removal, other environmental remediation and demolition. The money would come from a bond sale this year, paid back with capital improvements sales tax money.

The motel’s removal is just one part of much bigger plans to transform the Independence Avenue corridor both west and east of the Paseo.

The public is invited to provide feedback Wednesday on five alternatives for reconfiguring the Paseo from the Interstate 35 ramps to Ninth Street. The meeting is from 5 to 7 p.m. at the KCUMB campus, Butterworth Alumni Center, 1750 Independence Ave.

...

http://www.kansascity.com/news/government-politics/article57112423.html

[Eon Blue]

There is an open house public meeting on Wednesday, February 3 at KCUMB to discuss the Paseo Gateway project at 5:00 pm-7:00 pm. The meeting is being held at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, at the Butterworth Alumni Center. The city will be presenting 5 options for the reconfiguration of the Paseo and Independence intersection.

[DaveKCMO]

There is an open house public meeting on Wednesday, February 3 at KCUMB to discuss the Paseo Gateway project at 5:00 pm-7:00 pm. The meeting is being held at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, at the Butterworth Alumni Center. The city will be presenting 5 options for the reconfiguration of the Paseo and Independence intersection.

please voice your support for alternative 2 (combining into a single intersection). this is the best crossing for pedestrians and cyclists, is compatible with streetcar, and allows continued access to cliff drive.

alternatives 3, 4, and 5 are all a disaster. alternative 1 splits the configuration into two roads, leaving lots of stranded green space that no one will ever use.

[loftguy]

There is an open house public meeting on Wednesday, February 3 at KCUMB to discuss the Paseo Gateway project at 5:00 pm-7:00 pm. The meeting is being held at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, at the Butterworth Alumni Center. The city will be presenting 5 options for the reconfiguration of the Paseo and Independence intersection.

please voice your support for alternative 2 (combining into a single intersection). this is the best crossing for pedestrians and cyclists, is compatible with streetcar, and allows continued access to cliff drive.

alternatives 3, 4, and 5 are all a disaster. alternative 1 splits the configuration into two roads, leaving lots of stranded green space that no one will ever use.

Full agreement Dave.

None of the other plans are acceptable solutions.

[flyingember]

I hate all the double Paseo intersections from Indep to 9th. Only when you get to 10th and have some space to turn and wait do they work.

Combining all of those each into one intersection would improve car safety too, not just pedestrian safety. right now it's possible to try and turn left and be stuck stopping for a car you didn't see and block visibility for a car turning left in front of you.

It's a design that I'm sure worked with less lanes of traffic but it's long past needing to be redone.

[Eon Blue]

Let's make them all DDI's.

[chingon]

There is an open house public meeting on Wednesday, February 3 at KCUMB to discuss the Paseo Gateway project at 5:00 pm-7:00 pm. The meeting is being held at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, at the Butterworth Alumni Center. The city will be presenting 5 options for the reconfiguration of the Paseo and Independence intersection.

please voice your support for alternative 2 (combining into a single intersection). this is the best crossing for pedestrians and cyclists, is compatible with streetcar, and allows continued access to cliff drive.

alternatives 3, 4, and 5 are all a disaster. alternative 1 splits the configuration into two roads, leaving lots of stranded green space that no one will ever use.

Is there a link to see the alternatives before hand?

[DaveKCMO]

"this little graphic is all you get!"

love,
kc parks

[loftguy]

"this little graphic is all you get!"

love,
kc parks

In conversation Friday with a consultant on the $30 million dollar Choice Neighborhoods grant when they saw this flyer on my desk......"why have we not been informed of this meeting and who's intern created this flyer?"

[FangKC]

The Northeast News has an article that shows all the proposed configurations of the new intersection at Independence Avenue and Paseo Boulevard.

Click on the graphics at the bottom of the article to be rerouted to another graphic page, and then click a second time on that graphic to blow it out into a larger image.

http://northeastnews.net/pages/?p=30532

[FangKC]

The groundbreaking ceremony for the reconfiguration of the Benton Boulevard and Independence Avenue intersection.

http://northeastnews.net/pages/?p=31504

[FangKC]

More than six months after the fire that destroyed their building, Speedy Cash has indicated that it will no longer fight demolition of their building on the NE corner of Independence Avenue and Prospect, and will not rebuild at that location.

Now that the issue is resolved, I wonder what the chances are that any developer will rebuild anything on the site of Speedy Cash, and the adjacent retail and apartment building that were destroyed?

http://northeastnews.net/pages/?p=31636

[FangKC]

Next door, Snyder's Market has reopened.

http://northeastnews.net/pages/?p=31640

[chingon]

Now that the issue is resolved, I wonder what the chances are that any developer will rebuild anything on the site of Speedy Cash, and the adjacent retail and apartment building that were destroyed?

Look at the other recently destroyed parcels along Independence avenue for your answer.

[FangKC]

Word is that the Royale Inn, on the SW corner of Independence Avenue and Paseo, is being prepared for demolition soon.

http://tinyurl.com/hygoq9m

[Eon Blue]

The parking lot entrances are blocked off now. I saw a KCMO emergency building inspector there yesterday (Saturday) doing some sort of checks on the building.

[FangKC]

KCMO completes purchase of Royale Inn, plans for demolition

http://northeastnews.net/pages/?p=33037

[mean]

Not particularly sad to see it go, but I can't imagine it being replaced by anything but "green space".

In other news, the Benton improvement project seems to be coming along nicely, but the volume of people turning left through the 7-11 parking lot makes it scary / dangerous to be a customer.

[Midtownkid]

http://www.kmbc.com/news/historic-scarritt-mansion-destroyed-by-fire/41727720

This is terrible!



They have done such a beautiful job with this place. Had anyone seen the new garage with stained glass window they recently completed??

I really hope they can rebuild and make it look almost as great as it did.