New Town at Harmony- Independence, MO

[kboish]

3,000-acre Harmony development strikes first chord

http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/n ... rikes.html

New Town at Harmony is being designed using principles of New Urbanism, which promotes compact, walkable, mixed-use projects.

Tim Locher, managing principal for Blue Forest Land Group, said the Harmony development ultimately will include about 16,000 homes and more than 4 million square feet of retail uses. Build-out is expected to take more than 25 years, he said.

the first portion of Harmony, a 130-acre site northwest of Truman and Fisher roads.
Tim Busse, a town planner working on the development, said 500 to 750 homes and apartments will be developed on the property, along with an elementary school and neighborhood commercial uses. Groundbreaking for the development — dubbed New Town at Harmony — is scheduled for fall with home construction to begin next spring or summer.

[shinatoo]

Seams like these types of developments are poping up all over Denver. I would like to see something like this along the Blue River at 40 and Manchester on Skip's old land holdings.

[kboish]

Seams like these types of developments are poping up all over Denver. I would like to see something like this along the Blue River at 40 and Manchester on Skip's old land holdings.

I noticed that as well in Denver. I much prefer this type of development in the suburbs. I wish this was the model used in North KC development.

[slimwhitman]

I like these developments. This thing is way out in the boonies, though (but so is N.T @ St. Charles). http://goo.gl/maps/Jer8t

[aknowledgeableperson]

And they say the suburbs are dead.

[slimwhitman]

I would love to see one of these pop up somewhere between Troost and the Blue River. A good one, not some half a$$ attempt.

If you could put one of these TNDs anywhere in the KC metro, where would it be?

[chrizow]

If you could put one of these TNDs anywhere in the KC metro, where would it be?

filling in the enormous swaths of cleared land in beacon hill or around KC Life...in other words, replacing what was there.

[Eon Blue]

They sure don't bother to come up with creative names for these places.

[Volker Dad]

They sure don't bother to come up with creative names for these places.

I think the intent is for this to be a brand (or franchise, of sorts) of the St. Charles development.

[pash]

.

[flyingember]

If you could put one of these TNDs anywhere in the KC metro, where would it be?

The 'burbs. This sort of thing might make a good replacement for aging and undesirable '60s–'70s vintage neighborhoods in northern JoCo and parts of south KC.

you mean you'd tear out occupied neighborhoods?

[chaglang]

They sure don't bother to come up with creative names for these places.

New Harmony, Indiana was a utopian community started about 175 years ago. I'd be shocked if the developers were referencing that, though.

[Volker Dad]

I happened to run across this today after reading an article on Sly James...it's by Andres Duany on the New Urbanism.

A piece:

As the Charter makes clear, the New Urbanism projects at all scales, but its primary mission has been the reform of suburban sprawl, which has long been the most debilitating and neglected of America’s urban crises. This is not to say that New Urbanists have avoided the inner city. Our firm, DPZ, for example, has prepared effective urban plans of at least eight major urban cores. After all, the best way to discourage sprawl is to foster cities that people love. The long-serving president and CEO of the CNU is John Norquist, who was also the long-term mayor of Milwaukee and the author of the hard-to-beat-for-having-its-head-screwed-on-straight The Wealth of Cities. According to New Urban News, about half of New Urbanist projects (which number in the hundreds) have been infill.

It's a fun read. Duany's hair is on fire.

[FangKC]

I would love to see one of these pop up somewhere between Troost and the Blue River. A good one, not some half a$$ attempt.

If you could put one of these TNDs anywhere in the KC metro, where would it be?

Beacon Hill would be another logical site.

Other than that, the first place I can think of is the former Bannister Mall site.

And I'd also include these undeveloped areas north of the Bannister Mall site (north of E. 87th Street) from Oldham Road west to Blue River Road -- with Hillcrest Road in the center. Any land that isn't already park land.

https://maps.google.com/?ll=38.976326,- ... 1&t=h&z=15

The vacant land parcels around the area bounded by Blue Parkway, I-435, E. 63rd Trafficway, and Hardesty.

https://maps.google.com/?ll=39.021318,- ... 1&t=h&z=15

The undeveloped parcels south of Truman Sports Complex bounded by I-435, Pittman Road, E. 43rd Street, and Ozark Road/ E 47th Street. Raytown Road basically is the major artery street running through this area.

https://maps.google.com/?ll=39.043619,- ... 1&t=h&z=15

This area identified as Western Blue Township which is south of E. 23rd Street, north of E. 31st Street and between I-435 and Blue Ridge Parkway.

https://maps.google.com/?ll=39.074277,- ... 1&t=h&z=15

North of the River

The undeveloped areas identified at "Hill Haven" around Hidden Valley Park with I-435 on the east to N. Brighton on the west, and with Armour Road on the south and NE 48th Street on the north. Searcy Creek Parkway and N. Bennington are the North/South streets running through this area. Parvin Road runs East/West through the middle.

https://maps.google.com/?ll=39.074277,- ... 1&t=h&z=15

The undeveloped land around the Riverview Greenway. The park is 44 acres itself in the middle. The area is bounded on the east by I-29 and on the west by N. Holmes. The northern boundary is NE Russell Road, and the southern boundary is the municipal border of North Kansas City (which is just south of NE. 32nd Terrace.

https://maps.google.com/?ll=39.157719,- ... 1&t=h&z=15

The undeveloped parcels NW of I-29 and 169 Highway and south of NE Englewood Road.

https://maps.google.com/?ll=39.190622,- ... 6&t=h&z=16

This long narrow undeveloped area north of NE 68th Street and south of Barry Road.

https://maps.google.com/?ll=39.229128,- ... 2&t=h&z=14

The area bound by Highway 9 on the south, NW 56th Street on the north, Northwood Road on the east, and Parkdale Road on the west. Green Hills Road runs through the middle of this area.

https://maps.google.com/?ll=39.187762,- ... 1&t=h&z=15

[flyingember]

The Bannister mall site would be perfect for this

the land around the riverview greenway is owned by a single developer making this idea simpler. yes, one person is the reason we have one of the largest undeveloped pieces of land in the country that close to downtown. a development started on the north end in in 2008 but stalled out. if you saw the giant jesus status off I-35 it was moved there. there's also already this really weird neighborhood right in the middle of it north of 32nd. I drove through it and I don't get why it's there

[FangKC]

If I owned that land around the Riverview Greenway, I would develop it as a European-model village. Narrow streets with wall-to-wall structures and lots of pedestrian alleys, etc. Most parking would be underground or in interior courtyards. Mostly townhouses and apartments. A large variety of styles and less uniform structures side-by-side. The street blocks would be shorter and broken up by alleys, walk-ways, and paths. Alleys could service both pedestrian and car entrances to garages. I would avoid asphalt in the alleys and use cobblestones.

There would be combination pedestrian alley-ways between buildings that would convert to walking paths in the greenway. Not alleys like we think in the USA, but ones that are decently landscaped, paved, and unpaved paths through greenery.

To deal with the hilly terrain, I would build step-and-terrace buildings like the do in steep areas like Italian hill villages. This would also provide some variety in the street--wall and visually. It would also allow for some passages between buildings, and some open areas for windows between buildings on the sides and various alternative entrances, and small garden patio areas.

Hopefully, the streetcar line through North Kansas City from downtown would extend up North Oak Trafficway by the time my development is built. Then a connecting streetcar could go east and west through parts of Riverview Greenway and loop north to Parvin Road. Another connector would go back west through the development and connect back to North Oak.

[FangKC]

[FangKC]

[flyingember]

pointless map.

you have red over two existing developments. not sure why you're ignore them.

you also failed to account for geography. big time. I can tell you've never driven through that area. some of your homes and streets are on the face of a bluff, others are steeper than any car could ever navigate. yes, I said the face of the bluff. you also put streets and homes in the middle of creek beds. and on top of the levee. which they won't take out ever.

and on top of park land. I can tell you don't follow development plans, you would never suggest putting homes on top of KC's new park.

and ownership. you failed to respect existing easements at a minimum. for example, you have a parkway along the KC-NKC border. that's a major power line easement.

[flyingember]

Hopefully, the streetcar line through North Kansas City from downtown would extend up North Oak Trafficway by the time my development is built. Then a connecting streetcar could go east and west through parts of Riverview Greenway and loop north to Parvin Road. Another connector would go back west through the development and connect back to North Oak.

it's very clear the streetcar for the foreseeable future is a backbone system, not a local neighborhood system.

they'll send it up Vivion or Parvin and spread to 152, 64th St and such decades before they cut through this neighborhood.

since your neighborhood is geographically impossible, I'm not counting on your idea happening ever