Westport

[Metro]

Ugh saw street fighter this weekend. I thought he went to prison for attempted murder a few years ago?

Oh damn, I haven't seen him in a looooong time. Where did you spot him?

Heading east on Westport rd & southwest trafficway

[Metro]

Midtown on Broadway looks ROUGH. The street is absolute shit, the amount of tweakers has increased, atleast a dozen businesses windows are boarded up. How is the city allowing this?

[langosta]

Midtown on Broadway looks ROUGH. The street is absolute shit, the amount of tweakers has increased, atleast a dozen businesses windows are boarded up. How is the city allowing this?

Broadway north and south of Westport is ripe for multi family development.

[beautyfromashes]

Midtown on Broadway looks ROUGH. The street is absolute shit, the amount of tweakers has increased, atleast a dozen businesses windows are boarded up. How is the city allowing this?

Broadway north and south of Westport is ripe for multi family development.

Which makes some of the height restrictions around that intersection SO frustrating. The former XO spot should not be limited. A tall building there with the retail buildings in front of it on Westport and Broadway would work very well.

[Metro]

Midtown on Broadway looks ROUGH. The street is absolute shit, the amount of tweakers has increased, atleast a dozen businesses windows are boarded up. How is the city allowing this?

Broadway north and south of Westport is ripe for multi family development.

I don't disagree but will that change what's going on there now? My understanding is it's the same guy who's been arrested nearly 20 times and let go after busting out the windows. Was told they've refused to prosecute thus far.

[Developersanonymous]

great feedback here. adding a marked or lighted crosswalk here would make the entire street slow down quite a bit. with the new multi-family across the street might actually even be possible.

[NEgoofyfoot]

Midtown on Broadway looks ROUGH. The street is absolute shit, the amount of tweakers has increased, at least a dozen businesses windows are boarded up. How is the city allowing this?

FWIW I live on Broadway between Armour and 36th and can attest that since I moved in 3 years ago it has definitely declined. The stretch between Valentine and the BP (40th Street) in Westport is particularly atrocious. The lack of care by property owners and the city is mind blowing. The trash cans are regularly rummaged through and left to sit with trash strewn about for days. Tree/planter beds left empty and filled with weeds and trash. In the last year I have seen human feces on the sidewalk at least 3 times that only gets cleaned up by the rain. Tweakers just standing around in the middle of the street or rolling around on the ground like zombies. People hot-rodding down Broadway, the 4-wheeler posse cruising up & down, and rampant insane speeding. This water main replacement that has been going on since what April, has left the street a dirty disgusting mess. The city ripped up the streets & sidewalks and half-assed patched them and moved on...no clean up in the areas they've finished, just sand, concrete rubble and dirt everywhere. I do love the tree canopy that lines both sides of Broadway between Armour and Valentine...It definitely made for much more comfortable dog walks when it was so hot the last few weeks (albeit while dodging trash and debris from road construction). I wish the city/ Midtown KC Now/Westport CID would fill the multitude of empty tree beds along this stretch, as well as encourage property owners to be more proactive in beautifying/maintaining their street frontage. KCATA/Ride KC really needs to improve the Maintenace/cleanup of the bus stations particularly on 39th and Broadway...those are embarrassing, and I think will be a hinderance in getting anything worthwhile redeveloped on the former Grimms lot. Don't come for me, as I understand that there are larger mental health/addiction/socioeconomic issues at play here, but I think this area largely gets overlooked because of those things, however this is an active corridor between some of the most popular entertainment/tourist areas in our city from Downtown and it is largely a rundown wasteland, and I fear that it will just continue to get overlooked as that corridor shifts to Main Street with the street car.

[bobthebiker]

That sounds rough and I would definitely be frustrated in that situation. If you care enough and have the time I'm sure Midtown KC Now would care to hear your concerns. Filing 311 reports also may get some of the issues you see taken care of. Not that I want to stand around using the app next to someones literal dump.

I'm hopeful that the issues you speak of will diminish as the streetcar comes on line and more infill is completed. More eyes on the street and a more attractive area to re-develop and improve on some of these lower intensity uses. More revenue in the area means the CID's have more money to spend on cleanup and beautification practices. Agree that Broadway needs attention. I know a road diet won't directly fix societal issues but addressing rampant speeding and reckless driving would help local businesses and increase foot traffic along it.

[Cratedigger]

I have some female friends that live in that area you described right on Armour. It's cool seeing the area develop and fill in but I'd feel better if they weren't a part of it. I'm genuinely concerned for their safety.

[brewcrew1000]

The reason why Broadway is so rough is because of the plasma center. Plasma Center is a hotbed for drug activity. If plasma center goes away, the entire area changes overnight.

I remember this article from the pitch talking about this area. It's from 2007 so it's clear the problems still haven't gone away

https://www.thepitchkc.com/the-bloodsuc ... valentine/

[beautyfromashes]

The reason why Broadway is so rough is because of the plasma center. Plasma Center is a hotbed for drug activity. If plasma center goes away, the entire area changes overnight.

I remember this article from the pitch talking about this area. It's from 2007 so it's clear the problems still haven't gone away

https://www.thepitchkc.com/the-bloodsuc ... valentine/

That's true. It's also a major E-W/N-S bus connector location, so you get people in front of the Walgreens at 39th and Broadway waiting for a bus, standing in the street, cracked out, and causing problems in the area. That Walgreens is a total mess. I'm surprised they haven't closed it. Windows always broken, aggressive panhandling, just really not safe especially at night. If we ever did localized policing in this city, they should just put a base in that location with more police presence.

[NEgoofyfoot]

The reason why Broadway is so rough is because of the plasma center. Plasma Center is a hotbed for drug activity. If plasma center goes away, the entire area changes overnight.

I remember this article from the pitch talking about this area. It's from 2007 so it's clear the problems still haven't gone away

https://www.thepitchkc.com/the-bloodsuc ... valentine/

Yep that sounds about right. My place is great and relatively affordable for KC standards (but seeming less so considering the recent decline) I moved here from Omaha, and liked the close proximity to my Job on the Plaza and that it was walking distance to Westport and the Plaza, and the expansive green space across the street at KC Life for my dogs. I did walk to Westport a few times when I moved in but last summer It just started to feel unsafe. Walkable neighborhoods need things to walk to...but you also need to feel safe doing so...otherwise the car reliance continues.

[FangKC]

https://www.facebook.com/Brixkc

[dukuboy1]

Hopefully with more development the area will improve. I agree that the Plasma center attracts a rougher element. Plus used to be a lot of social services & out reach type programs located along there. Just was a constant element of trouble about. Also for years it was known low rent & place for squatters in vacant buildings. And the bus route does not help. Community policing & improvement district workers should help. Plus a little gentrification will help over time. Streetcar running will do that squeeze out the trouble

[FangKC]

Couple transforms historic KC church into wedding venue

...
The couple purchased the former church — known as Broadway Baptist Church — in Kansas City in April 2021 for roughly $700,000.
...
While much of the building is still undergoing renovation, the plan is to turn the balcony in the cocktail hour space, the basement into a reception hall, and church offices into hotel rooms for newlyweds and families. The venue will be known as the Melrose Abbey to symbolize a place for romantic and committed love. Johnny and Abby say they can’t wait to continue filling the space with love.
...

https://www.kctv5.com/2023/02/14/couple ... ing-venue/

https://www.tiktok.com/@johnnyyou

Everyone should watch this video update on the church/wedding venue conversion just to have some idea of how difficult and expensive it is to renovate/develop anything. Keep this in mind when you encounter anyone who diminishes developers and that they "are in it to make a lot of money" while discounting the stress and risks they take.

When you open the links, be sure to open link in new tab because Instagram won't let you back to the forum page.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxWa2MiP ... BiNWFlZA==

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cw5nZXFp ... _copy_link

[kcjak]

Former Google Fiber/Scot Fitness/Berbiglia building at State Line and 43rd (Westport Rd) scheduled to be torn down and replaced with a Chipotle. Rumor around the neighborhood is the Chipotle on 39th will remain.

[smh]

Pretty lame. Why do we let this stretch of Westport continue to be such a speedway of auto-oriented uses.

[TheSmokinPun]

They put in a pointless drive thru for lukewarm burrito, I'm going to be mad.

[brewcrew1000]

They put in a pointless drive thru for lukewarm burrito, I'm going to be mad.

At this rate Metcalf from 91st to 435 will end up looking like a walkable urban corridor vs what the car sewer Westport Rd is becoming

[bobthebiker]

I was privvy to some of the discussions surrounding this as part of one of the adjacent neighborhoods. There was a meeting held with city staff to improve the development ever so slightly. Neighborhoods raised concerns and hopefully will follow up with public works about improving mobility along westport rd (mainly for those outside of vehicles). I personally brought up that vehicle speeds along this corridor are insane and anything to improve the safety of the intersection without addressing speeds is just inviting more car infrastructure.

The development as is meets all city code and zoning requirements which underlays how important things like making every single drive through require a variance or form based codes a necessity. I would much rather the existing buildings remain then have them bulldozed for a shack in a parking lot that happens to contain a chipotle.

Also it's not technically a drive thru but a "chipotlane" in which you can only do pickups. However that sounds worse because at least when everyone comes in to pickup orders you don't make others wait for your order to be completed before they can get theirs. But alas somehow that is zoning compliant. I can't believe it.

It cleared CPC on Tuesday 9/19