KCRag Forum

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I disagree. Unlike Two Pershing Square, this development doesn’t block the tracks that could be used for a real passenger platform with multiple tracks and entry through the traditional station gates. Not that we have a need right now with the paltry train service in this country. Just hoping that we get an administration that takes train service seriously like in Europe with modern, efficient high-speed trains. Having used such types of trains in Europe I dream of similar service someday in the US, especially in corridors linking higher population centers (KC-Chicago, KC-St. Louis, etc.). Not to mention the larger population centers on the East & West coasts.
The Podium project would provide the increased linkage we need between the Crossroads & Union Station/Crown Center. (referenced in an earlier post).

moderne wrote: ↑Fri Jul 17, 2020 1:48 pm Too massively blockey, Like 2 Pershing Square with some extra height on one end. Same mistake 30 years later with contemporary cladding.

I highly disagree. 2 Pershing is one of the worst buildings downtown on a number of levels, and this Podium project has none of its greatest flaws.

2 Pershing represents Trizec's greed and failure to renovate Union Station, the destruction of the original trainsheds, the attempted destruction of the waiting room, and a complete disregard for the city. It's too tall, too forbidding, too far from the street, and too banal as an architectural statement for that location. I sincerely want it gone someday.

Podium is the exact opposite. It sits right up to the street, has excellent materiality, interesting massing, and overall looks quite open and welcoming. Not to mention, the Podium project will include so much more than just an office building.

They're nothing alike.

Definitely going to be a big improvement if the office tower/hotel can be built.

The city has released Main Walnut Viaduct easement to the developer. Council documents list The Podium as Phase 1 of the redevelopment.

http://cityclerk.kcmo.org/liveweb/Docum ... ZQC3LsYdYr

They need to do a land swap with the Home2Suites owners so they can have more frontage the build along on Main Street.
Maybe they are/were considering this. I think one of the earlier massing renders showed a smaller building between the Home2Suites and the Podium project. This also could give the Home2Suites parking lot a better layout:

normalthings wrote: ↑Mon Jul 27, 2020 9:23 am The city has released Main Walnut Viaduct easement to the developer. Council documents list The Podium as Phase 1 of the redevelopment.

http://cityclerk.kcmo.org/liveweb/Docum ... ZQC3LsYdYr

Interesting that Podium is Phase 1. That would be good if we could get the tall portion of this development underway followed by the smaller, but just as transformative, projects.

Critical_Mass wrote: ↑Mon Jul 27, 2020 10:35 am They need to do a land swap with the Home2Suites owners so they can have more frontage the build along on Main Street.
Maybe they are/were considering this. I think one of the earlier massing renders showed a smaller building between the Home2Suites and the Podium project. This also could give the Home2Suites parking lot a better layout:

I don’t think it’s any renderings

Critical_Mass wrote: ↑Mon Jul 27, 2020 10:35 am They need to do a land swap with the Home2Suites owners so they can have more frontage the build along on Main Street.
Maybe they are/were considering this. I think one of the earlier massing renders showed a smaller building between the Home2Suites and the Podium project. This also could give the Home2Suites parking lot a better layout:

It will never happen, there's a garage entrance in the land you're saying the hotel should give up.

flyingember wrote: ↑Mon Jul 27, 2020 1:04 pm

Critical_Mass wrote: ↑Mon Jul 27, 2020 10:35 am They need to do a land swap with the Home2Suites owners so they can have more frontage the build along on Main Street.
Maybe they are/were considering this. I think one of the earlier massing renders showed a smaller building between the Home2Suites and the Podium project. This also could give the Home2Suites parking lot a better layout:

It will never happen, there's a garage entrance in the land you're saying the hotel should give up.

It's MS Paint...move the yellow line south a few more pixels and you maintain access.

normalthings wrote: ↑Mon Jul 27, 2020 12:30 pm

Critical_Mass wrote: ↑Mon Jul 27, 2020 10:35 am They need to do a land swap with the Home2Suites owners so they can have more frontage the build along on Main Street.
Maybe they are/were considering this. I think one of the earlier massing renders showed a smaller building between the Home2Suites and the Podium project. This also could give the Home2Suites parking lot a better layout:

I don’t think it’s any renderings

I can almost guarantee it was, on the 'first round'. But the images were shortly replaced on the cityscene site once the nicer renderings were made available

Critical_Mass wrote: ↑Mon Jul 27, 2020 1:28 pm

normalthings wrote: ↑Mon Jul 27, 2020 12:30 pm

Critical_Mass wrote: ↑Mon Jul 27, 2020 10:35 am They need to do a land swap with the Home2Suites owners so they can have more frontage the build along on Main Street.
Maybe they are/were considering this. I think one of the earlier massing renders showed a smaller building between the Home2Suites and the Podium project. This also could give the Home2Suites parking lot a better layout:

I don’t think it’s any renderings

I can almost guarantee it was, on the 'first round'. But the images were shortly replaced on the cityscene site once the nicer renderings were made available

It’s not on any of the conceptual drawings sent to the city in May/June and not in anything published by CC or Flatland in July.

normalthings wrote: ↑Mon Jul 27, 2020 1:35 pm

Critical_Mass wrote: ↑Mon Jul 27, 2020 1:28 pm

normalthings wrote: ↑Mon Jul 27, 2020 12:30 pm
I don’t think it’s any renderings

I can almost guarantee it was, on the 'first round'. But the images were shortly replaced on the cityscene site once the nicer renderings were made available

It’s not on any of the conceptual drawings sent to the city in May/June and not in anything published by CC or Flatland in July.

This rendering shows the building/structure in debate in the bottom corner. This was shared on Kevin Collison's Twitter. https://twitter.com/kckansascity/status ... 68/photo/1



Compared to the official renderings seen now, this building is not there.

I'm not crazy!! Thanks for finding that.
It could possibly be accomplished with an easement alone, allowing the building to be built on stilts in the air space above the little bit of surface parking in the southern tip of the Home2Suite's property.

Critical_Mass wrote: ↑Mon Jul 27, 2020 4:10 pm I'm not crazy!! Thanks for finding that.
It could possibly be accomplished with an easement alone, allowing the building to be built on stilts in the air space above the little bit of surface parking in the southern tip of the Home2Suite's property.

You were right! I wonder why it doesn't make an appearance in anything else?

I remember always dreaming many years ago what it would be like if the area between downtown and the crossroads were to fill in and create more of a single cohesive downtown. Maybe that's finally starting to happen. This looks like a great project.

GRID wrote: ↑Tue Jul 28, 2020 10:49 am I remember always dreaming many years ago what it would be like if the area between downtown and the crossroads were to fill in and create more of a single cohesive downtown. Maybe that's finally starting to happen. This looks like a great project.

like what streets are you thinking between downtown and crossroads? This would be between crossroads and crown center? Are you just saying the crossroads to rise up a bit to help link with crown center? The elevation doesn't help.

I meant between downtown and crown center. But yea, just though it would be could to see the crossroads build up like what's happening basically. I always though it would be pretty amazing if the Plaza area buildings were all in all the empty lots of the crossroads. I know, nerdy, but can you imagine?

GRID wrote: ↑Tue Jul 28, 2020 3:40 pm I meant between downtown and crown center. But yea, just though it would be could to see the crossroads build up like what's happening basically. I always though it would be pretty amazing if the Plaza area buildings were all in all the empty lots of the crossroads. I know, nerdy, but can you imagine?

A good portion of the crossroads has very low height restrictions. Check out any of the pictures people take from the Liberty Memorial. You’ll see that the top of Arterra lines up perfectly with the Kauffman Center. There’s no such restriction between Wyandotte and grand. I imagine the city wants to see 10-30 story buildings on main and it slowly levels off along to the east and west. It’d be a really cool sight to look north from the viaduct and see the “canyon” formed by high rises along main.

As you can see by the pictures below. The city suggested buildings about 75’ tall for a large portion of that area. But you can see the small orange area north of union station has a height “recommendation” of 130’. Which matches up perfectly with Arterra being a 12 story building with 9’ tall ceilings.

A tiny section of west Crossroads is limited to 35-55' to protect the view from PAC to Liberty Memorial (and projects that exceed that have been built -- Arterra -- if they prove they don't obstruct that view). The rest is totally acceptable urban density (75' to unlimited FAR).

We could add a lot of density if everything was six stories or more.

Corrigan Phase 2, City Club, Artistry, 1914 Main, Hampton Inn, Doubletree, and Reverb all undershot the restrictions.