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Re: Downtown KCK

Posted: Sat Apr 15, 2023 8:34 pm
by FangKC
Image

KCStar Article Link: https://www.kansascity.com/news/busines ... 07560.html

Are they tearing down the hotel in this redevelopment, or is that it in the upper right corner of the image (the white building)?

I wish people would stop using the word "iconic" for everything. I doubt anything they build in KCK is ever going to merit the use of that word.

Re: Downtown KCK

Posted: Sat Apr 15, 2023 10:00 pm
by Chris Stritzel
^The hotel remains, so that's what the white building is depicting.

Re: Downtown KCK

Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2023 5:10 pm
by FangKC
The Kansas City Taco Trail has returned for NFL Draft weekend, and features 15 new restaurants
Visit KCK relaunched the food rewards program this week to give newcomers and frequent visitors a chance to explore Wyandotte County via its eclectic Hispanic food culture. It has added new prizes for potential “Taco Champions.”

Just in time for the NFL Draft, the KCK Taco Trail is back. After completing its first run last year, the online passport program will pick up again from now until April 2024.

“The Taco Trail is our first of many initiatives to encourage people to visit the city of Kansas City, Kansas,” said Celeste Lupercio, director of Marketing and Community Engagement for Visit Kansas City Kansas.

“We decided this would be a great way to get people to explore those areas through a food challenge,” she said.

The revamped rewards program now includes 15 new restaurants, bringing the grand total to 60. The list spans every region of Wyandotte County.
...
https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2023-04- ... panic-food

Re: Downtown KCK

Posted: Wed May 03, 2023 11:10 pm
by SilentSpades24
More controversy with the 6th & Ann City Hall Place project. Since the Board of Zoning Appeals appears unlikely to approve any kind of variance, the developer is looking across the street to buy and level what is now Kinship Cafe, in order to build a parking lot for their project.

Another absolute gem from elected officials and their appointees.

Re: Downtown KCK

Posted: Thu May 04, 2023 7:50 am
by KC_Ari
I read an article on that, didn't the city say buying parking 500' away instead of 200' away was bad because of "Crime down there"? What a joke.

Re: Downtown KCK

Posted: Thu May 04, 2023 10:44 am
by TheSmokinPun
Typical that they want to tear out a local business that has been part of a new & growing community within KCK. I feel for those folks, they've built something great there.

Re: Downtown KCK

Posted: Thu May 04, 2023 7:26 pm
by SilentSpades24
KC_Ari wrote: Thu May 04, 2023 7:50 am I read an article on that, didn't the city say buying parking 500' away instead of 200' away was bad because of "Crime down there"? What a joke.
The appointees on the BOZA said that, particularly Aaron Ward, appointed by Chuck Stites and Dwane Beth (former cop) appointed by Mayor Garner. City staff was very supportive of the variance and is very much against this move.

Re: Downtown KCK

Posted: Wed May 24, 2023 12:50 pm
by Cratedigger
https://www.startlandnews.com/2023/05/s ... ship-cafe/

Community Housing of Wyandotte County (CHWC), a non-profit organization focused on community development, has become involved in the effort to find parking solutions that would allow Kinship Cafe to remain. CHWC and TJ Roberts, owner of Kinship, are considering the possibility of sharing parking with the out-of-state developer to preserve the coffee shop and support the affordable housing development. Despite the reduced risk of a buyout, Roberts still plans to purchase the building with the support of CHWC, and he anticipates making an offer in the beginning of June.

Happy to hear this seems to be resolving itself, but KCK's parking minimums are ridiculous. This city needs to get its shit together.

Re: Downtown KCK

Posted: Wed May 24, 2023 3:36 pm
by moderne
Most of the city west of 18th Street does not have sidewalks. Wyco has been car centric for a century. Pity that a socioeconomically depressed area is car dependent to such a degree. The downtown KCK urban renewal efforts since 1950 have been mostly making things more car accessible and more convenient parking.

Re: Downtown KCK

Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2023 7:35 pm
by SilentSpades24
THE VARIANCE FOR CITY HALL PLACE HAS PASSED! Onto the Final Development Plan stage.

Re: Downtown KCK

Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2023 11:15 pm
by Anthony_Hugo98
SilentSpades24 wrote: Mon Jul 10, 2023 7:35 pm THE VARIANCE FOR CITY HALL PLACE HAS PASSED! Onto the Final Development Plan stage.
What does this mean?

Re: Downtown KCK

Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2023 12:11 am
by SilentSpades24
Anthony_Hugo98 wrote: Mon Jul 10, 2023 11:15 pm
SilentSpades24 wrote: Mon Jul 10, 2023 7:35 pm THE VARIANCE FOR CITY HALL PLACE HAS PASSED! Onto the Final Development Plan stage.
What does this mean?
Developer has been trying to redevelop the NW corner of 6th & Ann (called City Hall Place). Got their change of zone approved, but needed a parking variance for distance to off-site lots.

BOZA denied the variance the 1st time and was looking to do it again, but, one of the members talked sense into most of the board, and thus, parking variance is approved.

Next step is to submit their Final Development Plan for approval and apply for building permits.

http://public.wycokck.org/sites/plannin ... 23-025.pdf

Staff report from the variance linked here with renderings.

Re: Downtown KCK

Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2023 5:40 am
by Cratedigger
Appreciate the density and happy the parking variance got approved but that’s quite a lot of blank walls. Wish there was more opportunity for activation at ground level

Re: Downtown KCK

Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2023 2:06 pm
by moderne
Looks like senior citizen public housing project. Any updates on the old Commercial National bank building on the next corner to the north?

Re: Downtown KCK

Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2023 7:42 pm
by SilentSpades24
moderne wrote: Tue Jul 11, 2023 2:06 pm Looks like senior citizen public housing project. Any updates on the old Commercial National bank building on the next corner to the north?
They are awaiting approval of the Downtown KCK Historic District from the Kansas State Historic Preservation Office. Once the district is approved and officially on the register, they plan to use HTC to restore the building and convert it into apartments.

Re: Downtown KCK

Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2023 7:43 pm
by SilentSpades24
Cratedigger wrote: Tue Jul 11, 2023 5:40 am Appreciate the density and happy the parking variance got approved but that’s quite a lot of blank walls. Wish there was more opportunity for activation at ground level
It is likely there will be changes to the facade between now and the Final Development Plan.

Re: Downtown KCK

Posted: Thu Aug 03, 2023 6:31 am
by FangKC
New downtown KCKCC campus hopes to close economic divide in Wyandotte County

https://fox4kc.com/news/new-downtown-kc ... te-county/

Re: Downtown KCK

Posted: Thu Aug 03, 2023 8:52 am
by Anthony_Hugo98
The UG could fix the economic divide in 5 mins if they actually cared about developing downtown KCK, but they keep simping for NIMBYs so I’m not holding my breath.

Re: Downtown KCK

Posted: Thu Aug 03, 2023 4:46 pm
by moderne
It's ironic that they want to return a community college campus to DT, as moving it out to the west was a big factor in the decline of DT. There was ample available land around the old campus in 1970's to build something similar to Penn Valley. Another similar factor in the decline was the closure of of St. Margaret's, Bethany, Providence and Douglas hospitals in favor of a consolidated hospital out west. Again there was ample land for a new hospital campus in town. This resulted in the loss of doctors and professional classes from in town housing and offices. When 635 and then 435 were completed the exodus of the professional and middle classes became a stampede.

Re: Downtown KCK

Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2023 8:10 am
by GRID
Anthony_Hugo98 wrote: Thu Aug 03, 2023 8:52 am The UG could fix the economic divide in 5 mins if they actually cared about developing downtown KCK, but they keep simping for NIMBYs so I’m not holding my breath.
Had KCK put half the effort into downtown has they have with the speedway area, downtown KCK would be amazing. I still say losing the EPA to a suburban Lenexa office park was the nail in the coffin for downtown KCK. That basically showed that literally nobody cared about downtown KCK even the public sector.