My wish list for the Northland

Talk about the ever expanding north side of KC.
zlohban
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My wish list for the Northland

Post by zlohban »

My wish list for the Northland:

1. An east/west traffic way from the new Liberty Parkway all the way west to Hwy 45/ I-435.

2. A real Park, not just vacant land, a showplace to spend an entire day.

3. A redeveloped Metro North, with some entertainment. That place and the surrounding grounds are gigantic and it is very well located with easy access. What went wrong?

4. Just a few more Big Box stores to keep me from driving to Independence or JOCO. Costco, CompUSA to name two.

5. A Von Maur Store at Zona Rosa, only Nieman Marcus can equal their service, not Nordstroms.

6. A new Paseo bridge and an updated I-35, I can still see my fathers ’55 Olds driving that route.

7. A more prominent cleaned-up North Oak Trafficway with a more landmarked connection to NKC and downtown.

8. A safe place to sit and see the city skyline besides someone’s Briarcliff backyard.

9. Additional Shoal Creek type development.

10. More infill south of Hwy 152, re-develop older 1950 tract house areas.
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My wish list for the Northland

Post by supastudio »

I guess it all depends on what county you live in the northland.
1. An east/west traffic way from the new Liberty Parkway all the way west to Hwy 45/ I-435.
I use 152 or I-29/I- 35 to go to the "eastside" of the northland.
2. A real Park, not just vacant land, a showplace to spend an entire day.
Have you been to English Landing Park in Parkville? Check it out on a Saturday morning.
3. A redeveloped Metro North, with some entertainment. That place and the surrounding grounds are gigantic and it is very well located with easy access. What went wrong?
I agree with you on this one. Its really an embarassing Mall.
4. Just a few more Big Box stores to keep me from driving to Independence or JOCO. Costco, CompUSA to name two.
I sorta agree with this. Theres a Sam's Club on North Oak and I prefer Micro Center, which has a more knowledgable staff than the Compusa on Metcalf.
6. A new Paseo bridge and an updated I-35, I can still see my fathers ’55 Olds driving that route.
I agree with you all the way. I use the Broadway bridge whenever I cross the river so I get to use a newly renovatated and clean bridge.
7. A more prominent cleaned-up North Oak Trafficway with a more landmarked connection to NKC and downtown.
I agree with you here.
8. A safe place to sit and see the city skyline besides someone’s Briarcliff backyard.
I think the best view of the Skyline is from Park Hill South High School. I'll take a few pix when I go there to get my brother registered for classes.
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My wish list for the Northland

Post by dangerboy »

There are some great parks already... English Landing, Riverside, Waterworks, and several around Smithville Lake. Platte County is building several new parks, in cooperation with it's cities

Metro North has the location and demographics to be just as good as Independence Center or Oak Park, but it has a shitty owner who won't improve it. Places will Zona Rosa and Shoal Creek Valley will make it irrelevant if the owner doesn't get in gear.

Big box stores will keep coming as the population goes up. The Northland is just now approaching the population of Eastern Jack, which only recently got a CompUSA.

The Paseo Bridge is being rehabbed in 2005. A new, second bridge is schedule for somewhere around 2011 or so.

The city is already working on a redevelopment plan for the section of North Oak between NKC and Gladstone. It's on the radar screen.

Have you checked out the skyline views from Waterworks Park or the Downtown Airport?

The Northland has more New Urban developments (Shoal Creek, Zona Rosa, Northgate Village, Rennaisance North, etc.) than any other part of the metro area. If they are successful, developers will build more.
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My wish list for the Northland

Post by chrizow »

waterworks park has the BEST view of the skyline IMO. it's also a REALLY great place to be propositioned for sexual favors by men 3 times my age. VERY cool.

i like the view as you cross over the bridges from the north as well, but it's hard to really absorb the grandeur of our fair city whilst hurtling towards it at 90mph.

aside from that, i really don't like the Northland. i'd like someone to show me why the Northland is so great. parkville seems nice, but other than that it's a bit too sparse and country-fried for me. i am sure it's just my own personal experience/impressions from the area over the years.

i think i'd rather live at 143rd and Mission than NE 115th at NE Cunningham Drive or whatever. at least in JoCo i can avoid stepping in warm spituum on the sidewalks. :)
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My wish list for the Northland

Post by dangerboy »

I know Waterworks Park has a reputation for gay cruising, but I've never seen anything there. I think it's busy enough, especially with the disc golf course, to discourage that kindof thing. I've heard that because of KCPD crackdowns there and at Penn Valley Park, most of this activity has moved to Shawnee Mission Park.
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My wish list for the Northland

Post by chrizow »

^

and, for some bizarre reason, Coleman Park in North Raytown. i think the RPD put the kibash on it last summer though.

and as far as waterworks park goes, i wouldn't go there past 11pm unless you want to see some really creepy stuff going on. a VERY cool location nonethless.
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My wish list for the Northland

Post by KCN »

My hope for the northland is that as it booms it does not get the JoCo inflated ego or the idea that it is independent from the rest of the metro. I don't see that happening though.

I also want the southern Northland to keep from rotting away and becoming, pardon the lack of PC, a white-trash ghetto. Keep the investments going south of 152.

There is much room for development in southern Platte and Clay counties. There is absolutely no reason to sprawl out toward Smithville and Platte City at this point.

I also want to see NKC continue to be a dense little inner burb w/ urban character.
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My wish list for the Northland

Post by dangerboy »

chrizow wrote:aside from that, i really don't like the Northland. i'd like someone to show me why the Northland is so great. parkville seems nice, but other than that it's a bit too sparse and country-fried for me. i am sure it's just my own personal experience/impressions from the area over the years.

i think i'd rather live at 143rd and Mission than NE 115th at NE Cunningham Drive or whatever. at least in JoCo i can avoid stepping in warm spituum on the sidewalks. :)
If I moved to the burbs I would pick the Northland. The hills and woods keep it from being as mind-numbingly bland as the Kansas suburbs. There is no ego or sense of separateness like you find in Joco. The Northland is better connected to downtown and it's easier to get to "the city" from there. It's not nearly as country-fried as you might think - Platte County house prices have actually passed Johnson County.
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My wish list for the Northland

Post by Thrillcekr »

I am all for a CompUSA or a Micro Center either one. Why not both eventually? I'd also like to see a TGI Fridays up here too. Just for something different. Maybe a good fast food fried chicken place up closer to the airport besides that gut twisting KFC.

A couple other things I would like to eventually see up here are a dinner theater and a drive-in. Some sort of outdoor minor league or semi-professional sports like a semi-pro football team would be nice also.
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My wish list for the Northland

Post by vodkaface »

Thrillcekr wrote:I am all for a CompUSA or a Micro Center either one. Why not both eventually? I'd also like to see a TGI Fridays up here too. Just for something different.
.
Agree with you on these. Why isn't T.G.I. Fridays here?!!

I would also like to see a place like the Tivoli. Maybe in a place like NKC (Go Hornets!) or Parkville perhaps. I would also love a place to see live music like Lawrence's Granada, Bottleneck, etc. and Downtown's Uptown,etc.
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Re: My wish list for the Northland

Post by flyingember »

dangerboy wrote:I know Waterworks Park has a reputation for gay cruising, but I've never seen anything there. I think it's busy enough, especially with the disc golf course, to discourage that kindof thing. I've heard that because of KCPD crackdowns there and at Penn Valley Park, most of this activity has moved to Shawnee Mission Park.
so it's a decade later and this is no longer an issue by any means

the disc golf course did such a good job of increasing positive foot traffic and better policing got the park to the point that the most recent park improvement plan had the neighborhood all but demand the disc golf course stay in the park. all other uses will work around it
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Re: My wish list for the Northland

Post by mgsports »

I would like to see lots if Chains but will they come to the Notthland is the question,
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Re: My wish list for the Northland

Post by Demosthenes »

mgsports wrote:I would like to see lots if Chains but will they come to the Notthland is the question,
mgsports, out of curiosity, I would like to know why you want to see lots of chains in the northland? Would you not prefer local businesses? Is it more the sign that the area has become a place worth investing?

I'm just curious, because even though chains are not necessarily a bad thing, it is an odd request. And you do seem to truly cherish chain businesses.

Also, if you don't mind me asking, what do you do for a living mgsports? Do you have any connections to a chain yourself?
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Re: My wish list for the Northland

Post by Demosthenes »

Speaking of wish list for the northland, as the original poster in this thread mentioned, I would like to see the inner part of KC North to be completely redeveloped.

I realize this would cause an uproar and everyone who lives there would be against it, but fuck it, this is my wish list. In the long term though, this would be a wise move I say. As is, this land is occupied by nothing but sparsely populated tract houses and shoddy commercial buildings. This entire area has not one bit of character. Not one bit, outside of the natural topography. And that is why this area has so much potential. It is very close to downtown, and just north of the very cool and urban North Kansas City, and yet it is completely underutilized. The area already has a great park in Waterworks, all it needs is to be redeveloped into some architecturally interesting, cohesive urban neighborhoods. With the hills overlooking the city, these neighborhoods could be really, really desirable. And lets face it, all of our close in neighborhoods should be dense and urban. If the northland is going to be part of Kansas City, it needs to get with the program and step up its game. Right now it feels like a different city. It doesn't have to be though. This area was built in the 50s when planners had no idea what they were doing. But now we do, so it would be the perfect time to make a change. Luckily there is no real history, so you wouldn't have too many people crying about that.

We have a real opportunity to add clean, elegant, urban neighborhoods in a wonderful topography overlooking downtown. This is a chance to really help Kansas City grow. I realize the odds of this plan ever happening are slim to none, but god damn it would be awesome if it happened. If Kansas City is ever going to really grow, actually boom again, this will have to happen I think.
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Re: My wish list for the Northland

Post by mgsports »

Shopko,Gander Mountain,Ozarkland,Gohastings,Kroger or Gerbes or so on is what I'm thinking about.
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Re: My wish list for the Northland

Post by flyingember »

Demosthenes wrote:
mgsports wrote:I would like to see lots if Chains but will they come to the Notthland is the question,
mgsports, out of curiosity, I would like to know why you want to see lots of chains in the northland? Would you not prefer local businesses? Is it more the sign that the area has become a place worth investing?

I'm just curious, because even though chains are not necessarily a bad thing, it is an odd request. And you do seem to truly cherish chain businesses.

Also, if you don't mind me asking, what do you do for a living mgsports? Do you have any connections to a chain yourself?
he mentioned "we" with the name of one real estate company recently. I forget the thread. I'm guessing he works at one of the big retail leasing/development companies since he rarely mentions residental or office developments.

all the places people mention as worth going to in the Northland are full of local businesses

Parkville
Liberty square
NKC downtown
Briarcliff Village

Zona Rosa makes lists because it's walkable not because it's local focused, which is the common aspect between the five.

I've lived in the northland a total of 18 years and I can tell you no one mentions any other shopping center as a place to drive the distance to go shopping, they mention the specific business destination that's close and is the type of store they want to go to
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Re: My wish list for the Northland

Post by rxlexi »

If I moved to the burbs I would pick the Northland. The hills and woods keep it from being as mind-numbingly bland as the Kansas suburbs. There is no ego or sense of separateness like you find in Joco. The Northland is better connected to downtown and it's easier to get to "the city" from there. It's not nearly as country-fried as you might think - Platte County house prices have actually passed Johnson County.
So I'm resurrecting an old thread - what's the consensus on the Northland these days?

My brother is buying a first home in old Briarcliff (approx. Briarcliff Parkway/Claymont) after living downtown for several years. I've long felt that neighborhood is a best kept secret in KC. Along with Parkville, I can't imagine choosing a south JoCo location over one these 'hoods if moving to "the burbs". In some spots Briarcliff offers dense wooded hills along with river and skyline views and homes range from brand new, mini-Hallbrook McMansions (west of 169) to 30's-40's vintage bungalows. And it's KCMO! 5-min from downtown and a feeling of connectedness to the city that is difficult to find way south (IMO). Proximity to DT was highly important to my brother and MO/KCMO address a plus.

I work in downtown NKC and it's interesting how off the radar these inner-northland neighborhoods are to the rest of the metro. Downtown NKC now offers an excellent craft brewery (Cinder Block), hipster coffee shop/bar (Colony), distillery (Restless Spirits), massive restaurant/racket sports entertainment venue (Chicken N Pickle - with which my company is associated), top notch climbing gym (RoKC), adorable little movie theater (Screenland Armour), good bakery and BBQ (Le Monde and Smokin' Guns) and old school bar/grill/sports museum (Chappel's), in addition to a large CVS, First Watch, and several solid dive bars. It's becoming a nice neighborhood hub and a place worth the short trip across the river. Plus Red X. And casinos.

It does seem as if the majority of new development is happening WAY north, off 152, and will continue for the foreseeable future with the Twin Creeks area in KCMO. Would like to see some efforts toward redevelopment of North Oak and southern parts of northland coming out of NKC.

Also, strangely, I think development of Berkley Park along the river into a solid recreational destination would do a lot to further connect the inner-northland (NKC) with downtown, especially with the divided bike path along Hwy 9 that would instantly connect the two.

EDIT - I should add, I grew up in Brookside area off Ward Parkway, and literally didn't know areas such as the above existed until meeting folks from there at MU, and then working in NKC.
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Re: My wish list for the Northland

Post by FangKC »

My wish list for the Northland would be for the city to ban the cul-de-sac development that is so pervasive there.
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Re: My wish list for the Northland

Post by flyingember »

Would like to see some efforts toward redevelopment of North Oak and southern parts of northland coming out of NKC.

Lookup the Briarcliff-Winwood area plan
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Re: My wish list for the Northland

Post by mgsports »

Most chains not in KC area are closing like HHGREGG all it's locations.
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