Westport

Discuss items in the urban core outside of Downtown as described above. Everything in the core including the east side (18th & Vine area), Northeast, Plaza, Westport, Brookside, Valentine, Waldo, 39th street, & the entire midtown area.
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chrizow
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Re: Westport's fate post-P&L

Post by chrizow »

KCMax wrote:Is this the skateboard shooting?

http://www.kctv5.com/story/22851905/ska ... restaurant
sounds like it. that is very unfortunate as well.
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Re: Westport's fate post-P&L

Post by brewcrew1000 »

Not really related to westport but this kind of reminds me of that bogus story about the skills usa kid getting jumped and it could probably be related to a lot of bogus stories in the KC area about getting robbed,assaulted, etc. This rangers pitcher originally reported that he was assaulted by a group of young (Presumably black) males in Cleveland but later the story comes out that the guy lost a bar fight and was the instigator in the whole thing.

Orginal story
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-l ... 03585.html

The Truth
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-l ... 17664.html
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Re: Westport's fate post-P&L

Post by chingon »

brewcrew1000 wrote:young (Presumably black) males
I never saw where he claimed it was a group of black males. I thought it was a conspicuous omission. Did he say or imply that?
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Re: Westport's fate post-P&L

Post by KCMax »

The troubling trend continues. I thought Westport was getting a lot safer, and maybe these are just isolated incidents, but the perception has to be damaged a bit I would think.

Woman shot in robbery outside midtown Kansas City pizza shop
Armed robbers shot a woman outside a midtown Kansas City pizza shop early Wednesday and fled with purses as the restaurant manager fired at them.

The women were outside Santora’s Pizza at 3834 Main Street about 2 a.m. when two men approached them, said Sgt. Marisa Barnes, a spokeswoman for the Kansas City Police Department.
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Re: Westport's fate post-P&L

Post by heatherkay »

The intersection of 39th and Main is a little island of sketch. I'm not sure that criminal activities at that intersection say much about the safeness of Westport as a whole.
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Re: Westport's fate post-P&L

Post by brewcrew1000 »

I really think things like that Plasma Center where drug deals and even prostitution are common in the vicinity of the plasma center and the 2 Shell Gas Stations where they sell things like Chore Boys for cleaning out crack pipes are holding that area back.

I have been seeing more of an influx of Hipster/Artist and even young professional types moving into the Midtown Area from Armour to 39 between Gilham to Broadway and into Apts along Armour down to Troost. A couple more of these types of things or one of them actually getting killed and they could destroy all the momentum.
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Re: Westport's fate post-P&L

Post by kcjak »

Yeah, those Shell stations, check cashing joints, plasma center and abandoned building across from the old Grand Emporium do nothing for the area. I'm hoping the future apartment complex in the old XO Club location might weed out some of the riff raff and not just push it further north.
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Re: Westport's fate post-P&L

Post by smh »

If the apartment building (name is escaping me) across from Santora's could be renovated it would make a huge difference on that block.
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Re: Westport's fate post-P&L

Post by beautyfromashes »

^^ The Hawthorne. It would have gotten done if it weren't for the Southmoreland Neighborhood Association. It will continue to crumble until something falls of the exterior and hurts someone. Then, it will be demolished.
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Re: Westport's fate post-P&L

Post by kboish »

brewcrew1000 wrote:I really think things like that Plasma Center where drug deals and even prostitution are common in the vicinity of the plasma center and the 2 Shell Gas Stations where they sell things like Chore Boys for cleaning out crack pipes are holding that area back.

I have been seeing more of an influx of Hipster/Artist and even young professional types moving into the Midtown Area from Armour to 39 between Gilham to Broadway and into Apts along Armour down to Troost. A couple more of these types of things or one of them actually getting killed and they could destroy all the momentum.
I just talked to someone who said the Star is doing an article mid-august about the turn around of midtown - or at least the start of the turn around and what is still needed to get over the hump.

although lets be honest, it is the heart of the city and you will never fully get rid of all the riff raff.
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Re: Westport's fate post-P&L

Post by heatherkay »

Riff's gonna raff. All you can control is where. Maybe.
^^ The Hawthorne. It would have gotten done if it weren't for the Southmoreland Neighborhood Association. It will continue to crumble until something falls of the exterior and hurts someone. Then, it will be demolished.
What was their particular objection?
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Re: Westport's fate post-P&L

Post by beautyfromashes »

heatherkay wrote: What was their particular objection?
Money was setup when the Fedeal Reserve Bank was build in Penn Valley Park that would go to the redevelopment of Main Street. This money was used to fix up Main Street and administered through MainCor. There was a plan to use a portion of the remaining money to fix up the Hawthorne. It was opposed by MainCor and councilwomen representing Southmoreland who wanted the money designated for use more towards the Plaza end of Main.
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Re: Westport's fate post-P&L

Post by FangKC »

It would seem to me that fixing up the Hawthorne would do more to help Southmoreland than funneling that money on Main around the Plaza.

Having a big empty deteriorating building on the northern gateway to your neighborhood can't be helping bring up the aesthetics around 39th and Main.

Demolishing it probably won't help things either, because it will take even longer to redevelop the vacant lot.

I don't think of 39th and Main as the sketchiest place in KC. But getting rid of the check cashing places and replacing them with other businesses will help.

The Hawthorne could be a very handsome building if it was just renovated.

Hopefully, if the streetcar is extend to the Plaza, redevelopment will occur along Main and more apartment buildings will be built to line it.
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Re: Westport's fate post-P&L

Post by Midtownkid »

Save the Hawthorne! It has some great details. I love this "classic Midtown" shot I took...imagine it without the Hawthorne

Also, we aren't really building with the density along Main in Midtown anymore...but I think we should!

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chaglang
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Re: Westport's fate post-P&L

Post by chaglang »

beautyfromashes wrote:
heatherkay wrote: What was their particular objection?
Money was setup when the Fedeal Reserve Bank was build in Penn Valley Park that would go to the redevelopment of Main Street. This money was used to fix up Main Street and administered through MainCor. There was a plan to use a portion of the remaining money to fix up the Hawthorne. It was opposed by MainCor and councilwomen representing Southmoreland who wanted the money designated for use more towards the Plaza end of Main.
Why on earth did the developer remove the exterior wythe of brick on the most of the south side? I'm a little surprised that the roof hasn't collapsed because of that.
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Re: Westport's fate post-P&L

Post by beautyfromashes »

chaglang wrote:
beautyfromashes wrote:
heatherkay wrote: What was their particular objection?
Money was setup when the Fedeal Reserve Bank was build in Penn Valley Park that would go to the redevelopment of Main Street. This money was used to fix up Main Street and administered through MainCor. There was a plan to use a portion of the remaining money to fix up the Hawthorne. It was opposed by MainCor and councilwomen representing Southmoreland who wanted the money designated for use more towards the Plaza end of Main.
Why on earth did the developer remove the exterior wythe of brick on the most of the south side? I'm a little surprised that the roof hasn't collapsed because of that.
I think I remember that after it sat for a few years when the project was mothballed, some of the bricks on the facade started falling off. That's why they had to remove a section of the loose bricks and build the sidewalk covering on Main Street so no one gets hurt.
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Re: Westport's fate post-P&L

Post by Midtownkid »

I hope we can save it!!! MAC??

I think Midtown should be sprinkled with more buildings of this density in empty lots along Main and Broadway. Image that with streetcars on BOTH streets along with bike lanes, more trees, more local businesses etc.

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Re: Westport's fate post-P&L

Post by Midtownkid »

If nothing else do you think it would be physically possible to brace the front facade and build a new building behind?? I would accept that solution.
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Re: Westport's fate post-P&L

Post by loftguy »

Midtownkid wrote:If nothing else do you think it would be physically possible to brace the front facade and build a new building behind?? I would accept that solution.

Whoa Midtown! You are waaay ahead in the solution game. (and quote me, that proposal is never, ever going to happen)

This building is doable, with a bit of incentive help and far less civic blindness.

It ain't rocket science. There are 100 credible professionals in this city that can outline how readily this building can be made to work. It's a numbers game and a worthwhile one at that.
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chaglang
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Re: Westport's fate post-P&L

Post by chaglang »

The inside is apparently in very bad shape. Not unsalvageable, but there's a lot of mold in there.
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