KCRag Forum

I think Broadway should be cut it down to one lane each with Interstate access cut off, actually cutting off that highway access could reduce congestion when people are merging from SW Trafficway. Its horrible that Broadway acts as a NASCAR road course right thru the center of the park. Penn Valley has so much potential

Unfortunately, building the Federal Reserve Bank on the former St. Mary's Hospital site took away a huge opportunity to create residential housing next to the park.

"They use the park for youth sports. If you have 30 kids paying $50 each for a sports league that's $1500. With the right layout could have 4-5 sports doing this every weekend day multiple times per day in the summer. (Football. Soccer, baseball, softball, tennis, basketball) And you have 4-5 age groups per sport with their own time slot. So a well programmed park can make $30000 per summer."

Unless things have changed those revenues are not used for general park purposes. Revenues are used for staff to oversee the programs, game officials, field preparation, and so on.

Doesn't look like Cultivate Fest 2017 is happening. They should already have info for any city if it was coming back this year.
http://www.abc15.com/entertainment/even ... -this-year

When does the bi-state tax used to pay for Union Stations redevelopment expire? I know it's been well over a decade since it started. Will there be an initiative to renew it for another purpose? Penn Valley changes?

The bi-state tax has already expired. I really doubt that Kansas metro residents would have any interest in helping to fund improvements to Penn Valley Park. Union Station was a special situation. Many metro-wide wanted to see it saved.

Theoretically, the Bistate Commission can engage in future projects that benefits metro residents. At that point I assume a new election would have to be held to set up a new bi-state tax for the purpose of funding whatever the project would be.

http://www.marc.org/Government/Bistate-Commission

Thank you! Excellent information. It says that future projects could be launched after a petition and subsequent election and must be approved by Johnson and Jackson counties at a minimum. Why don't we petition for an arts tax to pay for the new UMKC conservatory and arts development at JCCC? I wonder what the requirements of the petition are.

Why don't we petition for an arts tax to pay for the new UMKC conservatory and arts development at JCCC? I wonder what the requirements of the petition are.

A petition for something positive, rather than a negative attack campaign on development throughout the city? Brilliant! I agree that in theory, a bi-state tax for the arts is a great idea and should have been done years ago, a la STL Zoo-Museum district.

RE: Penn Valley Park, I still believe it is one of the greatest "potential" assets to a rebuilding KC. A major redevelopment of the park would have a large price tag and would include some challenging infrastructure questions, but would also instantly add an iconic central asset that takes advantage of some of KC's natural (intended) strengths - hilly terrain, well-planned parkways/parkland, unique cultural assets (WWI and LIberty Memorial, Money Museum, Off-Broadway theater, fountains), small urban core (connects downtown to midtown).

A great opportunity to add a monumental fountain, a natural plants/prairie garden, hiking/mtn biking/climbing activities, small boathouse cafe, beer garden, whatever. All of the above. Anything but the freeway on-ramp and waste of green space and topography that exists today.

rxlexi wrote:A great opportunity to add a monumental fountain, a natural plants/prairie garden, hiking/mtn biking/climbing activities, small boathouse cafe, beer garden, whatever. All of the above. Anything but the freeway on-ramp and waste of green space and topography that exists today.

Yes, yes, yes and yes.

Broadway and SW Tfwy are not even good as a freeway onramp pair, the two streets merge together with zero acceleration lane and horrible sight lines heading north and you can't get SB from either option.

Combining the two into SW Tfwy makes so much sense from a simple safety point and Broadway can become a true local street

I like the ideas for developing PVP, but I don't think it will ever be successful until it is directly connected to neighborhoods. The first step should be redevelopment of the mere two blocks between Linwood/Wyandotte and the park. This will make the park accessible to Midtown. Connections should also be made to the Westside and Union Hill. Otherwise, I worry that no one will be around to experience the great new features of an updated park.

^Bikeshare stations would help connect too, eventually.

That would be nice, but not sure it's a major improvement. The park needs to be a daily part of people's lives from the surrounding neighborhoods. Bike share gets a few people to the park who want to go on the weekend, but I would think most people from the area already have bikes and wouldn't rent bikes on a daily basis. They just need to make it not so scary to even get to the park. Right now, you have to go through a major empty parking lot, or overgrown backroad or cross some crazy traffic even to get to it. I don't imagine many people kids with families risking those obstacles, especially on a daily basis. Lots of work needed.

Yeah that's what I meant by bikeshare 'too', not exclusively but in addition.

beautyfromashes wrote:I like the ideas for developing PVP, but I don't think it will ever be successful until it is directly connected to neighborhoods. The first step should be redevelopment of the mere two blocks between Linwood/Wyandotte and the park. This will make the park accessible to Midtown. Connections should also be made to the Westside and Union Hill. Otherwise, I worry that no one will be around to experience the great new features of an updated park.

I like that idea for the midtown connection. There COULD be a neat strip of businesses around where the ice house building is. There's the USPS vehicle service place & the car dealership that takes up a huge amount of space between Wyandotte and Main, if that could move and be re-developed into apartments and shops, then clean up the 31st street bridge area, and slow down the traffic coming from Penn Valley Dr.

If the streetcar comes through and the auto dealership goes & usps service station goes, this could be a very real thing.

One stop sign (or light) at the intersection of Broadway and 29th would go a long way in fixing the park's most basic issues.

Stop the traffic speeding on Broadway. Allow for cars on 29th to get onto Broadway safely. Most importantly, allow for pedestrians to access the entire western portion of the park (from the East). That is a simple solution to work from.

I always thought a statement, architecturally beautiful ped bridge from the top of the bluffs near Pioneer Mother to the top of the bluffs near the Scout would be an amazing addition to the park. It would create a literal bridge between the two distant areas of the park. More importantly, it would establish a new landmark and place to be in the park. The views from the center of the bridge would be beautiful: Downtown, Liberty Mem, the lake beyond/below. The bridge would become a popular place to run, take selfies, etc.

Yes, part of the problem is going north on Broadway from 31st is like a ski jump. You naturally want to pick up speed and then when you turn the corner, there is the park entrance. Would be terrible to cross in foot. There is a way to walk under Broadway at the Just Off Broadway theater, but it was very poorly designed with the last redo. Dark like a hole. Could use better pedestrian crossings all around the park. Linwood/Wyandotte, 29th, Main at Crown Center, etc. Also have to eliminate the brush, especially around the dog park and softball field where homeless camp out.

The recent restriping of I-35 has actually resulted in an acceleration, rather than the desired deceleration, of Broadway northbound through Penn Valley Park. The yield sign at the I-35 onramp has been removed, and Broadway now has a dedicated, full-speed lane on I-35. (Formerly, SW Tfwy had both onramp lanes, and B'way was a merge/ yield into the outer lane, causing B'way traffic to slow during the approach to I-35.

Result: northbound Broadway traffic encouraged to maintain 55+ MPH from 31st street throughout the length of the park right onto I-35.