West Bottoms Redevelopment

[flyingember]

This also furthers my frustration that there isn't a levee trail along the KS and MO, on the river side of the flood wall. Surely this can't be that difficult to make happen, connecting the Riverfront Heritage trail to the Rock Island Bridge on the river side (off-street).

why does there need to be a levy trail along the MO River when there's a trail under a block away already?

As far as I can tell, the heritage trail already connects all the way across the Kansas River and has been for years

http://mobikefed.org/2015/12/kansas-cit ... -2007-2015

[GRID]

Is is finally happening? KC going to start building up some urban recreation??? KC is literally behind every single city in the country on this type of stuff and I was wondering if it would ever get going there. This is a really nice project. It's a good start.

[FangKC]

Does anyone have the pictures to the west bottoms tunnels from several years ago? I can’t seem to find them in this site.

http://kcrag.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=1 ... el#p583391

[FangKC]

Abernathy complex progress.

From St. Louis Avenue looking northwest.

Before:



Now:



Looking south on W.9th Street.

[DaveKCMO]

Between this project and The Yards, the Bottoms is going to have a very different vibe in a year or two with full-time legal residents. It will take a lot longer before service retail will spring up in support of so few residents.

[earthling]

Has anyone tried the RideKC eBike up the 12th St. bridge? If it can handle it, seems that's the best way to connect W Bottoms to downtown for WB residents. Currently there are no Drop bike racks on map for eBikes in WB.

[grovester]

Good connection to RM via Beardsley and Forrester.

[earthling]

Was thinking for Consentino runs and getting access to streetcar for nightlife, but Beardsley to RM works too even if not as direct.

Could imagine a future WB neighborhood association working with RideKC for adult sized TriBikes with more powerful motors and more storage space in back for shopping. The association purchases, say 10-15 tri-bikes placed around WB that RideKC operates and they come up with a way to locate all of them back into WB each morning. Or some similar variation thereof. Could restrict to just a few downtown bike racks along streetcar, making it easier to manage.

[TheLastGentleman]

Gondolas!

[DaveKCMO]

Has anyone tried the RideKC eBike up the 12th St. bridge? If it can handle it, seems that's the best way to connect W Bottoms to downtown for WB residents. Currently there are no Drop bike racks on map for eBikes in WB.

Are there ANY bike racks in the West Bottoms? If there are any in the public ROW, we can add them as a Drop "hub".

They will totally handle the viaduct, assuming there's battery left (push the black button on the frame and if the LED light is blue then it's fine, if it's green I wouldn't start that trek).

[normalthings]

Has anyone tried the RideKC eBike up the 12th St. bridge? If it can handle it, seems that's the best way to connect W Bottoms to downtown for WB residents. Currently there are no Drop bike racks on map for eBikes in WB.

Are there ANY bike racks in the West Bottoms? If there are any in the public ROW, we can add them as a Drop "hub".

They will totally handle the viaduct, assuming there's battery left (push the black button on the frame and if the LED light is blue then it's fine, if it's green I wouldn't start that trek).

That is a weird color system.

[DaveKCMO]

That is a weird color system.

Indeed. One would expect green is good and red/yellow are bad.

[wahoowa]

Gondolas!

!

[rxlexi]

why does there need to be a levy trail along the MO River when there's a trail under a block away already?

As far as I can tell, the heritage trail already connects all the way across the Kansas River and has been for years

look, I'm relatively happy with the riverfront heritage trail, and I'm happy it exists. The existing Kansas River crossing is really cool, and the portion along Berkley Park is well used. However, the central portion, where one must go up the elevator/stairs at Main St, then navigate on-street in a strange, convoluted manner down under Broadway Bridge, then along Beardsley, then between a handful of West Bottoms streets and under the viaduct in the Bottoms is sub-optimal. And I think it prevents heavier use significantly.

A straight shot from Berkley Park along the Levee, separated from traffic and next to the river would be preferable for most folks, I would assume. Many (most?) river cities already have such a trail in place. It would also connect directly to this proposed Rock Island bridge project.

[earthling]

Has anyone tried the RideKC eBike up the 12th St. bridge? If it can handle it, seems that's the best way to connect W Bottoms to downtown for WB residents. Currently there are no Drop bike racks on map for eBikes in WB.

Are there ANY bike racks in the West Bottoms? If there are any in the public ROW, we can add them as a Drop "hub".

They will totally handle the viaduct, assuming there's battery left (push the black button on the frame and if the LED light is blue then it's fine, if it's green I wouldn't start that trek).

The Bottoms could clearly benefit from eBikes given the bluff. Apt owners should put out some public accessible bike racks just to get on board.

[taxi]

why does there need to be a levy trail along the MO River when there's a trail under a block away already?

As far as I can tell, the heritage trail already connects all the way across the Kansas River and has been for years

look, I'm relatively happy with the riverfront heritage trail, and I'm happy it exists. The existing Kansas River crossing is really cool, and the portion along Berkley Park is well used. However, the central portion, where one must go up the elevator/stairs at Main St, then navigate on-street in a strange, convoluted manner down under Broadway Bridge, then along Beardsley, then between a handful of West Bottoms streets and under the viaduct in the Bottoms is sub-optimal. And I think it prevents heavier use significantly.

A straight shot from Berkley Park along the Levee, separated from traffic and next to the river would be preferable for most folks, I would assume. Many (most?) river cities already have such a trail in place. It would also connect directly to this proposed Rock Island bridge project.

I agree. Not only is that section of the trail convoluted, it's also dangerous. Almost crazy on foot.

[TheLastGentleman]

Got to tour the west bottoms flats construction site

























































































































This is inside the Bemis building, which will be a parking garage (with car elevator!)







































The long hallways with windows on both sides are inside the bridge connecting the Bemis to the rest of the complex









Old furnaces on the ground level of the Abernathy building. Rumor has it that they're keeping the furnaces as decor and making it a restaurant space

























Cornice repair

[shinatoo]

The sheer mass of those buildings is astounding.

[KCDowntown]

Got to tour the west bottoms flats construction site

Thank you TLG! The pictures in this thread and the other are fantastic. Thanks for taking the time to put them on here.

KCDowntown

[FangKC]

Did they say what they are planning to do with that narrow interior courtyard?