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Re: UMKC Conservatory of Music considers move to downtown
Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2018 11:24 am
by missingkc
Maybe I've missed the answer, maybe I've even asked the question but why isn't the empty block where the ballet school was to go being talked about? Not just here but anywhere? That seems to me like the ideal place.
Re: UMKC Conservatory of Music considers move to downtown
Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2018 1:06 pm
by normalthings
missingkc wrote:Maybe I've missed the answer, maybe I've even asked the question but why isn't the empty block where the ballet school was to go being talked about? Not just here but anywhere? That seems to me like the ideal place.
Empty Block to the east of PAC is going to be a 300+ room hotel. The block to the south is going to be something else as well.
Re: UMKC Conservatory of Music considers move to downtown
Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2018 1:30 pm
by rxlexi
Empty Block to the east of PAC is going to be a 300+ room hotel
Not sure this has been confirmed. Do we have anything solid here or just that a hotel of that size is an ideal/desired potential use?
Re: UMKC Conservatory of Music considers move to downtown
Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2018 1:34 pm
by normalthings
rxlexi wrote:Empty Block to the east of PAC is going to be a 300+ room hotel
Not sure this has been confirmed. Do we have anything solid here or just that a hotel of that size is an ideal/desired potential use?
It has been confirmed as in the streetcar authority is telling people that the lot has plans to be developed as a 300 room hotel and is no longer available.
Re: UMKC Conservatory of Music considers move to downtown
Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2018 4:56 pm
by missingkc
Thanks. Glad to hear it's not going to just sit empty. Does seem like a good place for another hotel.
Re: UMKC Conservatory of Music considers move to downtown
Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2018 5:39 pm
by normalthings
missingkc wrote:Thanks. Glad to hear it's not going to just sit empty. Does seem like a good place for another hotel.
Yes it does.
Re: UMKC Conservatory of Music considers move to downtown
Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 9:56 am
by flyingember
Downtown planned hotel room update:
Before 2015 hotels 3747
New Builds since 2015 now open 555
Under construction 1161
Planned 715
Marriot 983
Crowne Plaza 388
President 121
Philips 217
Holiday Inn Aladdin 193
Westin Crown Center 724
Ambassador 43
Sheraton Crown Center 733
Comfort Inn and Suites 110
fairfield inn 115
Savoy 120
1524 Main Courtyard 153
1524 Main Residence 104
Hampton Inn Gumbel Bldg 70
Hilton Home2 115
Indigo 113
Pabst/Pendergast Crossroads Hotel 125
HI Express (Interstate Bldg, 417 E 13th) 76
Hyatt 800
ambassador expansion 70
24th/Troost 90
KC Club 114
Federal Reserve 301
Next to Kauffman Center 300
Re: UMKC Conservatory of Music considers move to downtown
Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 1:58 pm
by scooterj
Looks like a downtown Conservatory is now off the table.
https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/um ... -proposals
This means no further north than 30th Street.
Re: UMKC Conservatory of Music considers move to downtown
Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 4:24 pm
by anonkcmo
"The owners of the former Westport High School think it’s the perfect spot for the proposed Conservatory. It falls within the new 2.5-mile radius requirement."
Absolutely, positively the worst case scenario. The faculty decided? INfreakin insanity.
Once again UMKC not only drops the ball, it blows it to smithereens.
Zero visibility, zero wow factor for recruitment and zero critical mass.
Complete fail. They might as well build in Harrisonville.
Re: UMKC Conservatory of Music considers move to downtown
Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 4:36 pm
by rxlexi
Agree that "off campus but not downtown" is worst case scenario.
I still think on-campus could be awesome if the project design is top-notch. UMKC campus needs more wins, and is extremely well-located.
Going into the former Westport High is lame, hopefully that won't come to fruition or if so, we are blown away by the plans.
Re: UMKC Conservatory of Music considers move to downtown
Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 4:57 pm
by FangKC
Agrawal said in the letter the location decision was driven by conversations with the Music, Dance and Theatre faculty, “most of whom felt strongly that proximity to the Volker campus must be an essential element to the new facility.”
I'm guessing here, but I would wager that faculty want proximity to their homes. They have situated their lives around the Volker campus, and don't want to disrupt their commutes and convenience factor.
We can blame former Gov. Greitens for this outcome. Had he not vetoed the earlier plan's funding, the site south of Kauffman Center would likely be where it was going.
One of the problems of keeping the Conservatory on the UMKC campus is the continuing issue with the adjacent neighborhood being pissed off about growth. Adding buildings and expanding the student population keeps eating into the neighborhood, because new buildings require campus adjacent sites and parking. Epperson House is always at risk of demolition for one of these new buildings, and it appears on the Historic KC endangered list. The Chancellor's House has already been demolished for new buildings.
Re: UMKC Conservatory of Music considers move to downtown
Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 5:35 pm
by scooterj
In terms of on campus development they could probably raze Cockefair Hall and build something on that block. That building was rotting apart even when I was there thirty years ago.
Re: UMKC Conservatory of Music considers move to downtown
Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 5:35 pm
by Eon Blue
UMKC still has over half a dozen surface parking lots and several areas of underdeveloped open space. There is plenty of room to build without demolition.
Re: UMKC Conservatory of Music considers move to downtown
Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 5:38 pm
by normalthings
FangKC wrote: ↑Tue Sep 04, 2018 4:57 pm
Agrawal said in the letter the location decision was driven by conversations with the Music, Dance and Theatre faculty, “most of whom felt strongly that proximity to the Volker campus must be an essential element to the new facility.”
I'm guessing here, but I would wager that faculty want proximity to their homes. They have situated their lives around the Volker campus, and don't want to disrupt their commutes and convenience factor.
We can blame former Gov. Greitens for this outcome. Had he not vetoed the earlier plan's funding, the site south of Kauffman Center would likely be where it was going.
One of the problems of keeping the Conservatory on the UMKC campus is the continuing issue with the adjacent neighborhood being pissed off about growth. Adding buildings and expanding the student population keeps eating into the neighborhood, because new buildings require campus adjacent sites and parking. Epperson House is always at risk of demolition for one of these new buildings, and it appears on the Historic KC endangered list. The Chancellor's House has already been demolished for new buildings.
The University of Chicago is very similar in this way. They too traditionally had very little upperclassman housing and are landlocked by a neighborhood that is pissed off.
UMKC has plenty of open space available... they just need to start building up more like U Chicago has.
Re: UMKC Conservatory of Music considers move to downtown
Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 5:38 pm
by beautyfromashes
I’d love to see a combined UMKC/Rockhurst campus. Use the funds to buy them out and let them build a new suburban Rockhurst. Would give plent of land for expansion, immediate new facilities and bridge Troost. No reason for two colleges right on top of each other.
Re: UMKC Conservatory of Music considers move to downtown
Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 7:20 pm
by flyingember
beautyfromashes wrote: ↑Tue Sep 04, 2018 5:38 pm
I’d love to see a combined UMKC/Rockhurst campus. Use the funds to buy them out and let them build a new suburban Rockhurst. Would give plent of land for expansion, immediate new facilities and bridge Troost. No reason for two colleges right on top of each other.
Why isn't there any reason for two colleges to be on top of each other?
Re: UMKC Conservatory of Music considers move to downtown
Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 7:46 pm
by FangKC
Eon Blue wrote: ↑Tue Sep 04, 2018 5:35 pm
UMKC still has over half a dozen surface parking lots and several areas of underdeveloped open space. There is plenty of room to build without demolition.
The problem is that when they build on parking lots, they have to replace the parking.
Re: UMKC Conservatory of Music considers move to downtown
Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 10:13 pm
by beautyfromashes
flyingember wrote: ↑Tue Sep 04, 2018 7:20 pm
Why isn't there any reason for two colleges to be on top of each other?
Because UMKC having an additional 10k students could make a huge difference for programs, athletics and national recognition. I’d love to see the largest KC university be similar to Louisville or Cindy.
Re: UMKC Conservatory of Music considers move to downtown
Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 10:58 pm
by normalthings
Not even that. UMKC shifting away from being a commuter school would make a huge difference. In my opinion, the expansion of on campus housing is the single greatest thing that UMKC could do in this regard. It would also have the added benefit of freeing up surrounding homes making the surrounding neighborhoods happy.
Re: UMKC Conservatory of Music considers move to downtown
Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2018 9:03 am
by shinatoo
If you build a lot of campus housing then the university will start requiring that students live on campus, at least for their freshman year. That would add another 8 grand a year to the cost of college. UMKC's mission is to provide university-level education at an affordable price, and that moves them further away from that mission. That said, if you don't provide housing, you have to provide parking.
Moving Rockhurst out of the area won't add 10k students to UMKC. Those kids won't transfer because Rockhust moved.