Downtown Aquarium

[KC-wildcat]

Looks like the Kansas City Economic Development Corporation is considering a downtown aquarium. 

http://www.kansascity.com/105/story/686295.html

“I’d welcome an aquarium downtown,” said Kansas City Councilman Russ Johnson. “In concept it sounds like a great idea.”

The EDC request limits the area for an aquarium to that of the Downtown Economic Stimulus Authority, from the state line to Cleveland Avenue and roughly Linwood Boulevard to the Missouri River, including the downtown airport. Projects in that area are eligible for state sales and income tax incentives.

The EDC is not asking for specific proposals or financing details, just for the resumes of development teams interested in pursuing an aquarium project.

He and others said they thought the Cordish Co., developer of the Power & Light Entertainment District, might be interested in an aquarium downtown.

Cordish spokesman Jon Stephens declined to indicate whether the company would respond to the EDC’s request but said in an e-mail “an aquarium would be an ideal addition to the downtown and a perfect complement to the Power & Light District.”

Stephens said aquariums had helped revitalize the Inner Harbor of Baltimore and Charleston, S.C., where Cordish also had developments.

“There’s no question Kansas City needs and deserves an aquarium,” Udris said. “We’re probably one of the largest cities that doesn’t have one.”



Personally, I've always thought that DT needed more than a great nightlife to sustain growth.  There also needs to be housing, shopping, and tourist destinations.  I think this aquarium would a perfect fit for DT's needs. 

[KCMax]

Should it be like...way down on the list of priorities right now? I don't really see the need either with Mission apparently going full steam ahead with theirs.

[trailerkid]

hmm...sounds like duplicity and another case of KC spreading resources and money around too thin.

Where is the preferred location? CBD would be interesting, but I can see River Market or Union Station also fitting quite well.

[kcjak]

There's no way the metro could support two aquariums of any quality so close together (downtown/Mission). KC pissed this idea around for around a decade and NOW they decide to proceed just as the aquarium in Mission is coming together?

The EDC needs to reevaluate their priorities and focus on something else - they had their chance with a location on the MO river and at Union Station over the years and now is the time to think about some new opportunities to bring something unique to the area instead of trying to undercut another site after years of doing nothing.

[LenexatoKCMO]

hmm...sounds like duplicity and another case of KC spreading resources and money around too thin.

Not just that, the whole timing of the effort smacks of "we can't let those Kansans out do us".  How often have we heard complaints of Kansas not offering anything to the metro in terms of cultural amenities and here they go to fund a cultural void in a location very central and convenient to the core of the city and the Missouri side is now going to jump through hoops to shoot it down and build their own instead or compete with it?  Seems very hypocritical - you can't have your cake and eat it too.  

[scooterj]

He and others said they thought the Cordish Co., developer of the Power & Light Entertainment District, might be interested in an aquarium downtown.

Cordish spokesman Jon Stephens declined to indicate whether the company would respond to the EDC’s request but said in an e-mail “an aquarium would be an ideal addition to the downtown and a perfect complement to the Power & Light District.”

It could go on the 13th & Baltimore block, there's a large vacant empty shell there in need of tenants.

[MidtownCat]

Stephens said aquariums had helped revitalize the Inner Harbor of Baltimore and Charleston, S.C., where Cordish also had developments.

“There’s no question Kansas City needs and deserves an aquarium,” Udris said. “We’re probably one of the largest cities that doesn’t have one.”

Cool.  Let's make it happen.

KC's got a pretty impressive "largest city in America that doesn't have one" list going.  Light rail, convention hotel, etc.

Let's keep chopping wood.

[KC-wildcat]

I think we need an Aquarium, or something comparable, DT.  Desperately.  We also need a hotel.  But, again, if managed properly, large-scale development projects do not have to be mutually exclusive.  See SC, P&L, PAC.  Of course, private investment in the aquarium would be nice. 

To be sustainable, DT has to be attractive in many facets.  Right now, there just isn't much drawing people inside the loop during the day.  Except for 9-5 jobs.  And really, there isn't much drawing people on the weekend days.  An attraction like an aquarium would be a big step in remedying this problem.  Steamboat Arabia is cool, but it's not enough IMO.  The movie theatre and Midland will be great additions.  But, IMO, our economic development plan must identify something like an aquarium.  Bring families, kids, retirees, etc. downtown. 

Why not compete with Kansas.  Gateway has a nice idea, but since when do we care about playing fair.  If we can get the project and it will stimulate DT growth at the expense of sinking Gateway, I'm in favor of it. 

[DaveKCMO]

for the record, detroit is the largest city in america without light rail. they also don't have an aquarium. so suck it, detroit!

but seriously, if a private investor offered up everything except land acquisition, then i could see the city jumping on it. i say NO to a free parking garage, however.

[LenexatoKCMO]

If we were actually talking about doing something that wasn't half-ass, I might care more about it not being DT.  We aren't talking about building some worldclass aquarium on par with Shedd, Monterey Bay, or Atlanta that would actually stand out as being a must see.  We are talking about hiring some company to come in and build McAquarium, that will almost certainly come off as a second rate attraction and only likely appeal to locals and a handful of rubes from the surrounding rural environs.  Unless they make this thing on par with the big time Aquariums (which they wont), how is it going to draw any better than the Negro League Muesum, the Jazz Museum, the Steam Boat Arabia, Science City, etc.?  We don't need another half ass attraction in the core - we have tons of those.  If KCMO really wants to invest in an attraction - how about spending the dough to make one of the existing attractions into something that actually stands out as a must see place.  I can't imagine that McAquarium will have anything more than a trickle effect in terms of visitors regardless of whether it sits in the Gateway or the River Market.  

[KCTigerFan]

So if we don't build an aquarium that is one of the five best in the world it is not worth doing?  Houston for example has a great downtown aquarium that is a McQuarium.  It also has hosted huge parties and draws a very good attendance.   

http://www.aquariumrestaurants.com/down ... index.html

I would also add that there are locations for a proposed aquarium outside of the riverfront, rivermarket that are still in the urban core.  It is all about density and clustering of attractions.  People won't come to KC just for the CBE, but they will come for the CBE, Science City, Aquarium, P&L, Nelson et cetera if they are all easy to travel between and enjoy over a weekend. 

If we were actually talking about doing something that wasn't half-ass, I might care more about it not being DT.  We aren't talking about building some worldclass aquarium on par with Shedd, Monterey Bay, or Atlanta that would actually stand out as being a must see.  We are talking about hiring some company to come in and build McAquarium, that will almost certainly come off as a second rate attraction and only likely appeal to locals and a handful of rubes from the surrounding rural environs.  Unless they make this thing on par with the big time Aquariums (which they wont), how is it going to draw any better than the Negro League Muesum, the Jazz Museum, the Steam Boat Arabia, Science City, etc.?  We don't need another half ass attraction in the core - we have tons of those.  If KCMO really wants to invest in an attraction - how about spending the dough to make one of the existing attractions into something that actually stands out as a must see place.  I can't imagine that McAquarium will have anything more than a trickle effect in terms of visitors regardless of whether it sits in the Gateway or the River Market.  

[IraGlacialis]

I was thinking that maybe it would be nice if a downtown/riverfront/urban core aquarium was built with as a joint effort with the Missouri Department of Conservation, and possibly UMKC or Linda Hall. Something like the Monterey Bay Aquarium in that it would be research/conservation-based and would be a legitimate education center for nearby universities, not just a tourist attraction.
It could focus on the different aquatic habitats in Missouri encompassing the Big Rivers, Ozark springs and streams, central-state lakes, bootheel swamps, and even caves. Plus, it could have other freshwater habitats from around the world for comparison (Amazon, Mekong, Nile, Lake Baikal (with nerpas of course  ), central African lakes). By doing this, a unique niche could be filled which would not clash with the one being built in Mission.

[KCFan]

I'm all for a downtown aquarium, but KCMO is too late to this party.  Kansas already approved the funding mechanism for their aquarium and KCMO is just now soliciting proposals.  I'll be stunned if Missouri outflanks Kansas on this one minus Halls or someone like that plunking down the cash to make it happen.

[ComandanteCero]

I'll second Lenexa's sentiment on the half-assedness of these aquariums.  I'd much rather we pool our regional resources and go for one world-class aquarium (which i personally think would be a great draw for KC, considering it would potentially be the largest aquarium between Chicago and California). 

But with all this talk of smaller aquariums, that seems less and less a possibility.

[KCPowercat]

We should look to group attractions, not have them more spread out.  Whatever though, if this is going to be some sort of ks vs. mo war, it's not worth that.

[dangerboy]

I agree this seems like a last-minute attempt for KCMO, but I also think it would be dumb to build another regional attraction in a distant location without usable mass transit.  We just repeated the monumental mistake of putting the baseball stadium away from the core, and we poised to do the same with an aquarium.

Having MAX in the Downtown/Plaza corridor has finally made it possible for tourists to go without cars.  Putting an aquarium in or adjacent to this corridor would do so much to build more critical mass of connected tourist destinations.  Unless JoCo gets serious about BRT on Shawnee Mission Parkway to connect Mission with the MAX, I say it makes more sense for an aquarium Downtown.

[LindseyLohan]

for the record, detroit is the largest city in america without light rail. they also don't have an aquarium. so suck it, detroit!

I don't know why, but this made me laugh harder than anything else I've ever read on this forum....

[GuyInLenexa]

To me the aquarium should be in KCMO instead of the Mission Gateway location.  I think it could be a major cornerstone for riverfront development.  So somewhere Downtown on the Missouri would be my idea of a good location.  The Mississippi – Missouri river system is one of the largest in the world, it would be great if a part of the aquarium could be dedicated to the species of the river, as well as other oceans across the world.
As far as Mission Gateway, I think the 70,000 to 80,000 square foot area could be used as a new Whole Foods or a Neiman-Marcus. 
The question is how far commitments and planning has gone for the Mission Gateway aquarium and how long would it take for the planning for a KCMO facility would take.
I doubt it that the city of Mission or Kansas will sit and wait for KCMO to proceed before them.  To have two things so similar would be a waste.  Perhaps if the KS side builds theirs first (which will probably happen) KCMO could create a better museum of science and natural history in a combined location.  Something we really don’t have in the region.

[Downtowner]

What visitor (or local) is going to get in their car and drive to mission to look for an aquarium? The whole premise of that is ridiculous. At least if it's downtown it goes with other attractions. Every corner of the metro is looking for some draw to their area...mission is just the latest to offer up some lame effort. It will fail there.

[ComandanteCero]

I think this is kind of a moot discussion anyway...  if the Mission thing continues on track I doubt very many private aquarium developers will be looking to put another competing aquarium in such a small market.  But who knows, I have no idea how these operators function.