Motel Capri

[mean]

Just saw that this guy at Indep Ave and Paseo was being demoed. Hadn't seen anything on here. Anyone have the scoop? I assume it is destined to be a vacant lot but I hope I'm wrong.

[earthling]

Am thinking someone said KCUMB (medical university) is expanding there.

[WSPanic]

http://www.kcumb.edu/about/news-events/ ... 2884902073

Apparently turning it into green space - which is better than a vacant lot or trashy motel.

[mean]

A building would be even better, assuming it wasn't a pawn shop, check cashing place, or yet another AutoZone. But I'll take green space.

[slimwhitman]

I always hoped that hotel could be renovated into a funky mid-century gem. Not many big retro signs like that left in KC.

[moderne]

WANTED: A good home for a billion roaches and bedbugs. Hope the Pho place next door has sprayed.

[chingon]

I always hoped that hotel could be renovated into a funky mid-century gem. Not many big retro signs like that left in KC.

I always wished the city would designate some strip of road somewhere as a kind of drive-thru museum (I'm sure I just made some walk-nazis throw up in their mouths a little with that phrase) for those kinds of signs. Somewhere already trashed up and irrevocably auto-dominated - south Wornall comes to mind - where there was just a repository of wonderful mid-century signage (The White Haven Motor lodge sign from OP, the Heavilin School of Hair Fashion Sign on Troost, Kamp's Flowers in Raytown, etc.) just a road of defunct neon kitsch...

I know some of those are not defunct, but you get the idea.

[FangKC]

The Capri motel demolition is part of the City's Paseo Gateway transformation plan. If you click on the report link below, you can read more about the overall redevelopment plan for the neighborhood. If you skip to page 140, you can see drawings for what is planned for that stretch of Paseo. The demolition of the three motels near there, and the Chouteau Courts housing project, are among the first steps in the plan. The second part will be rebuilding the Independence Avenue / Paseo Boulevard intersection to better handle traffic. Another part of the plan will begin soon with construction of the Rose Hill Townhouses on Troost between Admiral Boulevard and 8th Street. Over time, various parties are assembling land parcels in the neighborhood for this redevelopment plan.

The plan also includes revamping Independence Avenue and Admiral Boulevard and restoring them to boulevards with new landscaping, trees, etc., removing the unsightly buildings on the south side of Independence Avenue --west of Paseo to the interstate bridge into downtown, and preparing the vacant parcels on both streets for new buildings. On the east side of Paseo, there are new buildings planned--mostly mixed-income multi-family residential--along Flora, Highland, and Woodland Avenues from the Avenue south to E. 9th Street. Eventually, KCUMB will probably build on the their surface parking lots as they expand.

While the housing projects further south are not really included for now, the overall goal of the Housing Authority of Kansas City is to phase those out as the properties age into obsolescence, and move the residents into more mixed-income and scattered housing sites throughout the Metro.

http://www.paseogateway.com/transformation-plan/

[FangKC]

I always hoped that hotel could be renovated into a funky mid-century gem. Not many big retro signs like that left in KC.

I always wished the city would designate some strip of road somewhere as a kind of drive-thru museum (I'm sure I just made some walk-nazis throw up in their mouths a little with that phrase) for those kinds of signs. Somewhere already trashed up and irrevocably auto-dominated - south Wornall comes to mind - where there was just a repository of wonderful mid-century signage (The White Haven Motor lodge sign from OP, the Heavilin School of Hair Fashion Sign on Troost, Kamp's Flowers in Raytown, etc.) just a road of defunct neon kitsch...

I know some of those are not defunct, but you get the idea.

I've advocated that these old signs should be bought by some party, restored, and repurposed as historic signs on the sides of big parking garages that are bland otherwise. It would also be cool to put some on them on top of old warehouses down in the West Bottoms.

[WinchesterMysteryHouse]

If you enjoy neon-kitsch, it doesn't have to be defunct. Denver's Colfax Ave. has got many business with wicked, original, functioning neon. Its Kansas City that can't support and maintain culture for more than 7-8 years at a stretch.

[WSPanic]

I don't care how many cool signs there are along the way, Colfax Ave is a traffic sewer of epic proportions. It is, in no way, evidence that Denver "out-cultures" KC.

[FangKC]

KCUMB says it will keep the cleared site of the Capri Motel a green space for at least five years, then may build on it.

http://tinyurl.com/kqxpbp3

[chingon]

The absolute last thing Northeast needs is more green space.

[aknowledgeableperson]

Would you rather have the eyesore of the hotel?

[FangKC]

I have a feeling that KCUMB will end up selling it to a developer when the Paseo Garetway project starts. The other two motels, The Admiral and the Royale, have to be demolished--as do the retail buildings along Independence Avenue west of Paseo.

[loftguy]

I have a feeling that KCUMB will end up selling it to a developer when the Paseo Garetway project starts. The other two motels, The Admiral and the Royale, have to be demolished--as do the retail buildings along Independence Avenue west of Paseo.

I'm not in favor of the Admiral being demolished. It has always managed to operate as a more reasonable and benign business, even though it was tainted by the Capri and the Royale being adjacent.

With the two bad neighbors gone, the Admiral stands a chance to be a greater asset to the community.

[shinatoo]

Need to re-purpose one of these old hotels as a pre-services homeless shelter. This has become a proven trend for successfully reducing homelessness. About an 80% success rate with a 50% reduction in cost.

[loftguy]

Need to re-purpose one of these old hotels as a pre-services homeless shelter. This has become a proven trend for successfully reducing homelessness. About an 80% success rate with a 50% reduction in cost.

This neighborhood has been saturated with social services operations. Not good planning to add anything more, though it seems 'efficient' to put all the poor people and their needs in one area. That was the old way of thinking, that there is 'nothing good there' so let's just give it over to the poor folks. That approach dooms a neighborhood and the people to be served.

Paseo West is doing enough to support our difficult needs.

Let's put some other more mainstream uses in the area, bring up expectations and provide a decent, attractive and natural connection to the east and northeast of the city.

[shinatoo]

I was addressing a more general need for a pre-services homeless shelter. We need to put it somewhere, and it needs to be near downtown. And any other neighborhood would NIMBY it to death.

Old hotels have been the prime property for this type of reuse, plus it needs to be near all of the government services that would be required to support it. Like it or not, that neighborhood is the designated area in KC for the poor and the services they require.

You could move everything to Harlem across the river, but the public transportation sucks.

[WinchesterMysteryHouse]

I don't care how many cool signs there are along the way, Colfax Ave is a traffic sewer of epic proportions. It is, in no way, evidence that Denver "out-cultures" KC.

Yeah, but you're missing the fact that on foot, its a fun place.
Does Denver 'out-culture' KC?