Cold Storage Lofts

[moderne]

And as frustrated as one might be, venting anger initially will not bring the best results.  Honey works better than vinegar.

[Thaine]

I'm living in Cold Storage now but so far it's not what was promised.  The whole building went a day without water and then a week with only a trickle of water and no hot water. Supposedly the city had put the wrong size valve on to accommodate this large of a building.

My furniture was moved in before I could physically move in and before the construction clean up was done.  No water meant that I've been living in construction dirt. That coupled with that the storage units that are on each floor have not been approved yet  I not only have been living in a filthy apartment that I pay market price for, I have all over my apartment everything that should be in storage.  Think of having your garage, attic and basement stuff sitting all over your living area .... that is my life at the moment.  So even with the water back on I can't clean because I can barely move around my apartment.  Also, I have one closet where they didn't put the shelf up (these are very nice oversized length closets).  They didn't even hit the studs for the brackets for the shelf and so didn't put the shelf up.  Might be minor to some but in my current situation with boxes for storage all over the place it would have been nice to have that shelf up. I have since put it up myself (so much for paying market price) but nothing heavy can be on it. I have a toilet in the master bath that doesn't work.  The shower curtain rods were hung too high to accommodate standard sized shower curtains.  Luckily in the guess bathroom my shower curtain just barely fits .... looks ridiculous though.  The master shower is just a small step in so the shower curtain doesn't even come close to the step so I can't use that shower.

The washing machine and dryer are a joke.  The cheapest products made and they work when they want to. (I raised 6 kids so don't even try and say I don't know how to operate a washer and dryer, please! )

The mail room is not open yet so I have had mail on hold out of state for over a month now.

My only window in the unit will not open because the hardware for the blinds won't permit it to open.  I pray there isn't a fire and that window is my only escape (or only means for air) because I'll be toast!

The concrete floors are not what was promised.  There's a slight shine to it in some spots that I've managed to clean but no it's not the shiny concrete that was promised. I even still have a yellow cautionary line painted on the living room floor --- sorry that's a little too urban.....LOL.

Security was promised but I haven't seen a security person yet.  Not good since the underground parking is not open yet (I hear it filled with water in the storm the other night...may never open). 

I have voice mailed, emailed and hand delivered my complaints and the only thing they've done so far is to bring me a new washer, unfortunately the same brand. 

I understand that management is stressed with all the late move-ins and not all floors have been approved by the city yet but really I feel like it was romance to get you in here and then you become a forgotten child no matter how many times you try and communicate your needs.  All communication seemed to stop once I moved in here.  Management doesn't return phone calls or emails anymore.  When I  get a face to face with them they say they will contact me and let me know when such and such is going to be taken care of but the call never comes.

I'm not happy .... can you tell??  I think in all fairness that Cold Storage will eventually be a great place to live but at the moment I'm living in the most deplorable conditions I've ever lived in in my life.

Anyone else out there going through the same issues at Cold Storage?

  That inspector sounds like an abusive jerk.  Can't believe he didn't just do a flyby and pass this building the first time.  Poor developer.

[phna]

Wow, if all that is true your living a nightmare. Maybe the media can shine some light on the issue? If there are that many obvious problems the more the media can sensationalize it with their "caught in the act" healines and stories.

The certified letter is a good idea too.

[deskside]

And as frustrated as one might be, venting anger initially will not bring the best results.  Honey works better than vinegar.

Not sure if that comment was directed at me or what, but I am one of tenants they like over here.  But, LOL, I've never understood that comment as vinegar does clean things up better than honey....honey leaves a mess!    Of course I've never understood the catching flies saying either .... who in the heck wants to attract and catch flies?  Ok, guys give me a break humor is the only thing that is keeping my sanity right now! I pay $1,200 to live in deplorable conditions I have every right to be mad.

[deskside]

I'd send them a certified leter, listing all the problems, and give them 10 days to fix it, or fix it yourself and deduct the cost from next month's rent. send them the reduced check along with reciepts for the work you had to have done. I suspect you might get a faster response.  Or call the KC Star watchdog, and let them handle it. If the threat of a write up in the Star won't motivate them, not much will.

Thanks for the suggestions.  I had thought about making the repairs myself and deducting it from my rent and then I read the handbook on renter's rights in Missouri and we don't have many.  Legally deducting repairs from my rent check is pretty much a no go.

After reading the handbook about all I can do is report the window not opening to I believe it was the health department and that is after 14 days of notifying the landlord/management of the problem.  I've handed the written request in and now have about 8 days left before I can take other measures.

I work with the media day in and day out and yes it's tempting to get them over here to see what's going on but I don't want to have to do that...if it goes on much longer though I may have to go that route. 

[deskside]

  That inspector sounds like an abusive jerk.  Can't believe he didn't just do a flyby and pass this building the first time.  Poor developer.

That inspector should be fired.  Inspections should be thourough for our protection but this guy has been unreal.  One of the items that held up the move ins was the inspector deemed a door was 2lbs too heavy and it wasn't even an emergency door. 

I have no idea what his beefs are on the storage units not getting approved, but not having storage is causing me major problems. 

I also like the hold up when the inspector deemed that were too many beeps to the fire alarm system.  I think they were like two beeps off from the quota of beeps needed, something like 90 beeps and the inspector counted 88 beeps (don't quote me on those numbers) and so made them replace the alarm system.  I've heard this thing go off and there is no way anyone wouldn't hear it on the first couple blasts. Can you believe the guy sat there and actually counted the beeps?

I do sympathize with the developer and the management and what they are going through for the most part.  I don't think this developer should have started another project in KCK until he got this done or farther along.  The maintenance guy is running back and forth between locations and he obviously is needed here before they start losing tenants.  The management team needs to hire on more help.  They are too worn out and burnt out to deal with anything at the moment.  Projects don't fold because of setbacks they fold when they can no longer give good customer service.

[deskside]

try ZEP clean-n-shine. available at the ZEP distributor in riverside. unfortunately, there isn't an owners manual for concrete floors! if they sealed them, it should work wonders.

Thanks for the suggestion I just may try that! 

[moderne]

Developers probably did not grease the inspector's palms.  That is still often the rule in KC I know from personal experience.

[loftguy]

Developers probably did not grease the inspector's palms.  That is still often the rule in KC I know from personal experience.

I know that this used to be the case 20+ years ago.  Many of us have speculated that gratuities might move things forward, especially how unreasonable the system, but the penalties to the giver are so onerous that you would go there with extremely high risk. 

Some do call us "Little Chicago".

[KC0KEK]

No security staff means no problem for KCTV to walk in and do a story. Invite them. This kind of stuff is their bread and butter.

[scooterj]

As I drove by Cold Storage around 2am last night, the lot out front was filled with several ambulances and police cars.  So far I haven't found anything in the news.  Anyone know what happened?

[bruce]

Wait a second. At first I responded because the fire alarms went off and it just ended up being a false alarm I guess, and that's what I thought you were talking about. I don't know anything about any ambulences though, I didn't see that and I haven't heard anything about it either.

[johngalt]

I looked at the Cold Storage lofts, worst deal in town at market rate.

Take your typical new suburbia monster apartment complex, Lift the ceilings 2-3ft, rip out the carpet, take out all but a one window, and give up about half an hour of your life each day for the time it takes you to enter and exit the building.

The massive open space in the halls leads into a disappointing cramped cookie cutter apartment. The whole thing looked cheap and thrown together. I wouldn't walk around the polished concrete floors in my socks. Looks more like a flat rock with some polyurethane slapped across the top. This was obviously their way of avoiding the cost of carpet. But hey, no weight limit on pets. Hopefully the irresponsible tenants can keep their pets urine and feces inside their apartment and out of the common areas. I have a chocolate lab which I love to death, but have heard the horror stories of Stuart Hall, Jazz district apartments, and the Library lofts smelling like a litter box.

Anyone that is familiar with construction should be able to pick out the major flaws with a brief walk through. I couldn't imagine how many things the inspectors would have noticed. They cut every cost possible. At $1100-1300 a month for a two bedroom I would expect superior quality.

I suggest finding a sublet, someone who purchased a loft and had to jet before they could build any equity. They will rent these out below their cost (mortgage and HOA) because something is better than nothing. Hard to find but worth the search.

It was only two years ago, I was paying $900 a month for a 1300 square foot 2bed/2bath with two secured parking spaces in a beautiful corner loft which is now the Coffee lofts. The prices are getting ridiculous for a market where you can buy a huge house within minutes of downtown at the same price of a 1 bed loft. This isn't a big west coast or east coast city with the majority of good jobs centralized downtown. The loft has became trendy and has forgotten the concept and purpose of cost efficiency. Why are we paying more for unfinished spaces? The less we want the more we pay. Being a minimalist comes with great expense ($ not sacrifice). Not to mention, you better have a car if you need toilet paper on a Sunday. There isn't anywhere within an hours walk and the bus schedules only work for the aimlessly wandering homeless.

I'm just sticking around hoping to see improvements. I could personally never commit to an apartment that long enough to purchase at the prices the condos/lofts are going for.

Now look what I did, stayed up a half hour past bed time going on my little rant....

[staubio]

I looked at the Cold Storage lofts, worst deal in town at market rate.

Take your typical new suburbia monster apartment complex, Lift the ceilings 2-3ft, rip out the carpet, take out all but a one window, and give up about half an hour of your life each day for the time it takes you to enter and exit the building.

The massive open space in the halls leads into a disappointing cramped cookie cutter apartment. The whole thing looked cheap and thrown together. I wouldn't walk around the polished concrete floors in my socks. Looks more like a flat rock with some polyurethane slapped across the top. This was obviously their way of avoiding the cost of carpet. But hey, no weight limit on pets. Hopefully the irresponsible tenants can keep their pets urine and feces inside their apartment and out of the common areas. I have a chocolate lab which I love to death, but have heard the horror stories of Stuart Hall, Jazz district apartments, and the Library lofts smelling like a litter box.

Anyone that is familiar with construction should be able to pick out the major flaws with a brief walk through. I couldn't imagine how many things the inspectors would have noticed. They cut every cost possible. At $1100-1300 a month for a two bedroom I would expect superior quality.

I suggest finding a sublet, someone who purchased a loft and had to jet before they could build any equity. They will rent these out below their cost (mortgage and HOA) because something is better than nothing. Hard to find but worth the search.

It was only two years ago, I was paying $900 a month for a 1300 square foot 2bed/2bath with two secured parking spaces in a beautiful corner loft which is now the Coffee lofts. The prices are getting ridiculous for a market where you can buy a huge house within minutes of downtown at the same price of a 1 bed loft. This isn't a big west coast or east coast city with the majority of good jobs centralized downtown. The loft has became trendy and has forgotten the concept and purpose of cost efficiency. Why are we paying more for unfinished spaces? The less we want the more we pay. Being a minimalist comes with great expense ($ not sacrifice). Not to mention, you better have a car if you need toilet paper on a Sunday. There isn't anywhere within an hours walk and the bus schedules only work for the aimlessly wandering homeless.

I'm just sticking around hoping to see improvements. I could personally never commit to an apartment that long enough to purchase at the prices the condos/lofts are going for.

Now look what I did, stayed up a half hour past bed time going on my little rant....

A few things...

They might have just went with concrete because people like concrete.  I didn't skimp on the cost of carpet, I asked not to have carpet.  Many people actively dislike carpet and this is a normal part of an urban aesthetic.  You should consider this.  It seems like this is your only example of poor workmanship in the building.

As has been said a million times, investing or renting downtown is a lifestyle decision as much as anything. Living in a condo or apartment in the heart of the River Market affords you opportunities a house won't, in most cases.

Finally, while most people choose to have a car, you don't need it.  I survive just fine and scarcely use mine.  The bus is not difficult to use and toilet paper is not hard to find. If you believe it is as desperate as you claim, you haven't tried.

[scooterj]

I hope there's at least SOME good aspect of Cold Storage because my brother moves in there next month.  (A new downtown immigrant previously from Gladstone and Blue Springs.)  He really likes the unit he picked.

I did have to chuckle about this one though:

Not to mention, you better have a car if you need toilet paper on a Sunday. There isn't anywhere within an hours walk and the bus schedules only work for the aimlessly wandering homeless.

I'm pretty sure that Chinatown market, right across the street, is open on Sunday.    They have toilet paper.  Only one brand, but suitable for any kind of poo emergency.  Ditto for the Discounts Unlimited inside the City Market.    Also that MAX stop out front gives you front door access to the midtown CVS and one-block-away access to the midtown Costco, the Brookside Sunfresh, and the Brookside Price Chopper.  And that requires virtually no comprehension of bus schedules at all.

[chrizow]

never mind the fact that if you work downtown or nearby, you would only need to drive once a week (to get necessities) as opposed to driving 20 times a week in the burbs for everything.  it would take my parents 15 minutes just to walk out of their subdivision, let alone the 3 miles to the nearest store!

sounds like johngalt just wants to complain without really trying to adjust to river market living.

[KCTigerFan]

Exactly!  I love the Chinatown Market.  Anyplace where you can buy a live frog, a roll of TP, some green tea and a wok has my business!

[KC0KEK]

^^ Don't forget the eels.

[johngalt]

never mind the fact that if you work downtown or nearby, you would only need to drive once a week (to get necessities) as opposed to driving 20 times a week in the burbs for everything.  it would take my parents 15 minutes just to walk out of their subdivision, let alone the 3 miles to the nearest store!

sounds like johngalt just wants to complain without really trying to adjust to river market living.

Actually, I've lived downtown since 2002. I've lived in the apartment above the Red dragon at 8th and Broadway, Soho forced me over to the building behind on seventh, then forced me to move out when it became condos (Coffee Lofts), lived at 2nd and Delaware, now residing in Columbus park. I've gone a year with out my own transportation. I rode the Max every day, I carried my share of groceries from Brookside, I've bought crap from the nasty Chinese market since it was next to Winslows, I've ran to the Osco after work to get a gallon of milk before it closed. I've spent full days walking around downtown with my medium format camera until I became dehydrated and unable to find sources of fresh water. I know Caveman's real name (Wes, the bum with the big white fro and beard that sits on the broadway exit coming from 70 west) and his favorite malt liquor (Steel Reserve). I've gone to a DNA meeting at hotel phillips and listened to the people complain about the sidewalks, then leave in their SUV once valet pulls it around.

My problem is adjusting to all the people willing to pay a fortune for a loft in a ghostly downtown because they throw in granite counter tops and some stainless steel appliances. I just want to find a nice rental without rent skyrocketing every time the lease needs to be renewed. I like Kansas City because it is Kansas City, not because I'm a pretentious New Yorker wanna be. It's a growing tax increment financed gold mine for developers.

You should consider this.  It seems like this is your only example of poor workmanship in the building.

I noticed very few things inside the apartments were square of level (interior walls, cabinets, refridgerators ***higher energy consumption when they aren't level***, closet shelfs). These cosmetic details foreshadowed other problems to come....

"Polished" concrete is what they put in the new Wal-Marts, not something that is gritty, rough, and potentially hazardous to bare feet. All they have done is tryed to coat what was already there like a hardwood floor.

I apologize if anyone took personal insult from my criticism of Cold Storage lofts and lack of reasonably priced downtown rental units. It was directed towards the people and apartment guide ads that tried to bullshit me into thinking that place was worth a grand a month. As long as there is the possibility of people out there willing to drop huge money on purchasing "luxury" loft apartments, the taste in my mouth will be slightly bitter. I miss the days before the downtown boom, before it became the place to be...

[johngalt]

PS...

The bus system sucks, a friend and I went on various weekend journeys to see what popular places the bus would take us. We were left stranded several times on Saturdays and Sundays and forced to walk exhausting distances, wait for hours, or call a friend. You can often get somewhere but there isn't ever a bus to get you back within at a complementing time.

Maybe thats my fault for thinking the bus was a good idea to go to the Zoo on a Saturday or Target at Ward Pkwy mall on a Sunday. I remember trying to make the bus schedule work to get to the airport and back. I think I had to be at the airport between 9-10 on weekday morning and come back on a Sunday evening. No go either way...Downtown to the Legends was a one way trip...by the time you get there the buses quit running back....

the max was a blessing, I'll give you that, I just want to see clones going in other directions.....