Misc Crossroads News

Issues concerning Downtown as described by the Downtown Council. River to 31st Street, I-35 to Bruce R. Watkins.
swid
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Re: Misc Crossroads News

Post by swid »

Michael Corvino is previewing the fried chicken sandwich that will be served at Ravenous at Torn Label tonight. Verdict: delicious.

Can’t wait for it to open.
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DaveKCMO
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Re: Misc Crossroads News

Post by DaveKCMO »

So, um, any comments on the proposed changes for September First Friday?

https://www.facebook.com/notes/crossroa ... 501359742/
earthling
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Re: Misc Crossroads News

Post by earthling »

Is up to Xroads neighborhood to decide what it wants FF to be. We'll be going this weekend. It might help if food trucks that do show up are outside the boundaries, dispersing the crowds further.
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grovester
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Re: Misc Crossroads News

Post by grovester »

I would have welcomed this even without the tragedy. It had jumped the shark a bit.
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Re: Misc Crossroads News

Post by KCPowercat »

DaveKCMO wrote: Tue Sep 03, 2019 8:26 pm So, um, any comments on the proposed changes for September First Friday?

https://www.facebook.com/notes/crossroa ... 501359742/
I don't know the answer to this and I know the CCA was stuck with the insurance thing but I feel like Friday is going to be more dangerous for pedestrians than it has been since the roads were closed. Tons of people are still going to come down Friday and now there is nowhere they can "be" except on our too narrow of sidewalks.
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DaveKCMO
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Re: Misc Crossroads News

Post by DaveKCMO »

I think perhaps we've overestimated the "safety" factor since none of the north/south streets were closed.
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Re: Misc Crossroads News

Post by WoodDraw »

I'm not sure I agree that it's up to the crossroads to decide. That's NIMBY stuff that most of us fight against.

I think that it would be a shame to lose one of the more unique events we have. But I do think that after what happened, it's fine to take a step back. The crossroads obviously needs more help from the city and the rest of the downtown community.

My preference would be to step back and use the colder months to relax and see how we can successfully host it.
Last edited by WoodDraw on Tue Sep 03, 2019 8:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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DaveKCMO
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Re: Misc Crossroads News

Post by DaveKCMO »

earthling wrote: Tue Sep 03, 2019 8:40 pm Is up to Xroads neighborhood to decide what it wants FF to be. We'll be going this weekend. It might help if food trucks that do show up are outside the boundaries, dispersing the crowds further.
We had a great neighborhood meeting last week and there were so many businesses and residents fed up with the food truck trash and noise. The street vendor thing was a bit more mixed, so I suspect we'll end up curating something in a space or vacant lot rather than the free-for-all on the sidewalks (which was creating its own access and congestion issues).
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Re: Misc Crossroads News

Post by DaveKCMO »

WoodDraw wrote: Tue Sep 03, 2019 8:53 pm I'm not sure I agree that it's up to the crossroads to decide. That's NIMBY stuff that most of us fight against.

I think that it would be a shame to lose one of the more unique events we have. But I do think that after what happened, it's fine to take a step back. The crossroads obviously needs more help from the city and the rest of the downtown community.

My preference would be to step back and use the colder months to relax and see how we can successfully host it.
I guess the food truck negativity would be considered NIMBY, but it's not like First Friday was a natural occurrence or a market force. It was cultivated by the neighborhood to support the galleries and artists. It strayed from that, and this is the course correction. The whole "FF is dead because no food trucks" trope ignores the reason the event exists and I could care less if the people that say that ever return to a First Friday.

We'll also be stepping back during the colder months to see what's really needed to support the neighborhood.
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Re: Misc Crossroads News

Post by WoodDraw »

DaveKCMO wrote: Tue Sep 03, 2019 8:56 pm
WoodDraw wrote: Tue Sep 03, 2019 8:53 pm I'm not sure I agree that it's up to the crossroads to decide. That's NIMBY stuff that most of us fight against.

I think that it would be a shame to lose one of the more unique events we have. But I do think that after what happened, it's fine to take a step back. The crossroads obviously needs more help from the city and the rest of the downtown community.

My preference would be to step back and use the colder months to relax and see how we can successfully host it.
I guess the food truck negativity would be considered NIMBY, but it's not like First Friday was a natural occurrence or a market force. It was cultivated by the neighborhood to support the galleries and artists. It strayed from that, and this is the course correction. The whole "FF is dead because no food trucks" trope ignores the reason the event exists and I could care less if the people that say that ever return to a First Friday.

We'll also be stepping back during the colder months to see what's really needed to support the neighborhood.
It's not an easy problem. The crossroads has changed a lot, and so have the events. I do have sympathy though.

But in reality, it's one day a month. And only super busy a few months. It's not like we're holding a festival there. All of us downtown have things we put up with in our neighborhoods that aren't our favorite.

There are cities that function with more people and later bar times than us. I think the crossroads just needs help dealing with something that seems to have outgrown their ability.
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Re: Misc Crossroads News

Post by beautyfromashes »

I think an early set time ending would have solved the problem more than removing a few trucks. It would probably solve the trash and noise issues the neighbors are rightfully frustrated with as well.
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Re: Misc Crossroads News

Post by WoodDraw »

There are cities that that put on significantly more complicated events on a regular basis. Where they have urban stadiums, more tourists, or just busier places.

You're telling me Kansas City can't have one day a month, like 6th months a year, because of noise and trash?

What happened was awful. But it's starting to seem like we just don't want to host urban events.
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Re: Misc Crossroads News

Post by flyingember »

beautyfromashes wrote: Tue Sep 03, 2019 10:08 pm I think an early set time ending would have solved the problem more than removing a few trucks. It would probably solve the trash and noise issues the neighbors are rightfully frustrated with as well.
The crossroads isn't controlled by a single company where they can set opening and closing times.
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Re: Misc Crossroads News

Post by beautyfromashes »

flyingember wrote: Wed Sep 04, 2019 8:17 am
beautyfromashes wrote: Tue Sep 03, 2019 10:08 pm I think an early set time ending would have solved the problem more than removing a few trucks. It would probably solve the trash and noise issues the neighbors are rightfully frustrated with as well.
The crossroads isn't controlled by a single company where they can set opening and closing times.
If the existence of food trucks can be controlled, the times they operate can be controlled. Same with street booths and other organized activities.
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Re: Misc Crossroads News

Post by KCPowercat »

Long term I think shutting down the food trucks is a good thing but next two months I fear that the mass amounts of people will still come and people will be everywhere on open roads.
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Re: Misc Crossroads News

Post by wahoowa »

flyingember wrote: Wed Sep 04, 2019 8:17 am
beautyfromashes wrote: Tue Sep 03, 2019 10:08 pm I think an early set time ending would have solved the problem more than removing a few trucks. It would probably solve the trash and noise issues the neighbors are rightfully frustrated with as well.
The crossroads isn't controlled by a single company where they can set opening and closing times.
johnny kawsroads coming at you soon!!!!
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Re: Misc Crossroads News

Post by wahoowa »

DaveKCMO wrote: Tue Sep 03, 2019 8:26 pm So, um, any comments on the proposed changes for September First Friday?

https://www.facebook.com/notes/crossroa ... 501359742/
my walking around assumption based on zero reading before right now (so, my standard way of assessing information) was that CCA's statement was basically just them papering their file for any liability claim in the event things go south at a future first fridays. now that i've actually read something, i find the insurance thing interesting. do festival permits from the city require some kind of one-off liability coverage, sort of like overpriced wedding venues do, and the neighborhood was buying that on a month-by-month basis and the underwriter pushed back after the shooting? weird that they would change their willingness to underwrite solely based on changes in food trucks. so maybe the threshold "festival"-ness of the event changes the insurance requirements on the permit side?

in either event, i would be curious as to whether or not the neighborhood ever priced out a year-round policy instead of ad hoc ones. and if that's in fact what they had, then i'm extremely interested in what insurance company moved this fast to cancel, unless they just had the unluckiest renewal date of all time.
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Re: Misc Crossroads News

Post by Riverite »

Aren’t there way fewer galleries in the crossroads now. Aren’t they also a lot more spread out than before. I agree it should be more focused on art, but it kind of feels like you’ll just have to start a new one for that possibly not in the crossroads. Are people really willing to give up a unique urban event that gets people into the city because of some noise and trash,
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Re: Misc Crossroads News

Post by Riverite »

Or just make the trucks go to the east crossroads if they really don’t want them near the galleries
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Re: Misc Crossroads News

Post by flyingember »

Riverite wrote: Wed Sep 04, 2019 9:49 am Or just make the trucks go to the east crossroads if they really don’t want them near the galleries
How would that help? It's not like there's no galleries there.
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