KCRag Forum

Highlander wrote: Fair enough, it's a different concept in traffic control than most Americans are used to,  but when we finally get the hang of it, they are much better than traffic signals.  The only time I have real problems with them is at a major intersection with several lanes of traffic in all directions, then they become kind of tricky because you have to cross lanes within the round-a-bout. 

European Vacation?  (as in the movie, I know you live there!)

phxcat wrote: European Vacation?  (as in the movie, I know you live there!)

Big Ben!

mgsports wrote: They need to rebuild one by Oak Park Mall is what I mean.

They already tried. The neighborhood behind the mall opposed a new AMC on the site of the Target behind Nordstrom.

Angel wrote: I've never seen so much whining about roundabouts.  Why would you want regular intersections instead of them?  They're actually much safer than intersections and look a hell of a lot better than a bunch of traffic lights.

My only complaint about the roundabouts (and one of these days I promise I will figure out the difference between them and a traffic circle) is that they have one every block.  I would say the same thing about a traffic light every block.  Its particularly annoying right now because there is nothing around them.

In general, I like them - and people are slowly starting to figure out how to drive them.  Its just too often it seems like some engineer read an article about roundabouts and then decided to use them every chance he got.

To the other point out there about the size of the 435 right-of-way, those interchanges are huge.  GRID - you work in the business (I think).  Were they expecting a lot of semi-truck traffic from warehouses out there?  They kind of remind me of some of the interchanges along 635 around the factories and warehouses along the Kansas River.  Just curious.

Okay in one Circiut City empty Spaces or Linen N Thing space in Lenexa or in the Mall a Movie Theater.

mgsports wrote: Okay in one Circiut City empty Spaces or Linen N Thing space in Lenexa or in the Mall.

wtf?

jimb wrote: My only complaint about the roundabouts (and one of these days I promise I will figure out the difference between them and a traffic circle) is that they have one every block.  I would say the same thing about a traffic light every block. 

I got this explanation of a roundabout vs traffic circle from wikipedia:
In technical usage, circular intersections that have the following characteristics are roundabouts, and those that do not are traffic circles or rotaries:
Entering vehicles yield ("give way") to vehicles in the roundabout; i.e: vehicles inside the circle have the right of way
Deflection is used to maintain low speed operation (usually less than 25 mph)
Pedestrians are (usually) prohibited from the central island
All vehicles circulate around the central island in the same direction.

Traditionally, traffic entering a traffic circle has the right-of-way, although some circles give right-of-way to the primary roads. In roundabouts, as opposed to traffic circles, entering traffic must yield to traffic already in the circulatory roadway.

So you could consider the intersection at Ward Parkway & Meyer to be a "traffic circle" since the major thru street has right-of-way, and traffic in the circle does not.  Almost every new one is a "roundabout".

Here is a good link to learn more (as well as the wiki entry):
http://www.alaskaroundabouts.com/mythfact1.html

Thanks, Slim.  That helps.

You think someone who's father was a highway and traffic engineer for 40 years would understand this at some innate, genetic level.  But, alas, not it my case.

Back to CityCenter discussion...

back to topic, so what will be going into that new buildings now?  I heard Quizno's and Paddy Quigleys.  Any other confirm tenants for that new building now?

anything new here that we need to know about

kanasalumn wrote: anything new here that we need to know about

....

weeds?

Since I live out here, thought I'd give an update -- the Lenexa City Center project is basically a disaster at this point.  Finally, the Lifetime Fitness is going to open after some major financial issue.  There is also a way-too-expensive apartmenet complex in the "City Center North" portion with no amentieis to speak of.

There is one fully built building that was supposed to be part of the City Center East development but it only has some kind of company tenant in the top floor.  Notthing else is in there.  Quiznos and Paddy o Quigleys gave up because it was taking so long.

Lenexa also has some blight now here -- the first two floors of a major condo next to the building I just mentioned were started 3 years ago, but have been sitting there in a pile of dirt since.  this is supposed to be a 7 story buliding.

This whole project wasted a bunch of city dollars in redoing roads and such..not to mention energy and time.  The mere size of the development proposed was too big for the relatively small population around it.  Lenexa is only slightly bigger than Salina, and Olathe and Shawnee already have developments to go to.

Interestingly, on the flip side, a more narrowly focused area -- at 101st an d woodland, is being built very quickly now due to the fact there are houses around K-10 and Woodland that need to be served...and only have limited options now.  What a concept.

Jack in the Box,Pizza Ranch and so on would be good.

Lenexa City Council approves $64 million luxury apartment development for City Center

The 306-unit first phase of what’s being called The Residences at City Center calls for four- and five-story buildings on a 28-acre site northeast of 87th Street Parkway and Renner Boulevard. The development is being built by Block Real Estate Services and is targeted for young professionals and empty-nesters.

$16 million incentives b/n TIF and road improvements.

Lenexa City Center secures Hyatt Place, conference center

The Lenexa City Council on Tuesday gave RHW Management Inc. of Overland Park final approval to develop a Hyatt Place hotel and conference center in Lenexa City Center East Village, a mixed-use project at 87th Street and Interstate 435.

The $23 million project includes a 127-room Hyatt Place with an attached 14,000-square-foot conference center. Groundbreaking for the project is set for August 2014, with opening scheduled for summer 2015. It will add about 30 new jobs to the area.

To help secure the hotel project, the Lenexa City Council approved $11 million in tax increment financing

New apartments planned for Lenexa City Center

The 203-unit Domain at City Center will be developed by Terry O’Leary and Steve Coon, who are known for successful high-density, lifestyle-oriented apartment projects including The Village at Mission Farms in Overland Park and 51 Main in Kansas City.

A friend of mine is moving to Lenexa which made me wonder how City Center was coming along. I found this page with some renderings I hadn't seen before.

http://www.klover.net/city-center-lenexa-2/

Other than that I didn't find much in the last month other than a meeting to update people on the Civic Center that they expect to start building in 2015.