OFFICIAL: Zona Rosa (tenants & phase II)

Talk about the ever expanding north side of KC.
KCgridlock

Zona Rosa: Metro North all over again or Leawood Town Center

Post by KCgridlock »

KC wrote:G2G...that's also my theory as to why this city isn't more progressive in some areas (mass transit being a big one)....almost everybody's parents seem to be either from somewhere else and moved to KC (almost always smaller) and many of us (kind close to the same generation), or at least I am, the first to grow up my whole life in the city...at least in the metro area.

This is why I think KC is finally seeing a surge of urban living....that make sense?

BTW, my new place in Quality Hill ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hopefully we will see the movement into urban areas (both "new urbanism" and the real urban areas) continue to increase.
True, but much more so in certain areas of town. Seems like nearly all the rural transplants settle in Olathe or Liberty or Belton etc. Outer suburbs. There are still plent of people like myself who didn't even really get out of the urban core till I started driving. The suburbs and the rural areas were just not part of my life at all. My parents, grandparents etc all came from urban KCMO. Hyde Park, Plaza, Midtown, Valentine, Swope Park, Loose Park, etc is what I remember as a kid. Most of these relative have migrated to Missouri suburbs of Lee's Summit, Blue Springs, Gladstone etc. but many still remain is awesome urban homes. I will say that none of them would have moved to KS. I think think this is true for most born and raised KCMO people.

What I am saying is that there are a lot of rural transplants yes, but I think you will get an exagerated impression of it in places like southern JoCo etc.

KCMO was once (and still is) a very urban city. The urbanism just drops like a rock outside the tight river-crown-plaza urban core and things spread out like no other city.

We have the people we need to build the city we want, we just don't outnumber the new suburbanites who really just don't have a clue.
KCgridlock

Zona Rosa: Metro North all over again or Leawood Town Center

Post by KCgridlock »

BTW, the Lenexa project looks cool (if it's ever built), but a true urbanites would not find it very attractive. Too fake and suburban yuppies trying to be urban etc. You have to have some grit and even the plaza is starting loose a lot of that. That's why you will see the migration of upscale suburbanites moving to luxury condos on the plaza while the younger people flee north and take over Westport, Crossroads and downtown.

I just hope projects like this don't end up doing more harm than good to the urban core as suburban residents will say once more:

"Why should I care about the urban core when everything I need is right here".

BTW, they have screwed up Zona Rosa.
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Zona Rosa: Metro North all over again or Leawood Town Center

Post by Good2Great »

Plaza losing grit? Are you telling me that Alaskan Fur and Saks don't embrace grit?
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Zona Rosa: Metro North all over again or Leawood Town Center

Post by ShowME »

"Geographically, I-435 and Renner is the precise CENTER of Lenexa with much western growth yet to occur, yet it's inevitable."

It's not inevitable. Just because some BFE town in southern Missouri is the central point for population or some town in Kansas is the actual center point of the U.S. doesn't mean we go waste taxpayers money and build a town center. All this project will do is contribute even more to urban sprawl. I just hope my tax money doesn't go to support something like this.
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Zona Rosa: Metro North all over again or Leawood Town Center

Post by Good2Great »

It is the center of Lenexa and the western development is already there. 5500 homes (the cheap one's are $280k) are either built, planned or under construction west of renner and east of K-7. It's happening.

Take a minute and drive south and west of downtown to check it out.

In regard to the sprawl issue, it's mixing uses to CONTAIN what would normally be over 500 acres of development into a 64 acre area.

I'm glad these issues are finally making it into the minds of those who know nothing about development, but these conversations do get frustrating.

The key to engaging KC into the new millenium is EDUCATION. No one's getting mamed by "venturing" to WyCo or Jackson County. No ones turning into a redneck by driving through the northland, and no ones getting pulled over in JoCo if they aren't in a Lexus.

MISPERCEPTIONS, FEAR and IGNORANCE are the greatest restraints to the future development/betterment of this City.

SHOWME, are you running for Mayor under the name "Glazer?"
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Zona Rosa: Metro North all over again or Leawood Town Center

Post by phxcat »

Nice points, good2great. Another thing to remember is that Lenexa is going to do what is right for Lenexa, and part of that is investment in the Kansas City area, but part of that is also development of Lenexa. If you are in City Hall over there, then your thinking will be that suburban sprawl chould be contained east of Desoto. And Desoto will say that sprawl should be contained east of Douglas Co. A strong metro has a strong central city and strong suburbs, and Lenexa is working to become a strong suburb. On the other hand, my hometown of Shawnee is looking at relocating city hall and the central police and fire stations somewhere in the center of the city, around 435. A recent article projected a population of 90,000. I have to think that Shawnee needs to be finding a way to boost that over 100,000! There is a huge difference between a city of 90,000 and 100,000, and a way to do that would be to create a denser city center around the new city hall.

That Town Center plan looks nice, though!
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Zona Rosa: Metro North all over again or Leawood Town Center

Post by QueSi2Opie »

At least Overland Park is tryin' to re-develop their original downtown off of 87th and Metcalf. However, they need to stop tryin' to annex everything south of 135th for new developement because the same businesses that are opening on 135th and 151st are closing on 87th and 75th.
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OFFICIAL: Zona Rosa (tenants & phase II)

Post by kansasfarmboy »

Kc star 5/16/04

I read about this yesterday and decided to venture up and take a look today , once in the (small city) its pretty unique with dicks sporting goods fool of products as well as many , many other stores. Pro Or con you gotta take a look.

With the issues going on about the downtown arena, and so on, and whether it may or may nOT happen, And with the union station fiasco, its refreshing to see something that IS going to open wed...

Posted on Sun, May. 16, 2004





Steiner  





Zona Rosa set to debut as ‘a city unto itself'

By MIKE RICE and JOYCE SMITH The Kansas City Star


When the long-anticipated Zona Rosa opens Wednesday in the Northland, Kansas Citians will be stepping into a new concept of a suburban shopping complex.

Area business leaders and retail observers also say the new commercial venture — at the northwest corner of Interstate 29 and Barry Road — soon will reshape consumer buying in the Northland, forcing some long-established retailers to close. Also, they say, the development will trigger more traffic problems at the busy I-29 interchange.

But many are likely to find the center's design to be an eye-opener.

Zona Rosa, named after a neighborhood in Mexico City, has storefronts with decorative facades lining new streets with parking meters. Wide, tree-shaded sidewalks and planters await pedestrian traffic. Next to an Italian restaurant is a courtyard that is expected to be a venue for jazz concerts, farmers markets and art festivals. Offices occupy the second floor of one building. And in another, loft apartments tower above.

It is all in a part of town where big-box retail centers with vast open-air parking lots are the norm. Zona Rosa represents a significant departure.

The change is known as New Urbanism, a design approach that emphasizes open spaces and a mixture of specialty stores, restaurants, offices and residences, all in a pedestrian-oriented setting. Many have dubbed Zona Rosa the Northland's modern-day response to the Country Club Plaza, which was built more than 80 years ago.

Yaromir Steiner, president of Steiner + Associates, the Ohio-based developer of Zona Rosa, prefers to call his $200 million development an “urban town centerâ€
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Zona Rosa A city unto itself to open WED. Looks great!!!!

Post by KCPowercat »

it is good to see but what issues with the arena?

I believe Z.R. has been on the board for almost 10 years.
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Zona Rosa A city unto itself to open WED. Looks great!!!!

Post by ShowME »

Props to the kinder, gentler KFB :cheers:
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Zona Rosa A city unto itself to open WED. Looks great!!!!

Post by KCN »

I'm interested to check it out if (when) I get back. When I sneaked in in March there was still a lot of work to be done, and it looked like a general combo of strip malls to me but I didn't have access to much of it. So I'm definitely looking forward to seeing it.
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Zona Rosa A city unto itself to open WED. Looks great!!!!

Post by KCPowercat »

it still looks like a lot of work is to be done...I'm sure they LOVE this rainstorm on opening day eve.

It's much better than a strip mall because everything is turned in to the interior streets....it's not like Leawood Town Center where the stores face acres of parking.

There is on street parking for quick trips and garages/lots behind for longer days.....much more plaza like than strip center like.

Even getting some local eateries which is solid.
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Zona Rosa A city unto itself to open WED. Looks great!!!!

Post by KCN »

Yeah none of the interior streets were done when I was there, so I was viewing it from the southern parking lots.

Are they still opening today? I saw that KC got flooded out last night.
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Zona Rosa A city unto itself to open WED. Looks great!!!!

Post by supastudio »

I went to the grand opening... and its a very nice day... the sun is shining and just a tiny breeze. The mayor even said something about it. I did take some pix, they are posted in photo section.
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Zona Rosa A city unto itself to open WED. Looks great!!!!

Post by KCPowercat »

I just went over lunch.......good selection of stores and some cool architecture with them....I guess I didn't realize there would be apartments/lofts above one of the buildings.

Good to see the northland get stores that they have been missing...don't try to eat there, only one restaurant open right now and it looked packed.

Had cool plasma screens in some of the info kiosoks....that was pretty sweet.
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Zona Rosa A city unto itself to open WED. Looks great!!!!

Post by kansasfarmboy »

KCNorthlander wrote:Yeah none of the interior streets were done when I was there, so I was viewing it from the southern parking lots.

Are they still opening today? I saw that KC got flooded out last night.
I drove up there around 1100-1130 , and there was nothing torn up by flood water.

They had a ton of people out at the end of the rain with 3 inch diesel pumps pumping water out , there was some dirty streets but no major mud slides the cut off, went as planned.

I just got out and walked around , and listening to people they are glad they wont have to go to the plaza anymore.
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Zona Rosa A city unto itself to open WED. Looks great!!!!

Post by KCPowercat »

those people probably never go to the plaza then because there are very few stores that overlap. Express & A/F are about the only ones I can think of...oh and Victoria Secrets but they wouldn't have had to go to the plaza anyways for that.

Plaza is still 10 times the quality of stores.
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Zona Rosa A city unto itself to open WED. Looks great!!!!

Post by kcteen »

Actually, KCP, the northerners I know (and I know quite a few) go to the plaza quite often for window shopping and restaurants and a movie. The same is not true so much for joco people.

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Post by dangerboy »

kcteen wrote:Actually, KCP, the northerners I know (and I know quite a few) go to the plaza quite often for window shopping and restaurants and a movie. The same is not true so much for joco people.

kcteen
Jocos probably visit the Plaza as much or more than people from any other suburb. Especially in Northeast Joco, they are much closer to it than the Northland or Eastern Jack.
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Post by KCPowercat »

teen....what I meant was the people that kfb overheard, not northlanders in general
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