Best Urban KC area

[skim82]

Where would you put yourself and your money....and why?

[KCMax]

I love Midtown. I think it has it all. You can live in a suburban, residential neighborhood, but still be within walking distance of mass transit, and within walking distance of shops and restaurants. It obviously lacks the grit and creativity of areas like the Crossroads, but if you're looking for the convenience and peacefulness of the burbs while still living very near the energy and excitement of a city, I think Midtown is the place to be.

[warwickland]

I'd vouch for an urban center not listed on here, west 39th. It needs better transit connections to DT though, TO BE SURE.

but we are talking about investments here, and obviously somewhere downtown would probably be the best bet. i don't/ won't make real estate purchases based on purely investment concerns, however. though it just happens to be that the places i like are probably great investments anyway...

[dangerboy]

Warwick I include W. 39th as part of Midtown.  Investment-wise, real estate is appreciating quite fast.  Mine went up 20% last year.

Transit-wise, we do have service on two different bus lines.  #47 goes Downtown and #39 is a quick transfer to MAX.  But bus frequencies could definitely be improved, especially off-peak hours.

[warwickland]

Warwick I include W. 39th as part of Midtown.  Investment-wise, real estate is appreciating quite fast.  Mine went up 20% last year.

Transit-wise, we do have service on two different bus lines.  #47 goes Downtown and #39 is a quick transfer to MAX.   But bus frequencies could definitely be improved, especially off-peak hours.

ah,

ive taken the 39 over a few times, but yeah, the frequencies blow..

west 39th does not feel at all like midtown to me, so thats why i made the distinction, but of course it is mid-town. everytime im over there though, i think damn, we are lucky to have this intact 'hood in kc. i sometimes forget about it, because its kind of tucked to the the side.

[ComandanteCero]

well, really, if we're going to parse out downtown into rivermarket/crossroads/loop etc, the poll should parse out some of the more distinct midtown neighborhoods/areas i.e Westport, Hyde Park, West 39th, etc....

[DaveKCMO]

midtown, 39th, hyde park... they're all the same to me, arbitrarily separated by pointless boundaries (streets, races, incomes, ancient subdivision names). the real story is that everything from 31st street to 75th street is configured the exact same way: grid with single family homes all built around the automobile. boring! the plaza and the three blocks of westport road are interesting because they're not that way; same for crossroads and CBD.

if you really want the best urban KC area, try northeast.

[warwickland]

midtown, 39th, hyde park... they're all the same to me, arbitrarily separated by pointless boundaries (streets, races, incomes, ancient subdivision names). the real story is that everything from 31st street to 75th street is configured the exact same way: grid with single family homes all built around the automobile. boring! the plaza and the three blocks of westport road are interesting because they're not that way; same for crossroads and CBD.

if you really want the best urban KC area, try northeast.

i consider most everything north of the plaza or 47th to have been primarily built around the streetcar...i see a difference in the built environment, anyway. there are also pockets south of the plaza which are more walkable than others. for instance, i honestly think my neighborhood (southmoreland) is currently more walkable than the crossroads. i have a coffeshop/ laundro on my block (4100/4200 Warwick) an organic grocer 1 block away, small supermarket and bars 2 blocks northwest, liquor store 2 blocks southwest, etc, then everything in westport a 10 minute walk etc etc. w. 39th is also extremely walkable minus a large grocery.

i can walk to everything ive needed since ive lived here, though, and it's not as boring as you might think.

maybe you should try exploring it further, unless you just hate it that much.

[Tosspot]

the northeast was set upon by malicious forces even moreso than a lot of the other areas.

and I kind of agree that acres upon acres of detached single family houses are indeed boring as hell. true, they have some appeal, but a city they do not make - and in my opinion too much of this city is devoted to single use single family residency.

[skim82]

Plaza is up by one vote so far...

Are there even any affordable condos/lofts in the Plaza area? I tried searching Reeceandnichols.com and kc-remax and can't seem to get many listings for that area...

[AllThingsKC]

Plaza is up by one vote so far...

...make that 2 votes.

[leaf]

Plaza is up by one vote so far...

Are there even any affordable condos/lofts in the Plaza area? I tried searching Reeceandnichols.com and kc-remax and can't seem to get many listings for that area...

some of the buildings just east of the plaza on 47th (between winsteads and the Nelson) have condos for sale in there for like 120,000, give or take.  i dont know how nice they are though.

[staubio]

The Plaza may have a lot going on and a nice vibe, but as a neighborhood, how valuable is it?  It doesn't offer an organic neighborhood feel.  How often are you going to want to eat at the same chain restaurants and crowd into overly packaged "neighborhood" bars?  How often are you going to want to have expensive stores next door to you as opposed to having them a quick bus ride away?  How many of these places are places you could go to every few days or feel like you have a sense of ownership in? 

On the surface, the Plaza might seem like the best choice, but as someone who has lived there and now lives in the River Market, I can attest that I'm living much more of an urban lifestyle now than I was then. 

The River Market is unique in that its isolation because of the freeway has forced it into some sense of density.  It basically ropes in the neighborhood and makes it focus on itself, meaning a lot of the activity and development stays in.  At the same time, development along Walnut and Grand has helped connect the neighborhood with the rest of the loop. 

While the loop offers a lot of amenities, they are spotty and shut down early.  In the immediate area of most of the residences in the neighborhood, there are several bars and restaurants of various degrees of formality.  These are places that you can work into your routine.  Quirky and original breakfast eateries, a coffeeshop, a bakery, a wine shop, a gelato shop, etc, round out the mix.

On Saturday and Sunday, the neighborhood comes alive like the Plaza but with a more varied level of activity as people cruise the market or simply come to people watch.  That delivers that bustle while still keeping it real.  On Sunday night, the blues from Winslow's seeps into the streets to cap the weekend.

In an effort to be car free, the RM is a decent spot.  It is served by the 110, which goes to 18th and Vine and places east, the MAX, the de-facto spine of the system, the 57, a nice midtown alternative, and the 173, with service to casinos and a handy connection through downtown.  The transit plaza is still just a few blocks away.

Self-sufficiency helps stave off the need for a car, too.  Between the ethnic markets and food vendors in the market, one can do almost all of their shopping in the neighborhood with a little bit of planning.  The complaints about a grocer are moot.

As the lots fill up in the River Market, the small footprint of the neighborhood will drive density.  I have a feeling that things are going to get better and better.  My vote is wholeheartedly for the River Market.

[warwickland]

The River Market is unique in that its isolation because of the freeway has forced it into some sense of density.  It basically ropes in the neighborhood and makes it focus on itself, meaning a lot of the activity and development stays in.  At the same time, development along Walnut and Grand has helped connect the neighborhood with the rest of the loop. 

you know, thats an interesting point that i never thought of. of course the interstate did a lot of damage in the beginning, but i never considered that it might have also helped that particular neighborhood in sme way. although, the river market may have always been rather insular anyway, and the interstate did only hurt it, but who knows.

[Tosspot]

I don't quite buy it. Everytime I'm there I observe how it seems like half of the River Market is a goddamned parking lot. The highway loop exacerbated autocentricity, which likely in turn exacerbated the demand for surface parking in the River Market - which was deleterious, not beneficial.

[staubio]

I don't quite buy it. Everytime I'm there I observe how it seems like half of the River Market is a goddamned parking lot. The highway loop exacerbated autocentricity, which likely in turn exacerbated the demand for surface parking in the River Market - which was deleterious, not beneficial.

No doubt it was bad and the Market is still too autocentric.  My only claim is that it puts the neighborhood in an interesting situation which I feel impacts development.  The majority of the parking lots left are owned by the city.

[skim82]

Is there any chance the city is going to repave a lot of streets in the RM?  I noticed most were in pretty bad shape compared to xroads, CBD, Plaza...

Especially that dangerous road running parallel to the north loop before merging onto I-35 S.

[warwickland]

I don't quite buy it. Everytime I'm there I observe how it seems like half of the River Market is a goddamned parking lot. The highway loop exacerbated autocentricity, which likely in turn exacerbated the demand for surface parking in the River Market - which was deleterious, not beneficial.

sounds weird, but i kind of can see how after the fact, there was some sort of weird positive reverberation (not that it offset the initial damage) that caused the neighborhood to 'huddle in' on itself.

[DaveKCMO]

i guess we've all already made our choices and are simply defending them. and yes, i just don't like midtown.

[Tosspot]

i guess we've all already made our choices and are simply defending them. and yes, i just don't like midtown.

Midtown does have some linear areas and junctions of urbanity, albeit some of it damaged by suburbanesque zoning codes and planning policies, but there's still the areas around Main and 31st, among some other higher density housing. The only problem there is that it's rife with panhandlers and check cashing joints.