OFFICIAL: West Edge/Plaza Vista development

[jdubwaldo]

Oh, my bad.  I thought they were gone for awhile?

[Steve52]

Bet the West Plaza Neighborhood Association meetings are total bitchfests.

Yeah there's even opening music now before each meeting.

Well you gambled with my love this time Bobby
But I want you to understand this is one time you finally lost your bet
You're gambling with my love
This time you lost the bet
Hey look any person dumb enough to hang around for the kind of stuff you hand out
Would deserve every low-kick rotten-leg dirty trick you and I both know that he'd get

[Steve52]

And I refuse to be your fool

[FangKC]

Anatomy of a Dream Turned Nightmare

http://www.kansascity.com/105/story/1613347.html

West Edge project future still in court

http://www.kansascity.com/105/story/1613339.html

[Highlander]

West Edge project future still in court

http://www.kansascity.com/105/story/1613339.html

The glimmer of hope here is that a law firm finds it tempting as an HQ office; but it would still have a lot of hurdles to cross before it came to fruition.

Great project but poorly executed by the major players.  The comments by CharlesSchwab in the comments section are worth reading. 

[KCMax]

Really interesting read. Thanks for posting.

Bernstein said he believed his only failure was relying on people too much, but he admitted he was naive about ?a lot of things.?

?I?ve never been a developer,? he said. ?I am certainly not qualified to say I was going to develop this myself. I had a team of people that I had hired and I had hired what I thought were experts in the field.

[jdubwaldo]

Ahhh, the naivety clause..... 

[KCMax]

Trilogy halts effort to maintain exclusive rights on West Edge project

Trilogy, the developer of the office-and-hotel development near the Country Club Plaza, filed for bankruptcy last May and had until Dec. 14 to return to U.S. Bankruptcy Court with its own plan to complete the project.

Trilogy then requested a 90-day extension, but one of its major creditors, J.E. Dunn Construction Co., filed an objection in late December.

R. Pete Smith, the attorney representing Trilogy, said Monday his client had decided to drop its extension request rather than fight the challenge.

[jdubwaldo]

Attorney types in the crowd - what is the implication of this?  That someone else can buy out this project?

[LenexatoKCMO]

Attorney types in the crowd - what is the implication of this?  That someone else can buy out this project?

That somebody is still going to have to submit a plan that is acceptable to the bankruptcy court and at least to a certain degree the creditors. 

[NDTeve]

Has this harsh winter made the building much less desirable?

[LenexatoKCMO]

Has this harsh winter made the building much less desirable?

I was wondering the same thing earlier - any structural engineers on the board?  What does a foot of snow and ice do to a building in that stage of construction?  Even if someone cleans it up and finishes the job, will the building ever be "right"?

[zonk]

I've heard (but not confirmed) that there was significant flooding in the lower portions of the underground garage....i mean like 1-2 levels completely submerged.  This also flooded several electric supply assemblies which will likely have to be replaced. 

[im2kull]

I've heard (but not confirmed) that there was significant flooding in the lower portions of the underground garage....i mean like 1-2 levels completely submerged.  This also flooded several electric supply assemblies which will likely have to be replaced. 

Makes you wonder just how far along they were with everything on the inside, ranging from the electrical to office walls to plumbing.  Wish we had some photos. 

So sad.  This was the one Moshe Safdie project I always doubted, more so than the PAC...but boy was I happy when construction began.  Never even had a thought about it stopping after that point.  Once they started stripping the plans (Scrapping the stainless steel edging, etc) in mid-construction you could tell what was up though.  Let's hope somebody steps in and finishes it in the near future.

[jdubwaldo]

It's 100% concrete and none of it is finished out, what can a little snow and ice really do?  It's not like it is going to collapse or something.

[DaveKCMO]

It's 100% concrete and none of it is finished out, what can a little snow and ice really do?  It's not like it is going to collapse or something.

watch life after people. masonry isn't indestructible.

[im2kull]

watch life after people. masonry isn't indestructible.

Sure, but plenty of buildings with exposed concrete are built during the middle of harsh winters.  Its nothing new...only difference is that this one is just sitting there, rather than being built upon.

[grovester]

exposed is OK, submerged is not

[dangerboy]

exposed is OK, submerged is not

As we've learned all of the recent "Without People" productions, basement flooding what takes down big buildings.

[im2kull]

Where's the "This Thread is Worthless Without Photos" Smiley?