One Light - 13th & Walnut

[FangKC]

This news is great too.

In another matter, the PIEA also approved a 20-year property tax abatement to help redevelop the historic Globe Building at 1712 Main St. into an office development. Developer John Williams plans to invest $6.8 million in renovating the seven-story building that opened in 1902.

Most of the building has been vacant for more than 10 years, it’s last tenant being Retro Inferno, an antique business that occupied the lower floor. Williams plans to reuse the building for commercial office lofts geared toward creative, tech-oriented small companies.

Work is expected to begin next month and the project completed by next spring. The abatement is 100 percent for the first 10 years and 50 percent for the remaining 10 years.

[LCDSI]

It looks like the new rendering that was on the Humphrey's website last week has been replaced with the old one that appears in the latest KCStar article.

KCDowntown

Actually they kept it on the home page. Toggle through the images and you'll eventually see it. Kind of odd that they would take it down from the project page. I guess they're still making modifications to it.

[chingon]

The 25-story, 311-unit apartment building...the tallest downtown building to go up since the 17-story H&R Block headquarters opened in 2006.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/08/13/44 ... rylink=cpy

So is a 25 story residential building shorter than a 17 story commercial, i.e., will this building not be as tall as Block?

[earthling]

Modern residential hirises tend to be around 10-12 ft/floor. Modern office buildings tend to be around 13-15 ft/floor.

HR Block is 236' at 17 floors. I'll take a stab that P&L 1 building will be around 270-280', maybe up to 300', so noticeably taller than HR Block and potentially as tall as Crowne Plaza Hotel. Could be upper end if lower few floors have high ceilings.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ta ... ,_Missouri

[chingon]

I thought so. God, the Star sucks.

[earthling]

Robert's Tower in STL is 25 floors at about 310'. Given the lower few floors of P&L 1 appear to have higher ceilings could be about same or taller - also depends on how much fluff they add to the top.

I do hope that if/when Cordish does the other buildings, they use a completely different design, or at least somewhat different. Matching towers in skyline can too often look like 'the projects' or can distract from general view of skyline. A wall of same towers along the S Loop could be distracting in front of rest of skyline when viewing from Liberty Memorial.

[FangKC]

I agree Earthing. I hope they use different architects, and design each building in its' own style. I hate seeing clone buildings in downtowns. One needs variety.

The other thing to consider is that having different building types and designs will appeal to different people. If four buildings are identical, you might lose some potential residents who simply don't like the way that building looks.

[LCDSI]

I agree Earthing. I hope they use different architects, and design each building in its' own style. I hate seeing clone buildings in downtowns. One needs variety.

The other thing to consider is that having different building types and designs will appeal to different people. If four buildings are identical, you might lose some potential residents who simply don't like the way that building looks.

Either way I'd be happy if they built the other apartment towers. This is great news for KC and hopefully a sign that things are finally picking up downtown.

[flyingember]

I agree Earthing. I hope they use different architects, and design each building in its' own style. I hate seeing clone buildings in downtowns. One needs variety.

The other thing to consider is that having different building types and designs will appeal to different people. If four buildings are identical, you might lose some potential residents who simply don't like the way that building looks.

Why worry about a handful of people thinking they're not unique enough.
I'd actually consider it to be a huge deal to have *four* identical buildings.

[FangKC]

The two south of 14th Street along Truman will most likely be similar because they are being placed on similar shaped lots and sizes. that would not surprise me.

The one that is proposed to wrap-around the MainStreet Theater might be a better opportunity for a different building, because of the lot shape, and larger size. However, I bet they will be probably be built out of the same materials (façade, brick-coloring, etc.). I predict that these buildings will not have as many floors at the one at 13th and Walnut, because of possible parking limitations. Those existing two surface lots hold about 60 cars each. With a parking garage, you will lose some parking spaces because of the need to provide a building lobby in part of the lot on the first floor, elevators, stairs, and car access ramps to the different levels, and the building support infrastructure (columns, pipes, etc). Let's say you might get 50 cars on a level underground, 25 at ground level, and another 45 on a third level. Assuming one car per apartment that would be 120 apartments per building. If they have two bedroom apartments, or more, they will probably add extra parking spaces for those apartments, since they might have two drivers.

Compare that to the 311 apartments in the tower at 13th and Walnut.

Cordish may have long-term plans to provide more parking for those two proposed buildings -- across Main to the west in an additional garage that will be built with the apartment building that wraps around the Mainstreet Theater. That is a bigger parcel, so it could have a larger underground garage, and bigger floorplates on each parking level (thus more spaces). There are 90 surface parking spaces on that parcel. Less space in that garage would have to go to elevators, ramps, and infrastructure space.

It might also depend on how much time goes by between building construction. If if's every couple of years or more, materials might change because new ones come online, prices change, or tastes might evolve after developers see one building finished, and get feedback.

It is possible that the two apartment buildings facing Truman could have more parking levels built than just three. However, each additional level adds a lot of extra construction expense if you don't get many parking spaces out of a constricted space. It will depend on what price the apartments can command. You have to get enough revenue back to justify the expense of adding the extra levels of parking. If the apartments don't command enough rent, then it might not be as feasible. Kansas City rents are much different than San Francisco or NYC rents. Premium rents can offset the costs of adding more levels of parking.

I don't personally don't understand the logic Cordish had by not building some parking under the entire blocks south of 14th between Grand and Main. On each of those blocks, half of the below grade parking potential was lost for the future, not to mention potential to have added a level on the retail stores' roof. It might have been a short-sighted decision. However, Cordish may have allowed for that in a future, larger garage at Truman and Baltimore.

The parking situation might change over time though. With better mass transit, some residents might be able to get by without a personal vehicle. I also read recently that a significant number of housing units being built in dense urban areas are being occupied by aging baby-boomers, an retirees, moving in from the suburbs. As they continue to age, some of them will probably no longer drive. Often retiree couples can get by with one car instead of two.

https://maps.google.com/?ll=39.097012,- ... 3&t=h&z=18

[KCLover]

[aknowledgeableperson]

The other thing to consider is that having different building types and designs will appeal to different people. If four buildings are identical, you might lose some potential residents who simply don't like the way that building looks.

The two towers at 8th and Holmes I believe were originally called River Hill Mark I and River Hills Mark II. The were identical (inside and out) but built at different times. Therefore II had a higher cost to build than I but identical rents were charged which was its downfall. Inflation had come into being and the rent on the second building wasn't sufficient.

[Zorobabel]

Looks awesome.

[earthling]

Could be around same height as Crowne Plaza left but placed behind and slightly to right of HR Block. May not be too noticeable from some views unless a good 20ft taller than Crowne Plaza, which is possible given high lower floors.

[Highlander]

I realize the conversation has moved on but where will this building be - looks like it will be directly above Cosentino's?

[earthling]

Directly East on same block. Behind HR Block oval building in pics above.

[Highlander]

Directly East on same block. Behind HR Block oval building in pics above.

Checked it out on google maps. Is there a surface lot there now - kind of hard to tell from google map even with the angle view. Kind of a small footprint.

[KCPowercat]

Directly East on same block. Behind HR Block oval building in pics above.

Checked it out on google maps. Is there a surface lot there now - kind of hard to tell from google map even with the angle view. Kind of a small footprint.

Yes. Surface lot.

http://www.bing.com/maps/#Y3A9MzkuMTA3N ... UyNTIwbW8=

[earthling]

This rendering implies it would also go over or close to the Consentinos garage. None of the renderings seem proportionally consistent to each other or relative to surroundings.

[KCPowercat]

I could see part of it going over the garage but that rendering is just completed effed up....i assume they just took liberties with moving the parking garage so they could show their building from ground up.