Thoughts on Main St. in Midtown

[trailerkid]

Was in KC this afternoon to shop a little at the Plaza and Westport. Thinking Music Exchange and Streetside were on Main instead of Broadway, I took it north from the Plaza towards Downtown.

I think this street is one of many that is vital in linking all parts of the urban core. Right now, it seems to have quite a few businesses, but is doesn't look very appealing. The key word is pedestrians. I saw little to no pedestians the whole way...only a guy with his shirt off and something drapping off his head. We need to make this city walkable. That means trees, good sidewalks, no parking lots in front of businesses. These aspects, which are evident on the Plaza and Westport, should be integrated into every other existing part of the city. It's not that difficult it just involves higher standards set forth by the city.

BTW, I freaking love the area around Broadway and Westport. I regret questioning its hipness as a neighborhood. I'd LOVE to live in Midtown. Sometimes I get sick of Lawrence because it's so "Mayberry-esque." And Music Exchange is probably the coolest music store I could ever imagine.

[KCgridlock]

I like Main Street for some odd reason, it's KC's only really busy urban grit street.

But with American Century, Federal Reserve and others building the area up, it will continue to fill in and redevelop into a corporate and condo corridor.

[KCDowntown]

I think Main Street is destined to mediocrity for the long term. This has been caused by a bunch of recent (and not so recent) developments that do not even attempt to promote Main street as a pedestrian-friendly place.

First off, the MainCore group lobbied hard for the rejection of the light rail proposal citing that it would harm the businesses along Main that relied on traffic to be successful. This is incredibly shortsided thinking to me. Pedestrian friendly areas (i.e. Plaza) are incredibly more successful than car-friendly areas (i.e. downtown). Their loss.

The suburban-style "Midtown Marketplace" is a 500-pound gorilla that stifles this street. It attracts zero pedestrians and has zero relationship with Main's sidewalks. The only building built on the street is the monstrousity know as the MainCor building at Linwood and Main. This building even completely rejects the sidewalk by not having a single door on the street. Plus, the project has done nothing to 'revitalize' the surrounding area. The tax benefit/grant program for housing revitalization in the area has been suspended. Plus, there is no person or company that would want to redevelop the ABC Storage building and its little white neighbor when your view is a sea of parking spaces.

The new Fairfield Inn on Main near Union Hill has rejected the Main sidewalk by building a short fence along Main. The entrance addresses only the parking lot, and not the street.

Plus, all the old car dealerships provide long boring stretchs of sidewalk space.

Oh well, there's not much pedestrian friendly about a six lane road with cars going by at 40 mph anyway.

KCDowntown

[trailerkid]

It seems like there's an attitude that says "Well, that's the way it's always been." Main Street looks like it was built to be a major vessel for cars coming downtown and then back out to the early 'burbs. And along the way, businesses were built to accomadate cars...built for in and out convenience. This must change. This in and out philosophy is what drives (literally) the suburbs, but it is now detrimental to the urban core. We must not except thinking in the past. Turn Main into a boulevard, slow traffic, cut out parking lots, and let's put some people on those sidewalks.

[dangerboy]

The city's Main Street Corridor Plan addresses a lot of these issues, including pedestrian and bike accomodations, new ill-fitting development, transit, etc. Regardless of MainCor's opinion, Main Street has already been designated for any future mass transit in the central business corridor - whether that be light rail or rapid bus.

http://www.kcmo.org/planning.nsf/plnpre ... endocument

Overall Main St. is in decent shape. Most of the buildings are occupied, although many could probably have better tenants. It has the potential to be a really great street since it connects all the major parts of the central city, such as the Loop, Crown Center, Westport, and the Plaza.

[paisstat]

I agree, I think Main is in decent shape. It already has a lot going for it. The area around H&R Block and American Century is pretty nice. I would like to see that extended north, to fill in the grassy lot north of the hotel and just north of H&R Block. Personally, I hope H&R Block expands on the present site. Just north of that is Wild Oats and that little strip of attractive buildings, although the site just beside The Levy on 43rd bugs me. I would love to see a little corner shop put in, maybe with two or three shops, maybe some condos above. I also like the idea of doing away with the turn lane in the center and put in a strip of trees. The street is so wide, its just so non pedestrian friendly. I would love to see the sidewalks widened, to bring more walking. Other areas of Main are attractive as well. The Madrid is a very attractive building and a great venue. The area at 39th street is a nice collection of buildings, but a little seedy. Again widened sidewalks, with trees and benches would spruce it up a little.

[paisstat]

I should have mentioned that a great alternative to the strip of trees, which to some might make the area seem too suburban, would be to install a light rail line. I love the light rail lines that run on the street surface in other cities. This could run from downtown to the plaza. It would increase pedestrial and business traffic greatly.

[dangerboy]

I should have mentioned that a great alternative to the strip of trees, which to some might make the area seem too suburban, would be to install a light rail line. I love the light rail lines that run on the street surface in other cities. This could run from downtown to the plaza. It would increase pedestrial and business traffic greatly.

Well, that exact idea has been voted down 4 times in a row. However, it is getting rapid bus service in 2005. It will have new vehicles, bus stops that show when the next bus is arriving, and busses that can keep lights green to speed up the trip. Someday it might get it's own lane.

[Brooksider]

Yes, light rail has been voted down 4 times. But I think all of the plans were too ambitious. I really think folks do want light rail and a simple plan from downtown to the Plaza might fly. We have never had that option on a ballot.

[dangerboy]

Yes, light rail has been voted down 4 times. But I think all of the plans were too ambitious. I really think folks do want light rail and a simple plan from downtown to the Plaza might fly. We have never had that option on a ballot.

Unfortunately the Northland won't support any plan that doesn't include them in the first phase. That is why all of the previous proposals have been so huge. And even that support would be shaky if it didn't go all the way to the airport on day one. We would need enough yes votes in Jackson County to overcome all of the no votes in Clay and Platte.

[Brooksider]

I don't understand Danger. Even if the Northland votes it down the Southland outnumbers them and if it's regional issue Jackson county outnumbers Clay and Platte combined. I'd still like to see it on a ballot. I didn't like the last bond for light rail. It even included a ferris wheel in Penn Valley park and a tram from Union Station to Liberty Memorial. Most newer systems started with a starter line and then added on. Heck, I'd even vote for a starter line JUST in the Northland from the airport to downtown.

[dangerboy]

I don't understand Danger. Even if the Northland votes it down the Southland outnumbers them and if it's regional issue Jackson county outnumbers Clay and Platte combined. I'd still like to see it on a ballot. I didn't like the last bond for light rail. It even included a ferris wheel in Penn Valley park and a tram from Union Station to Liberty Memorial. Most newer systems started with a starter line and then added on. Heck, I'd even vote for a starter line JUST in the Northland from the airport to downtown.

First, the plan that included the ferris wheel was an initiative petition started by Clay Chastain. The city-endorsed plan was from Vivian Road to 75th Street. Both were on the same ballot and both failed.

Regarding my other comment, the margin of defeat was so wide in the Northland that it trumped the slim victory in the south.

[KC_JAYHAWK]

The Northland is the reason light rail has failed in KC. It's humorous to hear some of those on this board blast JOCO for not supporting metro issues, but JOCO has yet to NOT support a Bi-State initiative. Maybe some of the blame should be placed on the Northland. IMO, they less cooperative and less supporting of metro initiatives unless it is taking place in their backyard.

[paisstat]

A line from downtown to the Plaza would be a perfect starter plan. Yes the northland has indeed voted it down everytime. If Platte and Clay counties don't want it, don't offer it to the residents of those counties. Make it a Jackson County issue if legally possible.

[phxcat]

The last light rail plan was from Vivian to 75th- and the Northland didn't like it because it didn't go all the way to the airport- which I don't understand, since Northlanders don't fly to work- they drive, and any plan that can get them across the river seems like it would be good to me.

In the south, I seem to remeber a redundant line on the East side, running north and south. I think that trying to please everyone caused a price tag that was so high that not enough people in Jackson County wanted to support it. I think the key would be either a Jackson County vote on a Jackson County line, and leave the Northland out of it, or a KC- south of the river vote on a river to Plaza line- and promise specific future lines off of that to get the east side votes.

[kc_devotee]

Hmm, Jayhawk makes a good point. In some ways the Northland is becoming more conservative than JoCo--witness their Republican Congressman vs. Moderate Democrat Dennis Moore...Clay and Platte County were historically democratic but that appears to be shifting...

It is possible to create a special "Light Rail" zone for voting purposes--although the tax base there may not support such an initiative. THere is the conundrum--the money is in the burbs, but the political will is in the city. So, our job is to come up with compelling images and campaigns to change their minds.

[QueSi2Opie]

Hmm, Jayhawk makes a good point. In some ways the Northland is becoming more conservative than JoCo--witness their Republican Congressman vs. Moderate Democrat Dennis Moore...Clay and Platte County were historically democratic but that appears to be shifting...

That's because you have KC conservatives abandoning Jackson County for Clay & Platte and you have KCK liberals abandoning Wyandotte County for JOCO.

[dangerboy]

The only building built on the street is the monstrousity know as the MainCor building at Linwood and Main. This building even completely rejects the sidewalk by not having a single door on the street.

You're right. That MainCor building sucks. It just has a big blank wall facing the Linwood/Main intersection, not even an interesting sign, fountain, art, etc. It pretty much flies in the face of the city's Main Street Plan, which is ironic since it houses the Main St. advocacy group.

[bahua]

I live two blocks off Main on East Armour, and I love that the 56-line frequents it, but honestly, how difficult would it be to remove two lanes from the 6-lane street, from 10th to 47th(just over 4 1/5 miles) and put in a rail line? I think the issue is, and always has been taxes. So why not use locally-earned money, instead of asking people within the entire grossly-expansive city limits to pay for it with even more sales tax?

Why not create a zone in the immediate area of the suggested line, in which people's city taxes go directly toward the construction of the line? Their taxes wouldn't be any higher than anyone else's, but their taxes would be collected henceforth based on the value of the land they occupy, rather than other means(income, property, etc).

This will have a major effect on the land in the affected area(for argument's sake, along Main, from Broadway to Oak/Gillham down to 47th), first of which will be that people no longer feel the need to make their house/business looking as shoddy as they possibly can, in order to turn a low appraisal for their property taxes.

Instead, they are encouraged to beautify their space, because that will only make their property value increase, having only marginal impact on the land value. Second, you'll notice that this only applies solely to landowners. It punishes people for making poor use of valuable urban land, as they may be occupying valuable land without producing any corresponding value, themselves(by the way, we call this "urban blight" and "suburbanization of urban land." Some major perpetrators of these crimes against cities are Walmart and urban slum landlords).

The positive thing about making people responsible for the land they occupy is that they become even more productive, in an effort to make more money, thus further increasing the value of their property, and making themselves fully capable of affording the land they occupy. Meanwhile, more and more people are reasonably employed, and a cycle of wealth creation repeats and grows.

This method would easily pay for a mass-transit rail line, and would actually necessitate even more transit options. Also, once the city sees how the "test area" has exploded in value and productivity, compared with the areas still using the self-defeating scheme of property taxation, where people do as little as possible to pay as little as possible(creating blight), they will jump on the idea of land taxation.

I will be happy to respond to any holes anyone might find in the logic of my Georgist post.

[FangKC]

The whole issue of mass transit in the urban core may eventually be decided by the economy and fuel prices. For the last decade, Americans have been buying vehicles that are less fuel-efficient instead of more-efficient. One only has to acknowledge how many trucks and SUVs are on the road nowadays. Cadillac is planning to introduce a V-12 engine soon.

Gas prices have increased in the last two years as well. The volatility of gas prices and the uncertainly in the oil producing nations (Mideast and Venezuela), plus the fact that we are running huge deficits again, will certainly affect the economy. While interest rates are low now, the US is going to have to borrow more and more money, which will cause interest rates to increase.

Since so many Americans have huge credit-card debt, this will use up more of their discretionary income--leaving less money for the gas pump. Larger cars also create a bigger parking problem. You can't fit as many cars in a parking lot when people all drive SUVs.

Mass-transit issues may have more appeal in the future because of these economic factors.

Another trend that is surfacing now is aging baby boomers are retiring and moving back into the urban core. Who do you think are buying all those expensive condos in the River Market and downtown? Studies are showing that retired people like being closer to arts venues, and not having yards to tend.