KCRag Forum

beautyfromashes wrote:I'm more frustrated that it doesn't connect it's property on the south end with the Freighthouse District under the bridge. It's a great opportunity to continue the development to the East. Instead, they put a trash dumpster blocking the path from Lidia's to their hotel. Dumb.

pash wrote:The main thing to be upset with is the amount of money the city spent on this site—first removing the Walnut viaduct, then buying out the billboard owner—to get this result. Oh, and let's not forget the imminent investments in the streetscape project, the TIF incentives, and now possibly still more financing assistance from PortKC.

If you want to build this junk with your own money, that's one thing. Go right ahead. But the city invested millions of dollars of public money in this piece of property, and this dreck simply should not be accepted in return. And to be clear, yes, I am at least as upset with our city leaders and handers-out of public money as I am with the developers. It is easier, to my mind, to excuse the former for their quick-buck hucksterism, for their poor taste, and for their ignorance of good urban-development practices than it is to excuse the public officials who apparently either consider this garbage a fair trade for the huge sums of money they threw away on it, or are otherwise completely incompetent in their roles as stewards of the public purse and architects of our city's future.

beautyfromashes wrote:If there really is demand for hotel space for the IRS building and businesses in U.S., I'd like to see a hotel redevelopment of the glass building that is connected to US. It's so ugly! Perhaps they could make the outside look more historic since it is right next to such an iconic building.

Sunflower Group traditionally works on historic buildings, so matching the Home2 Suites project to the neighborhood’s look was a familiar task.

“We want to design it to fit what the neighbors want and what the communities want,” Moberly said.

The first-floor facade will have an art front, tentatively a piece playing on Kansas City’s jazz history. Sunflower is working with the Mid-America Arts Alliance for the project and hopes the hotel becomes an art center for First Fridays.

Non-related 20th Street Work

• Home2 Suites will begin construction of the hotel on the southeast corner of 20th and Main.
• This will close 20th between Main and Walnut for crews to make a water service tap. This project is not in conjunction with 20th street, however the project team has been coordinating with them to minimize traffic disruptions.
• After the water service is connected 20th- Main to Walnut will re-open. Anticipated completion one week.

Two blocks west of Abbott’s building, excavation for a planned 112-room Hilton Home2 Suites at 2001 Main St. needs only a utility easement to be moved before work can begin, said developer Jason Swords.

Swords, with the Sunflower Development Group, said he expects the hotel to open “11 months from today.”

The site previously housed the Walnut Street ramp that veered northeast off Main Street and a large billboard, both of which required extensive city involvement to clear.