KCRag Forum

rxlexi wrote: ↑Fri Oct 19, 2018 11:06 am

I am a little confused and curious by what you meant in your last sentence though rxlexi?

Sorry I agree that was poorly worded. Was trying to say that I wish the more vocal NIMBY/Save Our Plaza folks would be up in arms about ugly rehabs, crappy plaza facades, dying street trees, hideous parking lots et. al, as much as they are about potential new, hugely positive projects like the Hufft Plaza hotel/apartments, OPUS Westport, or MAC in midtown. If you're gonna be pissed about the good stuff, be pissed about the truly bad stuff too so maybe we'll actually see something positive come from the bitching...

RE: Northpoint, I know they do quality work and think high-end senior housing on the Plaza will be a hit. But it's tough to make an 80's (?) office building into quaint senior apartments without it all looking a bit slapped together. Hopefully the end result is a success, I do appreciate that the architects tried to address the intersection/view with exterior balconies facing Plaza.

kboish wrote: ↑Fri Oct 19, 2018 10:31 am

moderne wrote: ↑Fri Oct 19, 2018 10:11 am According to a Business Journal article on endangered buildings the Christian Scientist church is to be torn down and replaced with a 13 story office tower. Would be a loss for the human scale along 47th and create a blocky wall on the north side.

I wonder if they got this wrong and meant there is a 13 story office tower being built behind this church?

FangKC wrote: ↑Fri Oct 19, 2018 4:16 pm

kboish wrote: ↑Fri Oct 19, 2018 10:31 am

moderne wrote: ↑Fri Oct 19, 2018 10:11 am According to a Business Journal article on endangered buildings the Christian Scientist church is to be torn down and replaced with a 13 story office tower. Would be a loss for the human scale along 47th and create a blocky wall on the north side.

I wonder if they got this wrong and meant there is a 13 story office tower being built behind this church?

I've read or heard rumblings that this Church is going to sell to a developer, so rumors about a office tower there could be accurate.

I wish there were some buildings--like this--that were just off-limits, but many churches have had their denominations become so small that they cannot financially maintain their church buildings any longer. I doubt there are many other congregations clamoring to find a church these days, since church attendance is way down. This church is too small to interest the more popular churches. I really wish the downtown Church of the Resurrection would have bought this church instead of building downtown on Grand.

Not every building can be the equivalent of granite countertops and hardwood floors on the exterior if more project are going to provide affordable options.

Highlander wrote: ↑Sat Oct 20, 2018 4:59 pm

FangKC wrote: ↑Fri Oct 19, 2018 4:16 pm

kboish wrote: ↑Fri Oct 19, 2018 10:31 am

I wonder if they got this wrong and meant there is a 13 story office tower being built behind this church?

I've read or heard rumblings that this Church is going to sell to a developer, so rumors about a office tower there could be accurate.

I wish there were some buildings--like this--that were just off-limits, but many churches have had their denominations become so small that they cannot financially maintain their church buildings any longer. I doubt there are many other congregations clamoring to find a church these days, since church attendance is way down. This church is too small to interest the more popular churches. I really wish the downtown Church of the Resurrection would have bought this church instead of building downtown on Grand.

Losing that building would be a shame. In Europe where church attendance is much lower than in the US, many old churches find new life as bars and restaurants. A smaller church would actually be ideal for this as the larger sanctuaries would be expensive to heat.

In 2006, the City approved a planned redevelopment of the Property that allowed a 12-story 257,800sf office building, a 6-story 156-room hotel, a 3-story commercial building containing 41,000sf and parking for 959 vehicles. City approvals also included a TIF incentive. The City’s approval of the redevelopment plan remains in place as the latest UR for the Property, but the TIF incentive has expired.
In 2007, the current owners purchased the Property with the expressed desire to implement the City-approved redevelopment plan, or a similar version thereof. Then the Great Recession intervened, and that plan was shelved indefinitely.

A wide spectrum of scrape-and-rebuild redevelopments were examined over the past four years, including schemes for an office/hotel complex, a hotel/multi-family project and even a dual-branded large hotel development. Unfortunately, the rising cost of new construction has caused these start-over options to be priced beyond economic feasibility.

KCtoBrooklyn wrote: ↑Fri Nov 02, 2018 7:37 pm ...The architecture doesn't have any Spanish elements or nods to the Plaza architectural style. I'm sure the Save the Plaza folks won't be pleased.

If they are demoing and building new, I would like to see them build back at least as high as the current structure, adding a couple floors of apartments or offices above the Nordstroms.

KCtoBrooklyn wrote: ↑Fri Nov 02, 2018 7:37 pm Plans for the Nordstrom have been submitted. It does involved demoing the eastern portion of the garage and Cinemark building. The architecture doesn't have any Spanish elements or nods to the Plaza architectural style. I'm sure the Save the Plaza folks won't be pleased.

If they are demoing and building new, I would like to see them build back at least as high as the current structure, adding a couple floors of apartments or offices above the Nordstroms.

KCtoBrooklyn wrote: ↑Fri Nov 02, 2018 6:57 pm A while back, there was a thread about the potential renovation of the Holiday Inn at 45th and Main into a Four Points:
http://kcrag.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=20431

A new plan has been presented for a redevelopment into a Kimpton Hotel. It looks a little less ambitious, but it does involve razing a portion of the two story section on 45th St and replacing it with a 5 story building. Looks like everything would be getting a serious facelift.







There is an interesting note with this:

In 2006, the City approved a planned redevelopment of the Property that allowed a 12-story 257,800sf office building, a 6-story 156-room hotel, a 3-story commercial building containing 41,000sf and parking for 959 vehicles. City approvals also included a TIF incentive. The City’s approval of the redevelopment plan remains in place as the latest UR for the Property, but the TIF incentive has expired.
In 2007, the current owners purchased the Property with the expressed desire to implement the City-approved redevelopment plan, or a similar version thereof. Then the Great Recession intervened, and that plan was shelved indefinitely.

Here is a rendering from those plans:



Also,

A wide spectrum of scrape-and-rebuild redevelopments were examined over the past four years, including schemes for an office/hotel complex, a hotel/multi-family project and even a dual-branded large hotel development. Unfortunately, the rising cost of new construction has caused these start-over options to be priced beyond economic feasibility.

hartliss wrote: ↑Mon Nov 05, 2018 3:14 pm Where are these plans loaded to? CompassKC?

kcjak wrote: ↑Mon Nov 05, 2018 3:43 pmWhile others don't think the location warrants a faux-Spanish motif, I think it does. Even though the current building where Cinemark is missed the mark, at least an attempt was made to prevent the building from being utilitarian.

KCtoBrooklyn wrote: ↑Mon Nov 05, 2018 4:00 pm

hartliss wrote: ↑Mon Nov 05, 2018 3:14 pm Where are these plans loaded to? CompassKC?

Yep.

kcjak wrote: ↑Mon Nov 05, 2018 3:43 pmWhile others don't think the location warrants a faux-Spanish motif, I think it does. Even though the current building where Cinemark is missed the mark, at least an attempt was made to prevent the building from being utilitarian.

I am more concerned about the size/scale/density.

For one, if this is just two stories, it is going to expose probably 3 levels of the remaining parking garage behind it. I would hope they at least put a facade or screen over that portion of the garage, or it is going to look ugly.

Also, this would be a good opportunity to add some apartments or office space, which seems tough to do lately (especially in the bowl) thanks to Save Our Plaza folks.