Old U.S. Courthouse

[Tosspot]

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascit ... 765545.htm

Courthouse may become living space
A company submits a plan to convert the historic building into apartments.
By KEVIN COLLISON
The Kansas City Star

Officials hope a proposal to convert the old U.S. Courthouse into apartments will be the salvation for a building that’s been a hard sell since its closing in 1998.

The historic property at 811 Grand Blvd. has been marketed actively by the federal General Services Administration for five years and has seen at least two redevelopment plans come and go during that time.

Now, the Alexander Co. of Madison, Wis., has submitted a proposal to convert the building into 144 apartments with indoor parking and a limited amount of commercial space.

Alexander is no stranger to downtown redevelopment here. It is close to completing the renovation of the nearby Professional Building at 11th Street and Grand Boulevard into 132 apartments.

[bahua]

Is that the "wait forever for a property tax waiver" building?

[dangerboy]

It's the building that was supposed to house non-profits like MARC, but the developer was counting on the UMKC Law School to be its anchor tenant.  The developer didn't have a Plan B so when UMKC turned them down it killed the project.

[Gretz]

Federal and state tax credits approved on this project per bizjournals.  Looks like quite a bit of east-ish loop projects these days are turning out to be affordable housing.  Developer is the same as the one that did Professional building per bizjournals.

http://kansascity.bizjournals.com/kansa ... rround=lfn

[moderne]

Another canine free apartment building!

[FangKC]

Too bad, the building could be converted into affordable housing for dogs.  One of those courtrooms could be become a dog playroom for the building.  You could rig up one of those tennis ball pitching machines to pitch frisbees, and of course, tennis balls. One could also set up a card table so the bulldogs, german shepards, cocker spaniels, and french poodles could play poker regularly. 

I still think the Missouri Court of Appeals should move into this building, and their current building at 13th and Oak be turned into something else. That way, the parking lot there could be developed, and the parking be placed below-grade.

This project is starting to remind me of the conversion of the old Police Headquarters Building in SoHo in New York City.

[anniewarbucks]

That would make some very nice apartments or condos. The size of the building is just perfect for this type of redevelopment.

[KCPowercat]

I really wish they could have made this into a school of some sort.

[DaveKCMO]

Developer of old U.S. Courthouse seeks more state tax credits

The national credit crunch has endangered the redevelopment of the historic U.S. Courthouse at 811 Grand Blvd., forcing the developer to seek another $4 million in state tax credits.

Alexander Co., of Madison, Wis., had expected to close on its financing plan to renovate the vacant landmark into 176 apartments in late January, but Wachovia Bank, its private lender, abruptly pulled out of the $35 million deal, a company representative said.

At a council committee meeting, attorney Jack Craft said that if the apartment project didn’t move forward, the GSA’s next option would be to offer the 256,000-square-foot building, where Thurgood Marshall practiced and Harry Truman had his retirement office, as a homeless shelter.

[FangKC]

A homeless shelter?  Yikes!

[HalcyonKC]

A homeless shelter?  Yikes!

I think that's obvious baloney. 

[DaveKCMO]

I think that's obvious baloney. 

yeah, a scare tactic.

[moderne]

Perfect for a homeless shelter---it is so conveniently close to Grand Slam.

[loftguy]

I think that's obvious baloney. 

You better believe it guys.  The govt. has some specific and tight regs around the transfer of federal properties.  I know that several years ago the feds said that if x, y and z did not happen in the transfer of this property, then it would then be made available to a homeless shelter not-for-profit.  The specifics are not remembered, but I do remember that the feds in the discussion were dead serious.

[ComandanteCero]

http://www.kansascity.com/637/story/1371253-p2.html

Downtown apartment projects get big boost, thanks to stimulus money

Uncle Sam is jump-starting the redevelopment of two downtown landmarks with incentives from the economic stimulus bill approved earlier this year.

The historic U.S. Courthouse at 811 Grand Blvd. and the 17-story former Home Savings Association building, also known by its address, 1006 Grand, are the most prominent of six Kansas City area projects benefiting from the federal aid.

The Grand Boulevard buildings are expected to add 310 apartments to a downtown market hungry for affordable housing.

....

All were stalled when the private market for tax credits dried up last year because of the recession.

?Seventy-five percent of the investors that were in the affordable housing industry are no longer there, and the ones that are there are paying substantially less for tax credits,? said Matt Meier of the Alexander Co. His Wisconsin-based firm has been pursuing the redevelopment of the old federal courthouse into 176 apartments since 2006.

It was on the verge of moving forward last year when Wachovia Bank pulled out of the deal. The art deco building has been empty since the Charles Evans Whittaker U.S. Courthouse opened in 1998.

All the projects receiving the federal help were approved recently by the Missouri Housing Development Commission.

The 176-unit Courthouse Apartments project, the $38 million redevelopment of the historic U.S. Courthouse at 811 Grand Blvd.

[LenexatoKCMO]

I was just noticing yesterday that it looked like the front step squaters at the courthouse had multiplied like rabbits of late. 

[Gretz]

Looks like this project is about to get underway.  The financing has been released with construction to "begin immediately."

http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/s ... gle+Reader

[LenexatoKCMO]

excellent news.  Far better outcome in the effort to cleanse Grand of its loitering/intimidation issues than the "solution" prescribed for shoppers parcade. 

[Gretz]

Agreed. Between this, 1006 Grand and the old Fed, should something actually happen with it as suggested by Angel, Grand should get a significant boost.  Anyone know what is going on with the Pickwick project, btw?  Was that just something that was proposed and is languishing or is there a real possibility of something happening there?  Also, what's the deal with that place at 10th add Oak with the new windows and canopy, anyone know?  Would be nice to see signs of life besides myself and street urchins when walking around my east loop hood.

Also, I was a little curious about what the underground parking mentioned in the article was.  I'm guessing there is maybe just a basement that they will convert to parking, but suppose they could mean excavating that 1/4 block or so behind the courthouse for a garage. 

[loftguy]

Agreed. Between this, 1006 Grand and the old Fed, should something actually happen with it as suggested by Angel, Grand should get a significant boost.  Anyone know what is going on with the Pickwick project, btw?  Was that just something that was proposed and is languishing or is there a real possibility of something happening there?  Also, what's the deal with that place at 10th add Oak with the new windows and canopy, anyone know?  Would be nice to see signs of life besides myself and street urchins when walking around my east loop hood.

Also, I was a little curious about what the underground parking mentioned in the article was.  I'm guessing there is maybe just a basement that they will convert to parking, but suppose they could mean excavating that 1/4 block or so behind the courthouse for a garage. 

Pickwick is still in motion, but it's a long slog. The developers are trying to gain support for low/moderate tax credits to be awarded to this project, so that they can provide workforce housing (office entry level, retail, service employees).  This is an area that has become increasingly competitive and more political than ever.  Without the credits, it's almost impossible for a housing development to get accomplished in todays financing environment.  Market rate rentals are not going to happen until something significant happens to change the paradigm.

Luckily, we are still in great need of low/mod housing, so if it gets awarded credits, gets built and is reasonably well managed it will succeed.