KCRag Forum

Midland Affordable Renovation Plan Includes Mini, Micro-Apartments

The Cordish Co. has submitted its plan to redevelop the historic Midland office building into affordable housing, partly by offering some of the more “micro” apartments to date in downtown, as small as 315 square feet.

The $24.3 million renovation plan for the 12-story vacant office building at 1221 Baltimore is scheduled for the Planned Industrial Expansion Authority meeting next week. As part of the financing, Cordish is seeking a 25-year property tax abatement for its Midland plan.
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Cordish agreed to dedicate all 117 apartments in the Midland as affordable units in response to a demand by the Kansas City Council to offer a wider price range in its apartment offerings.

Nick Benjamin, executive director of the Kansas City Power & Light District, the local Cordish operation, said all of the Midland units will have monthly rents of $1,100 or less with about half at $950 or less, and micro units going for $700-750.
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https://cityscenekc.com/midland-rehab/

I think I can make this work, but its going to be a little tight for my extended family.

A friend of my younger brother lives in a well-designed micro apt in Brooklyn about this size (have visited it). Is designed to use a lot of the wall and ceiling space for storage, though not sure what was provided by the apt design vs what was added by tenant. But it is impressive what can be done. The efficiencies from the Tiny House and Mobile Condo movement can be easily applied but some micro apt developers don't seem to be including the efficiencies as part of the base and might even restrict adding fixed storage by tenants. Something to check into if considering a micro apt.

Anyone live in one around KC? Do they tend to include or have restrictions on utilizing upper walls/ceilings for storage? A high step up bed with storage underneath is another trick. Some also have Murphy beds, exchanging storage for convertible floor space.

Efficient designers think about utilizing space in 3D. The Midland design seems to not be up to speed. Yeah it's tagged as 'affordable' but still not an excuse.

Here's one with bed over kitchen, each step could be storage...






Wouldn't expect this in 'affordable' unit but pretty cool, takes a bit to load...

Should this thread be moved to Power and Light as it’s considered part of that project.

I lived in a 390 s.f. studio apartment for five years in New York City. I didn't have Murphy bed, or bed above the kitchen. I had a full-sized bed in one corner and a full-sized sofa with pull out bed (for guests) against the opposite wall, a coffee table, a shelving unit with TV and stereo system, a small dinette table with two chairs, a microwave on a small cabinet, a bedside table, and a chest of drawers. The studio also had two full-sized double door closets. One was opposite the kitchen. The other was in a small hallway outside the bathroom. The bathroom had a tub/shower.

It was doable. I never really felt claustrophobic. I worked a lot though, and spent most evenings out socializing.

I preferred living here instead of sharing an apartment with a roommate. I had lived in two previous apartments in a roommate situation. Both were two bedroom apartments. I liked the living alone in a studio much better.

Below are photos of the studio apartment from the building website.







The studio was wider than the photos indicate.

FangKC wrote: ↑Fri May 10, 2019 8:16 pm

Years ago I visited a friend in Manhattan while I was on a layover, whose studio was quite a bit smaller. So much so that the toilet was actually in the shower. The only place he had for sitting was his bed, there was no room for anything else. Needless to say we spent less than 10 minutes at his place before heading out elsewhere.

Tiny bathrooms with shower essentially as part of entire bathroom is another efficiency trick used in some RVs and some Tiny Homes. I've seen fiberglass bathrooms in RVs like this and it's actually pretty slick. You can sit on the toilet seat while showering and use movable shower head to wash out entire bathroom. Maybe not pleasant for visitors but very practical and efficient, which micro living is all about.

Not that Midland needs to use a design that drastic, it is disappointing they aren't using ANY efficiency tricks of tiny homes/micro apt designs at all. It looks like it was designed by a traditional designer with no concept of using 3D space efficiently. Not much thought put into this design and ends up wasting a lot of precious space.

That said, it's not a terrible design, just not an efficient one.

It looks like there is a closet in the bathroom--bad idea. Toilets create vapor from the flush with micro-particles containing fecal matter. That's why one has to clean surfaces regularly--including door knobs.

Having a closet there means if you don't shut the closet doors religiously, your clothes will become covered in fecal residue. Even if closed, will one remember to clean the slide handles? The same with the washer/dryer unit that appears to be in the bathroom. The doors and buttons will have fecal residue on them--unless you clean them regularly.

It's also why one shouldn't put toothbrushes in a cup or toothbrush holders. It's also why bathrooms shouldn't have permanent carpeting, and only small rugs that can be laundered. It's not sanitary. People track the fecal matter stuck on bathroom carpet on their bare feet, socks, shoes, and transfer it all through the house.

If I were building a new house, or buying a new house, I would want a toilet separate from the shower/tub and sink area--with a door that closes. You see that feature in a lot of newer homes.

Hepatitis is often spread in restaurants not because employees forget to wash hands. They do wash. Customers don't wash after wiping, and then employees touch the DOORS customers have touched. The janitors often clean the bathrooms and forget the door handles.

I've redesigned the layout of the bathroom to resolve these issues. One version encloses the toilet with a door that closes, and moves the closet access into the kitchen. The second version is the same, except the toilet is not enclosed assuming there is some Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) rules that require all (or some) apartments must have bathrooms that are handicapped-accessible. You could also switch places for the shower and water heater.

Post of the year!

Great post - it should literally be headed to the "Dumpster"

One of my favorite SNL sketches.... Fecal Matters

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecGf-0LLTIY

Fecal Matters aside...

Looking at the top of the kitchen cabinets relative to top of wall on the right yet bathroom wall goes all the way up, it looks like very high ceilings. Seems to be twice as high as top of kitchen cabinets. The shower head is also only half way up wall. Even more disappointing they aren't taking advantage of 3D design.

Is possible the right picture isn't to scale but given the left one is, with specified measurements...

earthling wrote: ↑Wed May 15, 2019 2:26 pm Fecal Matters aside...

Looking at the top of the kitchen cabinets relative to top of wall on the right yet bathroom wall goes all the way up, it looks like very high ceilings. Seems to be twice as high as top of kitchen cabinets. The shower head is also only half way up wall. Even more disappointing they aren't taking advantage of 3D design.

Is possible the right picture isn't to scale but given the left one is, with specified measurements...

You are correct. The ceilings are pretty high.

Hmm, designed by local firm Helix. For an architecture firm that embraces creativity, 3D efficient design must not be part of their vocabulary. At apparently over $2/sqft and public incentives, would expect more thought put into this.

Lots of wasted space.

More 3D designs...




Ceiling storage...


Storage under staircase..


High bed with storage underneath...

normalthings wrote: ↑Wed May 15, 2019 2:30 pm

earthling wrote: ↑Wed May 15, 2019 2:26 pm Fecal Matters aside...

Looking at the top of the kitchen cabinets relative to top of wall on the right yet bathroom wall goes all the way up, it looks like very high ceilings. Seems to be twice as high as top of kitchen cabinets. The shower head is also only half way up wall. Even more disappointing they aren't taking advantage of 3D design.

Is possible the right picture isn't to scale but given the left one is, with specified measurements...

You are correct. The ceilings are pretty high.

In an apartment that small, there should be additional cabinets above those shown in the kitchen to provide more storage. They don't have to be for kitchen storage. Then have a sliding ladder (think libraries) that accesses the cabinets, and slides over to rest by the window.

From my experience living in a small studio for several years, storage is always the biggest issue.

If you look at the photo of the studio kitchen I lived in, what you can't see is across from the kitchen cabinets was a very large closet where I kept things like vacuum cleaner, suitcases, trash cans, laundry soap, cleaning supplies, and a small filing cabinet. There was another large closet in the small hallway leading to the bathroom.

This must be Cordish/Helix's first micro apt project. Though it only took me a few minutes of searches to find some ideas. WTF Helix/Cordish, these are going for over $2/sqft and you got incentives.

Incentives approved. https://twitter.com/kckansascity/status ... 74401?s=21

Cordish plans $25M affordable housing project at Midland

The Cordish Cos., the Baltimore-based developer behind the One Light and Two Light towers in downtown Kansas City, unveiled plans for a $25 million redevelopment that will include 117 apartments in the former Midland office building.

Dubbed the Saxon at the Midland, the project has what the developer defines as affordable housing, with 50 percent of the one-bedroom and studio units renting for less than $950 and no unit going for more than $1,100 a month. The decision to redevelop them as more moderately priced apartments is part of a deal Cordish struck with the city when it was granted the incentives for its next luxury high-rise, Three Light.
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https://tinyurl.com/y4xso5ko

Saxon at the Midland? Yuck.

Why can't they just call them Midland Apartments and be done with it?