Misc Crossroads News

[DaveKCMO]

...and it adds a curb cut.

[zonk]

Quit complaining and support a downtown business owner who is committed to bringing more investment and households downtown. I hear lots on talk and complaining on this board about lack of activity and investment in the urban core/downtown....and when it happens you still aren't happy about it....

[earthling]

Is passable if they follow through but there are so many empty lots in Xroads, tearing down perfectly fine buildings is worth making a fuss about. And there is no guarantee they will actually develop. Developers need to target the huge # of surface lots, not existing buildings.

[zonk]

......Developers need to target the huge # of surface lots, not existing "VACANT/EMPTY" buildings.

[taxi]

Is passable if they follow through but there are so many empty lots in Xroads, tearing down perfectly fine buildings is worth making a fuss about. And there is no guarantee they will actually develop. Developers need to target the huge # of surface lots, not existing buildings.

I can't think of one single instance where it is better to develop an empty lot than redevelop an empty building.
Besides, this is not a huge project and it is mainly to give the developer a new home, with a substantial investment and risk.
It will not be underutilized, but a full and thriving building. It is not a huge amount in tax abatement and it is difficult to find a developer for a building that needs this much rehab and is this size. It's really a simple equation, what will the building generate in taxes redeveloped vs. as is.
Parking is always a concern in redevelopment and change of use. Do not blame the developer, blame the archaic parking ordinances of KCMO. People looking for deluxe housing downtown want covered parking, that is a fact. And nearly everyone moving downtown will own a car, another fact. They may or may not choose to use it much, but they want it covered and secure.

[KCPowercat]

Quit complaining and support a downtown business owner who is committed to bringing more investment and households downtown. I hear lots on talk and complaining on this board about lack of activity and investment in the urban core/downtown....and when it happens you still aren't happy about it....

I'm sure we could get a nuclear dump to take up some empty lots too....it's about building a quality downtown, not just "fill it up".

That said, I don't have a problem with the small project.

[DaveKCMO]

Parking is always a concern in redevelopment and change of use. Do not blame the developer, blame the archaic parking ordinances of KCMO. People looking for deluxe housing downtown want covered parking, that is a fact. And nearly everyone moving downtown will own a car, another fact. They may or may not choose to use it much, but they want it covered and secure.

effective april 2013, there is no minimum parking requirement for that parcel.

[KCPowercat]

Parking is always a concern in redevelopment and change of use. Do not blame the developer, blame the archaic parking ordinances of KCMO. People looking for deluxe housing downtown want covered parking, that is a fact. And nearly everyone moving downtown will own a car, another fact. They may or may not choose to use it much, but they want it covered and secure.

effective april 2013, there is no minimum parking requirement for that parcel.

Housing will still want dedicated parking...not sure any parking ordinances matter at all.

[FangKC]

I'm all about density downtown too. However, I am okay with this redevelopment. We can barely get a new residential building of any size built downtown--even on complete blocks that are vacant.

There are other considerations. First of all, you can't put up a five-story building on that parcel alone. You would need a larger footprint. There are adjacent parking lots on each side of that building. One is parking for the Campbell Lofts, and the other is parking for the Berlau Paper House.

https://maps.google.com/?ll=39.095139,- ... eg=90&z=20

The only realistic way to put up a new five-story building on that parcel is for a developer to assemble the two parking lots, the Berlau Paper Company building, and probably the Campbell Lofts building as well. Then, excavate down deep enough to put a parking garage underneath the new five-story apartment building to accommodate those apartments, replace the Campbell Lofts surface lot spaces, and those for the Berlau Building--assuming it would be converted into loft apartments as well.

One of the problems with building higher, under our present societal scenario, is that you also need to accommodate parking for the tenants/residents. The taller the building the more parking it requires. As is often the case in downtowns everywhere, when you put up a 30-story tower, you have to cannibalize existing, adjacent buildings to create the parking. Otherwise, you end up with City Center Square, which has trouble luring tenants and business activity.

Successful dense cities--that can build tall buildings--already have, or have historically maintained, a good mass transit system. Kansas City is not that city. We can barely build neighborhoods where streets are lined with townhouses.

Even with the streetcar, and rapid transit bus lines, mass transit won't take all residents where they need to go in Kansas City. That is the world we live in.

The other problem is you shouldn't be cannibalizing existing structures in a less dense city like ours when there are so many vacant lots to be used first.

For the time being, you keep what you have, and reuse as much as you can that remains.

In addition, even in very dense cities, you don't have block and blocks of buildings five stories or higher in all situations. What you have is larger buildings sitting next to 1-2 story buildings. Often taller buildings have windows on four sides and need breathing room--a shorter neighbor. Look at the Campbell Lofts, there are windows in apartments facing north. If you put up another 5-story building next to it, those apartments would be looking at the wall of the adjoining building. That is, unless you have a common developer who would take that into account, and design the new building in a manner that wouldn't harm the existing Campbell Lofts. Actually in this case, it might be better to build a narrower 8-story building.

Sometimes I would prefer continuous blocks of 3-4 story buildings instead of a one 30-40 story building with a sea of surface parking around it, or a huge above ground, single-purpose parking garage that creates a dead block.

Look at the Soho South Lofts complex, two 5-6 story apartment buildings that require almost 75 percent of the block across the street to accommodate parking for those two buildings.

https://maps.google.com/?ll=39.094508,- ... eg=90&z=19

The only way to solve the parking problem and also create density, and filled-in blocks, is to get a single developer to assemble all the adjacent surface lots and design an interior-block, and below-grade, parking garage to service all the tenants and residents. Then wrap the interior garage structure with long, narrow apartments facing the streets.

The other solution is to fashion city policy in a manner that parking is treated as infastructure, and that parking for competing interests needs to be dealt with with planning policy. This can be done by creating shared community garages that might be paid for by issuing bonds. However, urban residents must also be willing to walk a block to their parking space.

One cannot just repeatedly demolish the existing built environment just so you have parking in your building. For a city to be healthy, you need most available land to be devoted to residential and commercial purposes, because they create exponential commerce that creates wealth for all concerned. Every foot of space lost to parking diminishes that. However, one must also recognize that you need come to a sustainable mix.

It's going to take decades to get to the point where transit can solve most people's needs downtown. We are not there yet.

[FangKC]

Interior images of the 1621 Locust redevelopment: The Guild

At the forefront of this movement Rush Wade/2 Studios commissioned crossroads native and designer/fabricator Dale Frommelt of Egg Designs and Pendulum Studio to collaborate on the adaptive reuse of a very unique 12,000 square foot building located at 16th and Locust. The building consists of a 6,000 square foot barrel vault brick structure adjacent to an additional 6,000 square foot prefabricated metal structure with multiple slab elevations. The intended new use for the buildings will include an event space (“The Guild”), photography shooting floor, and office/studio space for Rush Wade/2. In addition to the existing building renovation, Pendulum, and Egg have started collaborating on plans to develop three adjacent lots across the alley on Cherry Street also owned by Rush Wade/2 that will be an “off-grid” outdoor green space and beer garden (“The Guild Gardens”).

http://pendulumstudio.me/2013/03/29/rw2 ... ld-update/

http://pendulumstudio.me/2011/08/07/the ... 2-studios/

http://theguildkc.com/

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=1621+Loc ... .39,,0,0.6

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=1621+Loc ... 9,,0,-8.47

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=1621+Loc ... g=270&z=20

[FangKC]

Reactor Design Studio moves to 1817 Grand.

http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/n ... IkR4jelrPz

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=1817+Gra ... VPtqBzEang

[KCMax]

1515 Walnut

[DaveKCMO]

crossroads parking minimums were eliminated between wyandotte and grand on may 1 in an effort to increase density around the streetcar. industrial & other mixed uses allowed in the special DX-15 zoning code.

other news:

- community improvement district is in progress (for real).
- corrigan building plan is moving forward.
- new italian deli (pezzettino) going in at 2101 broadway this fall.
- centric projects and hightower will be the new tenants at 1808 main (formerly western blue).
- "film row arts screen" outdoor movie screen debuted last saturday on the side of 1808 wyandotte.
- screenland crossroads was forced out of 1656 washington and is shopping for new space.
- law firm relocating to what was third eye productions (2024 main).
- cashew is seeking to expand liquor license to two additional floors.
- work has started on american social at 1813 grand.

[FangKC]

Dave, can you tell us more about what is happening with the Corrigan Building?

[KCPowercat]

American Social?

[DaveKCMO]

Dave, can you tell us more about what is happening with the Corrigan Building?

not really, but here's some history: http://www.dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/82003143.pdf

[FangKC]

Loftguy, have you heard anything about plans for this building?

[loftguy]

Loftguy, have you heard anything about plans for this building?

Fang, my intel is limited, and what I have is second hand, but it came from a good hand.

The Corrigan was purchased, (six months ago?), by a well funded and credible entity, with the intent of renovation into luxury housing.

I've wondered where this project stands, too. Negotiating for city incentives? Serious in depth planning and market assessment? Buyers remorse? Waiting for Stretch to get over his bad boy, kill the windmill phase?
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[KCMax]

Pezzetino Italian Deli & Market is coming to the Crossroads

2101 Broadway, opening in Sept.

[loftguy]

Pezzetino Italian Deli & Market is coming to the Crossroads

2101 Broadway, opening in Sept.

Sounds great, other than Boars Head meats. Is there nothing better available? I find Boars Head to be bland and uninspiring.