OFFICIAL - Wallstreet Tower (formerly US Bank Tower)

[WoodDraw]

I think western auto had some serious special assessments. A good realtor will keep you away from those or make sure it's included. I'm not intimately familiar with that building though.

[langosta]

I think western auto had some serious special assessments. A good realtor will keep you away from those or make sure it's included. I'm not intimately familiar with that building though.

I want to buy downtown but it feels like there are no "safe" newer buildings.

[WoodDraw]

Homeowner Associations seem to let power get to their heads. Both in condo buildings and subdivision, it's rough and full of massive oversteps.

"Oh, you want to buy a condo/house here? Great! Just pay us so that you can actually "own" your home and if you don't, we can put a lien on it. Want to make changes to your home? Fine, but we have to approve of it. Want to write a review on Google so potential homeowners know what the community is like? Fine, but don't say anything bad or else we will fine you considerable amounts of money".

Is it a cult?

There's a reason why I'm turned off by urban condos in particular. You're charged obscene amounts of money for a condo association fee, then they decide to pocket the money and do nothing of benefit to the property. In the case of Wall Street Tower, that's incredibly shocking and ridiculous. I guess living there means you give up your rights to Freedom of Speech online and your right to submit 311 requests to the city.

Yep. Sure sounds like a cult to me.

Just catching up here. Anytime you give a board dictatorial power many will try to take it to the limits.

There are some good hoa's though that keep buildings running and enforce the community rules. It's a balance.

The flip side is your building becomes an Airbnb. The other side is they refuse any development around you. The other side is they just defer maintenance until a building collapses because they don't want to be the ones to say pay up.

Many sides

[WoodDraw]

I think western auto had some serious special assessments. A good realtor will keep you away from those or make sure it's included. I'm not intimately familiar with that building though.

I want to buy downtown but it feels like there are no "safe" newer buildings.

The great recession really hurt condos downtown. Banks here just are very skeptical of it unless you have the money or are preleased.

I don't want to name names because many of them are on this forum, but there are some very well run that have never had issues and others less so.

[KCPowercat]

I think western auto had some serious special assessments. A good realtor will keep you away from those or make sure it's included. I'm not intimately familiar with that building though.

I want to buy downtown but it feels like there are no "safe" newer buildings.

Condo supply here has always been terrible for a number of reasons. Some already mentioned. The rules around lending to a project even before economic downturns made it really hard to build in places like KC. I searched forever to find my current place. First place I was able to buy before really anybody was downtown or wanted to be.

What are you looking for?

[im2kull]

Hearing rumors that a lawsuit has been drafted.

[im2kull]

The HOA says Larks Landing is dead. Not happening. Can't say I didn't see this one coming from a mile away. Three seconds on the Larks Landing webpage shows that they've never developed a single location. All conceptual. I'm being told the HOAs messaging had been that this was basically a done deal and work was underway to get it opened. Hope nobody bought their condos with that in mind..

Lawsuit against the HOA is still in play. Potential plaintiff's are giving a ton of opportunity to avoid a lawsuit, but the HOA has cut communication and is daring them to move forward. Apparently owners still haven't been advised that this is occuring.

Worst yet.. the fire department has confirmed that the support column repairs aren't actually completed. I'm told the HOA has been saying it's done, apparently lying more. I saw an email from the FD confirming it's not done, with the fire marshall even stating that he unfortunately can't control what the HOA says. Just that it's not done regardless of what they claim.

[im2kull]

Over/under that this building collapses in the next 48 hours? Apparently the HOA drained and refilled the main support columns this summer with a fluid that has a freezing point of just -13F.

I'm assuming everyone on here knows what happens when you freeze water based liquids?

[KCPowercat]

Zero

[herrfrank]

OMG Harry Weese would be turning in his grave. I find it hard to believe that the liquid will freeze solid at -13 (maybe just turn slushy), because KC does have -20 every 10 years or so. I guess we will see. Not all liquids expand the same as water as well. I assume this is a suspension of some kind of oily substance in a water base. Or maybe an ammonia base?

Is it too late to pour some antifreeze in the sleeves?

[im2kull]

OMG Harry Weese would be turning in his grave. I find it hard to believe that the liquid will freeze solid at -13 (maybe just turn slushy), because KC does have -20 every 10 years or so. I guess we will see. Not all liquids expand the same as water as well. I assume this is a suspension of some kind of oily substance in a water base. Or maybe an ammonia base?

Is it too late to pour some antifreeze in the sleeves?

The HOA used Interstate Intercool OP 100 40/60 for the refill. It's an Ethylene Glycol/water mixture with a -13 freeze point (under perfect, lab conditions. Real world could be worse?). They presumably seem to have disregarded our climate norms. FSC, Inc, who was previously consulted, recommended a -30F capable fluid. The fluid extracted and replaced tested near that.

KCFD expressed concern with using this fluid, as did the manufacturer (Interstate Chemical) who initially refused to provide WST the fluid. The HOA pressured them, claiming an "engineer" approved it for use, which doesn't appear to be the case as the letter the HOA provided is signed by the HOA President and the middleman company's VP. Neither are licensed engineers. I have a communication from KCFD saying they never approved, that no engineers approval has been received, and that the building is not compliant regardless of what the HOA says.

Only 3-4 owners appear to be in the know as the rest have drank the HOA kool-aid and believe that they are compliant and the problem is resolved. An internal letter circulated by the HOA claims it's all false news and blames KMBC 9 News and the tenant (an engineer) who spoke up. They appear to be fining an owner who's speaking up as well. The HOA is mirroring the Surfside one with their defiance of logic on this.

KC reaches some pretty extreme temps a lot more regularly than one would think. I don't see how this structure survives in its current state. Ice can create pressures in excess of 40-60,000 PSI. The main support columns are essentially 60ft tall box beams 2-3' in diameter with 1" walls. The math on that doesn't pencil out well, unless you're Daniel Duncan and Jack Gillum.. who were, fittingly, the structural engineers of record for the building. Records also show Haven Steel as the structural steel fabricator and the building being GCE's major project just prior to the Hyatt. Pretty alarming set of circumstances, isn't it Frank?

It is too late to pour some antifreeze in. The system doesn't circulate, so no way to mix it either.

https://www.weather.gov/eax/kcrecnorm-feb

[Chris Stritzel]

Fined for speaking out. Sounds like a cult led by a bunch of soft Kens and Karens.

[FangKC]

I received my hometown newspaper yesterday. It runs weekly columns from a defunct county paper in NW Missouri showing life there over a century ago. This week's column speaks to Missouri's climate. It's from 1884 and reports farmers struggling with -30 temperatures and farm animals freezing to death. Keep in mind that the wind chill factor wasn't applied in those days. Just thermometer readings.

[Anthony_Hugo98]

I received my hometown newspaper yesterday. It runs weekly columns from a defunct county paper in NW Missouri showing life there over a century ago. This week's column speaks to Missouri's climate. It's from 1884 and reports farmers struggling with -30 temperatures and farm animals freezing to death. Keep in mind that the wind chill factor wasn't applied in those days. Just thermometer readings.

Oh fuck that

[missingkc]

Soft Kens and Karens. What does that even mean? Everyone I've seen called out as a Karen was a total bitch. Soft Ken? I have an idea of what you're referring to, but would love to hear you lay it out. Oh. You didn't mean for the adjective 'soft' to refer to Karens, right? Just Kens. In that case 'Karens and soft Kens' would have been clearer. But anyway.

[im2kull]

Soft Kens and Karens. What does that even mean? Everyone I've seen called out as a Karen was a total bitch. Soft Ken? I have an idea of what you're referring to, but would love to hear you lay it out. Oh. You didn't mean for the adjective 'soft' to refer to Karens, right? Just Kens. In that case 'Karens and soft Kens' would have been clearer. But anyway.

The HOA President's name is Kent. So there's that.

[Anthony_Hugo98]

Soft Kens and Karens. What does that even mean? Everyone I've seen called out as a Karen was a total bitch. Soft Ken? I have an idea of what you're referring to, but would love to hear you lay it out. Oh. You didn't mean for the adjective 'soft' to refer to Karens, right? Just Kens. In that case 'Karens and soft Kens' would have been clearer. But anyway.

Pretty sure soft is referring more so to their ability to deal with things…but way to reach for air.

[im2kull]

More information

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_ ... tid=CDWPTG

[Chris Stritzel]

I mean both the Kens and Karens are little bitches when it comes to stuff like this. Or shall I refer to them as the property Nazis?

[FangKC]

I can only imagine the lawsuits filed by family members of dead tenants, and adjacent building owners if the building toppled over. I guess the board wouldn't have to face that if they were all dead as well. This makes me wonder how the building's insurance company allowed them to go with the riskier option.