500 foot mixed use tower considered for downtown

[normalthings]

Take a 500’ kmz file and import to google earth.

[rxlexi]

What is QOZ?

Something Opportunity Zone. From what I found, it includes an incentive for investors.

Qualified Opportunity Zone. Not an expert, but - investors in projects within QOZs are eligible for tax incentives including deferral of capital gains that are invested in the deal, and I believe full dismissal of a percentage amount of that capital gains investment if the project is held for a specific amount of time. They were quietly a pretty big deal a couple of years back; unsure how successful they have been on a national level to incentivize real estate development.

[TheUrbanRoo]

Just a very awkward spot for tower

[Major KC Fan]

I’ll take a 500 foot tower ANYWHERE in the general downtown area. After years of a declining downtown, the resurgence over the last decade or so is awesome!

[beautyfromashes]

I’ll take a 500 foot tower ANYWHERE in the general downtown area. After years of a declining downtown, the resurgence over the last decade or so is awesome!

Nothing like a new high rise to get the testosterone flowing in the construction industry. "Oh yeah! Well I'm going to build one even taller!"

[GRID]

We literally heard from someone on here less than a month ago that we wouldn't see a building that tall in "15-20 years" lol...works like a charm. Not the first time that's happened.

Pretty sure this is directed at me lol.

You can't deny the fact that KC has not built a taller building since 1989. That's 33 years. Almost every other city in the country has built a 500 footer since the 2000's, let alone since 1989. A few haven't like Memphis etc but most have including near all mid and major cities in the midwest. And when you combine that with how KC's corporate and development community has such a suburban culture, I really don't think it's that far fetched to assume it would be another 20-30 years.

And you never know. It still may be. There have been a few proposals to build bigger towers in KC that have not materialized.

It's great to see people actually thinking about such development in KC though. Downtown KC has been coming back now for 15 years so it's about time downtown started seeing developers floating bigger projects like this. I still think downtown KC also desperately needs one or two more major hotel towers. So just maybe the city will finally see some bigger projects announced in the coming years.

And I don't think it matters where it's at. I don't think that would be an awkward location. Downtown KC is already spread out to Crown Center. So long as it's somewhere in the downtown area is all that matters.

If other buildings go up on Broadway and a few towers eventually go up in the east loop, that would greatly expand the skyline nicely especially since most of KC's taller buildings will be hidden behind the 670 wall from street level soon.

Hasn't this site has already seen many plans? Didn't the Kauffman's oppose the proposed midrise buildings west of Broadway? Wouldn't they oppose this even more? I hope it happens. Broadway needs to be developed badly.

[TheUrbanRoo]

I’ll take a 500 foot tower ANYWHERE in the general downtown area. After years of a declining downtown, the resurgence over the last decade or so is awesome!

Yeah, no complaints I'll take it over nothing.

One positive I will say is that this tower should drastically improve our skyline view from the west side -- which currently is shitty

[MidtownCat]

This news definitely does NOT suck. Let's go!

[KC_JAYHAWK]

I'll take more towers but downtown needs infill tbh

Yep. North loop parking lots and Crossroads are prime for infill projects. Need a dozen more 10-15 story buildings, whether commercial, apartments or hotels.

I just don’t see the demand for high rise commercial in KC or most cities, post COVID. My company is HQ’d in 1KCP and it feels empty anytime I go in. I still work 90% of the time from home and I just don’t see that changing. The reason why commercial buildings are considered “mostly occupied” post COVID, is because companies are locked into long term leases. WFH isn’t going away, at least in my opinion.

[KC_JAYHAWK]

We literally heard from someone on here less than a month ago that we wouldn't see a building that tall in "15-20 years" lol...works like a charm. Not the first time that's happened.

Pretty sure this is directed at me lol.

You can't deny the fact that KC has not built a taller building since 1989. That's 33 years. Almost every other city in the country has built a 500 footer since the 2000's, let alone since 1989. A few haven't like Memphis etc but most have including near all mid and major cities in the midwest. And when you combine that with how KC's corporate and development community has such a suburban culture, I really don't think it's that far fetched to assume it would be another 20-30 years.

And you never know. It still may be. There have been a few proposals to build bigger towers in KC that have not materialized.

It's great to see people actually thinking about such development in KC though. Downtown KC has been coming back now for 15 years so it's about time downtown started seeing developers floating bigger projects like this. I still think downtown KC also desperately needs one or two more major hotel towers. So just maybe the city will finally see some bigger projects announced in the coming years.

And I don't think it matters where it's at. I don't think that would be an awkward location. Downtown KC is already spread out to Crown Center. So long as it's somewhere in the downtown area is all that matters.

If other buildings go up on Broadway and a few towers eventually go up in the east loop, that would greatly expand the skyline nicely especially since most of KC's taller buildings will be hidden behind the 670 wall from street level soon.

Hasn't this site has already seen many plans? Didn't the Kauffman's oppose the proposed midrise buildings west of Broadway? Wouldn't they oppose this even more? I hope it happens. Broadway needs to be developed badly.

Agree on another hotel, but Bartle Hall needs a big overhaul. Until the City commits to spending a couple hundred million on Bartle, I don’t think another major hotel will get built. Now if the Royals commit to downtown, that could be a game changer.

[TheUrbanRoo]

I'll take more towers but downtown needs infill tbh

Yep. North loop parking lots and Crossroads are prime for infill projects. Need a dozen more 10-15 story buildings, whether commercial, apartments or hotels.

I just don’t see the demand for high rise commercial in KC or most cities, post COVID. My company is HQ’d in 1KCP and it feels empty anytime I go in. I still work 90% of the time from home and I just don’t see that changing. The reason why commercial buildings are considered “mostly occupied” post COVID, is because companies are locked into long term leases. WFH isn’t going away, at least in my opinion.

Correct. I think we're seeing that coming more & more. Crossroads I think will explode once Cap is built and the full connection to downtown is made.

[dukuboy1]

If I recall there was a proposal in that same site that was like horse shoe or like a square C design that had traffic going into a inner courtyard drive way type of thing. Don't recall it having that same kind of height though. I agree it would stick out a lot in the spot, but hopefully it will encourage more high rises in the area along Broadway, but not blocking the Kauffman Center as the standout piece.

Excited for anything to be brewing, even if it is more of wish/dream at this point. Plenty of spots open downtown, some of which had plans on them. Maybe we will see some more activation of those plans. We'll wait and see

[KCDowntownLoop]

Aesthetically, I like how this tower would stretch our skyline further to the west. The view from Liberty Memorial toward the central business district would be that much more spectacular on the horizon.

But, as Mahomes once said, "I'll see it when I believe it."

[TheUrbanRoo]

I think it's providing a much needed to boost to the western view of our skyline, which currently looks like trash.

[GRID]

I think it's providing a much needed to boost to the western view of our skyline, which currently looks like trash.

Lol, so true downtown from the west looks smaller than Des Moines. It's not much better from the east. It's mostly due to topography but also the simple fact that KC's tall buildings are mostly on a few east/west streets. There is very little North/South density of towers over 20 stories. From the south (and to a lesser extent the north) KC looks way bigger than it really is and from the east and west it looks way smaller.

I think a 500 footer on broadway south of 670 will look great and it will have insane views of all of downtown. I honestly am not even excited though because this just still seems like vaporware till it actually breaks ground.

[Chris Stritzel]

^The best view of the skyline is from the north by far. South might be the iconic, postcard view but the north is better.

As far as the tower goes, I’m hopeful it happens. I expect the application for up to 500ft is just for extra wiggle room. I expect this to fall around 400-450ft when all is said and done. But it is a very real project.

[TheUrbanRoo]

I think it's providing a much needed to boost to the western view of our skyline, which currently looks like trash.

Lol, so true downtown from the west looks smaller than Des Moines. It's not much better from the east. It's mostly due to topography but also the simple fact that KC's tall buildings are mostly on a few east/west streets. There is very little North/South density of towers over 20 stories. From the south (and to a lesser extent the north) KC looks way bigger than it really is and from the east and west it looks way smaller.

I think a 500 footer on broadway south of 670 will look great and it will have insane views of all of downtown. I honestly am not even excited though because this just still seems like vaporware till it actually breaks ground.

True, so my hope is that this tower helps the west skyline, and the Royals do something to fix up the East skyline.

If that happens, then we’re cookin

[TheLastGentleman]

But it is a very real project.

Unbuilt KC has a lot of former “very real” projects

[TheUrbanRoo]

^The best view of the skyline is from the north by far.

Absolutely the north view is the best skyline in KC.

You get a rush driving in from the north with the mighty Missouri river on the left and beautiful sprawling skyline facing ahead.

[shinatoo]

I think it's providing a much needed to boost to the western view of our skyline, which currently looks like trash.

Lol, so true downtown from the west looks smaller than Des Moines. It's not much better from the east.

If you actually believe that's true you have zero credibility. Not even remotely true.