KCRag Forum

Good timing. I rode by on Warwick this morning and it appeared to be topped off, timber-wise at least.

The dark brick and wood in the first photo looks terrific.

My favorite of all the current infill apartment construction. I really like what Union Hill is doing, too.

SO, what's the latest status update on Hyde Park from those that live there?

Are the massive MAC improvements on Armour starting to pay dividends yet? Clearly the neighborhood is continuing to improve at it's own pace.

Chrizow, are you still in SHP? What are your thoughts after several years there?

i'm not on the HPNA board any longer, but anecdotally I think HP continues to see steady progress.

my understanding is that the MAC buildings on Armour basically caused a 180-degree different overnight, in terms of both (1) increased activity, and (2) decreased criminal activity/blight. i think MAC's efforts have also caused smaller operators to invest in the neighborhood, whether highre quality rentals or folks just investing in their homes. the Bainbridge complex continues to be a source of headaches, but it is essentially the only "problem property" i am aware of, vs. back in the days when there were a half-dozen problem properties, plus another few abandoned properties, along Armour. so from that standpoint i think it is unmitigated progress.

where we live in extreme south SHP, we have always enjoyed it but in the last couple years there has been a very noticeable increase in folks using the south end of gillham park, specifically families with kids. in general it seems like there are more families with kids around, or at least more out walking around in the park or playing outside. a "problem" house across the street from us recently sold to a family w/2 kids and they are working on the house too. the other "problem" house on the block saw its tenants evicted, but it is boarded up. i think this kind of accurately sums things up - progress on one front, with same-'ol on the other. i have no idea whether NHP is seeing the same kind of progress - from my vantage point NHP has always been a hugely schizo area, with stately CHP-worthy homes sharing blocks with vacant, burned out homes, nasty apartments, or empty lots, whereas SHP is physically intact and i think is rebounding really fast.

troost remains an issue, and frankly i am not sure what could possibly happen with it. it seems like a dozen different groups are "workshopping" plans for it or creating overlays. meanwhile 2 new dollar stores were built on troost in the 41-4400 blocks, and i have heard rumors that a mcdonald's is slated for around the brush creek/troost area.

Ooh a McDonald's, just what the neighborhood needs.

Man, somebody really needs to take a chance on Troost. That's what the road and neighborhood really need. No one is really willing to take a major risk. We need someone to try and open up a nice, quality restaurant/ bar. I think that would get people into the area more than most, and would make a difference. Just a simple restaurant like Grinders moving into a vacant area can completely change it. And doesn't Stretch still live over here? I've been hoping for years that he would open something on Troost.

As long as dollar stores, and payday loans, and fast food joints continue to be the only businesses taking a chance on Troost, it will continue to be the same place. It doesn't matter how many overlays are created or flowers planted on it.

I still really wish they hadn't built those stupid, tall telephone line towers or whatever they are all up and down Troost.

It's unfortunate we are still so far off from building a Troost streetcar, because that would probably cause a major change. Someday though...

The Troost zoning overlay was passed on December 29th. The next step is to create design guidelines. Unfortunately, there hasn't been much positive progress on Troost and I think is holding Hyde Park from reaching it's potential, but the overlay is a step in the right direction. I feel like there has been progress in neighborhoods east of Troost, but the Avenue itself hasn't changed much.

The MAC apartments have made a huge difference, and I think their remaining projects - including the conversion of the office building to add retail amenities, and the renovation of the large Newbern Apartment building will take it even further.

I've live in NHP for almost 5 years now and the change in the neighborhood in the time I've been here has been remarkable. At any given moment, there are at least a couple buildings in the neighborhood with dumpsters out front, getting total rehabs. The number of blighted and vacant properties has really dwindled to only a handful. The demographics in the neighborhood has definitely gotten much younger since I've lived here.

It's true, like Chrizow said, that NHP has some stark contrasts, with some very nice, completely intact blocks and others that are pretty run down. But even one of the ugliest blocks in the neighborhood, the 3300 block of Holmes, has had at least six houses rehabbed, or that are in progress over the past year. One of the more remarkable changes I've noticed is with an apartment building on Linwood and Campbell that had a triple homicide in 2011 and was a frequent source of problems. As far as I know, it didn't change owners or get any significant rehab, but I think they may have decided to stop taking Section 8, and that building has really turned around.

good to hear. i really like NHP and think it is one of the more fascinating areas of the city. it is a nice mix of stately homes and grit. i think NHP has the only potential for the whole of HP to be a nice mix of res and commercial. it has the only functioning bar in HP (sidestreet) and some interesting building stock along and near 31st, to say nothing of troost. i dont know if the neighbors would go for it, and i dont know the zoning situation, but there are areas of "gillham rd" and around in there that appear to be mixed commercial/res. it would be cool to see a quirky restaurant or bar open in there, even if it's in a renovated house. like imagine a small, laidback bar/biergarten back in there.

I'l very optimistic about where Troost is headed right now.

East of Troost, I know that Manheim has a lot of current residential construction activity going on and a lot more planned. Squier Park is in the same typical housing shortage we've been in for the last 3-4 years. Houses typically stay on the market a week or two and are sold, usually to a family with school age kids.

KCtoBrooklyn is right, the overlay is a positive. I was pretty closely involved with the writing of it. Demosthenes, you'll be interested to know that the overlay prohibits adult stores, day labor places, pawn shops, payday loans, and nonaccessory parking. Any existing business is grandfathered in. The hope is that with some basic zoning protections, new businesses will be encouraged to open and existing businesses will feel comfortable expanding. As one business owner told us, there's not much incentive to invest on Troost when you have no idea what could happen next door.

And yes, the next step are the design guidelines, which will go in as an amendment to the original overlay. If anyone is interested in working on this, DM me. It's going to be a huge undertaking and any help is welcome.

Perhaps bigger than the overlay itself is that the neighborhoods on each side of Troost worked together to get it done. And the city devoted quite a few manhours to the effort. It bodes well for getting more comprehensive work done on Troost, instead of just working in individual neighborhoods or council districts.

Yes, Ollie Gates is building a McDonald's on Cleaver, between Forest (?) and Tracy. He's also got that ginormous strip mall at Cleaver & Troost. Apparently there's a "jazz supper club" planned for part of that building.

chaglang wrote:I'l very optimistic about where Troost is headed right now.

East of Troost, I know that Manheim has a lot of current residential construction activity going on and a lot more planned. Squier Park is in the same typical housing shortage we've been in for the last 3-4 years. Houses typically stay on the market a week or two and are sold, usually to a family with school age kids.

KCtoBrooklyn is right, the overlay is a positive. I was pretty closely involved with the writing of it. Demosthenes, you'll be interested to know that the overlay prohibits adult stores, day labor places, pawn shops, payday loans, and nonaccessory parking. Any existing business is grandfathered in. The hope is that with some basic zoning protections, new businesses will be encouraged to open and existing businesses will feel comfortable expanding. As one business owner told us, there's not much incentive to invest on Troost when you have no idea what could happen next door.

And yes, the next step are the design guidelines, which will go in as an amendment to the original overlay. If anyone is interested in working on this, DM me. It's going to be a huge undertaking and any help is welcome.

Perhaps bigger than the overlay itself is that the neighborhoods on each side of Troost worked together to get it done. And the city devoted quite a few manhours to the effort. It bodes well for getting more comprehensive work done on Troost, instead of just working in individual neighborhoods or council districts.

Yes, Ollie Gates is building a McDonald's on Cleaver, between Forest (?) and Tracy. He's also got that ginormous strip mall at Cleaver & Troost. Apparently there's a "jazz supper club" planned for part of that building.

That is indeed interesting to know, Chag. This could be a major help to the corridor. I hope I didn't give the impression that I thought the overlay was useless or anything like that. All I was saying is that there has been a lot of planning and small investments in Troost over the last several years, and I don't think anything too dramatic is going to happen until one or two people take a tremendous risk and put a lot of their own money into it for something that will hopefully create buzz.

This overlay is certainly a smart thing to start off with, and I'm excited for the design guidelines. I love how much of Troost's original bones still remain. With good planning this street could once again become one of KC's most majestic streets outside of downtown.

Ollie Gates... this man takes chances. I applaud that. It is just too bad the man has no sense of urban design. Luckily this overlay/ design guideline should make such strip malls a thing of the past from now on.

Even though this strip mall sucks donkey balls design wise, I am intrigued by his daughter in law's jazz club. Doesn't exactly sound like my scene, but it does seem like something that could potentially draw people from throughout the community. There aren't many entertainment venues like this in the area, at least not ones that are somewhat classy (and from what I read it seems like she wants to make the place with an element of class. We will see how it turns out, but I don't see it being like your normal ghetto club).

Oh, you're totally right about Troost being planned to death. When we met with Troy Schulte to ask for the city's help with the overlay, we took an 18" stack of Troost plans and studies to demonstrate just that.

good to hear. i really like NHP and think it is one of the more fascinating areas of the city. it is a nice mix of stately homes and grit. i think NHP has the only potential for the whole of HP to be a nice mix of res and commercial. it has the only functioning bar in HP (sidestreet) and some interesting building stock along and near 31st, to say nothing of troost. i dont know if the neighbors would go for it, and i dont know the zoning situation, but there are areas of "gillham rd" and around in there that appear to be mixed commercial/res. it would be cool to see a quirky restaurant or bar open in there, even if it's in a renovated house. like imagine a small, laidback bar/biergarten back in there.

Thanks for the updates Hyde Parkers.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that sees the potential for a low-key commercial strip in NHP. The area described, from Sidestreet east a block or two and a half block or so north and south, has a number of small storefronts, a car dealer, limo biz, etc. Hate to be this guy, but would love to see the dealer and limo buildings made available for retail development/coffee shop/bar etc. That could be a really nice little retail node, which is, I think, one of the major keys to Hyde Park becoming "hot" - it needs a Hi-Dive, a Happy Gillis, etc. A couple hangouts that make it more of an identifiable, walkable, hood. Happy Gillham?

maybe the next better block? there's so much asphalt in front of that retail strip! it wasn't a streetcar line either, so curious why it's shaped that way.

chrizow wrote:of HP to be a nice mix of res and commercial. it has the only functioning bar in HP (sidestreet) and some interesting building stock along and near 31st, to say nothing of troost. i dont know if the neighbors would go for it, and i dont know the zoning situation, but there are areas of "gillham rd" and around in there that appear to be mixed commercial/res. it would be cool to see a quirky restaurant or bar open in there, even if it's in a renovated house. like imagine a small, laidback bar/biergarten back in there.

I think the recently renovated mixed-use building at 33rd and Gillham Rd would be a great spot for a restaurant or bar, but I doubt one will be going in there. Last time I peeked in, there was no indication of anything going in the commercial portion, but the LoopNet listing does say it is fully leased. EDIT: I just looked it up on kiva and it looks like Bike Walk KC are going in here. Here are the before and after photos:

that doesn't look like the same building. that's a great renovation.

Yes indeed, excellent renovation. Haven't been that way in a long time, but last time I saw that building I was scared they might tear it down. Glad to see they beautified it!

Now, if we could just get someone to renovate this building.

http://tinyurl.com/nmmpmc8

FangKC wrote:Now, if we could just get someone to renovate this building.

http://tinyurl.com/nmmpmc8

Indeed. IIRC, that's a Nelle Peters building.

Right now I'd just settle for keeping the vagrants from crapping in the bushes near the front door.

chaglang wrote:

FangKC wrote:Now, if we could just get someone to renovate this building.

http://tinyurl.com/nmmpmc8

Indeed. IIRC, that's a Nelle Peters building.

Right now I'd just settle for keeping the vagrants from crapping in the bushes near the front door.

Is that the Luzier building? Luzier is a cosmetics company that used to be headquartered on Gillham, near Linwood and the only thing saved in the "Glover Project" Warner Plaza mass demolition.