Americo Plaza Tower (Former Holiday Inn)

Discuss items in the urban core outside of Downtown as described above. Everything in the core including the east side (18th & Vine area), Northeast, Plaza, Westport, Brookside, Valentine, Waldo, 39th street, & the entire midtown area.
dukuboy1
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Re: Americo Plaza Tower (Former Holiday Inn)

Post by dukuboy1 »

flyingember wrote: Thu Dec 10, 2020 5:14 pm
FangKC wrote: Thu Dec 10, 2020 5:08 pm
Walker wrote: Wed Dec 09, 2020 9:37 pm

WHy can't QT buy an existing gas station and renovate the convenience store to their spec?
Because QT's model is a convenience store that also happens to sell gas on the side.
The old one on Armour in NKC got heavy foot traffic from students from the high school. When it moved it became far less accessible.

They were so interested in I-35 customers that they turned their back on the neighborhood.

That should tell you their goals are maximizing how many commuters they can serve.
That QT also had gas pumps, it was just smaller. But I think the profits were still big into the Gas sales. I graduated from NKCHS in 1992. I went there a few times, along with several other lunch spots in the area. Loved that we had open lunch :)
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Re: Americo Plaza Tower (Former Holiday Inn)

Post by Walker »

https://compasskc.kcmo.org/EnerGov_Prod ... b=moreinfo

Traffic control for building demolition was approved today.

Decription: sidewalk closure permit along 45th & main

Start Date: 12/11/2020
End Date: 12/25/2020
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Re: Americo Plaza Tower (Former Holiday Inn)

Post by normalthings »

Construction fencing going up. Some windows replaced with plywood
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Re: Americo Plaza Tower (Former Holiday Inn)

Post by Walker »

Passed pre-wreck inspection this week. I expect a demo permit coming shortly

https://compasskc.kcmo.org/EnerGov_Prod ... ttachments
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Re: Americo Plaza Tower (Former Holiday Inn)

Post by shinatoo »

Sidewalk blocked on Main. No accommodation provided.
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Re: Americo Plaza Tower (Former Holiday Inn)

Post by earthling »

Interesting demo has started but no formidable proposal yet. Hope they don't squat on a surface lot for many years. Not that concerning, but...
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Re: Americo Plaza Tower (Former Holiday Inn)

Post by Walker »

shinatoo wrote: Sat Dec 19, 2020 11:08 am Sidewalk blocked on Main. No accommodation provided.
Reading through the permits and staff comments, it sounds as though the sidewalk will be closed for only a short period.

Sidewalk permit ends 12/25 while hauling is expected to last much longer.

https://compasskc.kcmo.org/EnerGov_Prod ... b=moreinfo
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Re: Americo Plaza Tower (Former Holiday Inn)

Post by normalthings »

Traffic Control for Demo.
PW Traffic Control Start Date: 12/31/2020
End Date: 03/31/2021
https://compasskc.kcmo.org/EnerGov_Prod ... b=moreinfo
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Re: Americo Plaza Tower (Former Holiday Inn)

Post by normalthings »

Kevin reporting that building demo started
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Re: Americo Plaza Tower (Former Holiday Inn)

Post by Walker »

normalthings wrote: Wed Jan 13, 2021 11:27 am Kevin reporting that building demo started
I drove past and there was a bunch going on there. Still no proposal.
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Re: Americo Plaza Tower (Former Holiday Inn)

Post by normalthings »

Complete demo permit was filed and is under review. Judging by the Holiday Inn entrance (or lack thereof) they may have jumped the gun a bit.
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Re: Americo Plaza Tower (Former Holiday Inn)

Post by DaveKCMO »

Today:

Image

Image

Image
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Re: Americo Plaza Tower (Former Holiday Inn)

Post by moderne »

Sorta nostalgic in that this was the very first hotel in the Plaza area. Hard to believe, but prior to the mid sixties there was not a single place to stay the night on the Plaza. But then it also had very little in the way of office buildings, just John Hancock at Madison & 47th, Skelly, and the brand new Board of Trade. Kona-Kai,the Asian-"Polynesian" restaurant here was a big hit with its Tiki decor.
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Re: Americo Plaza Tower (Former Holiday Inn)

Post by langosta »

Need to get a drone in there for some close-ups
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Re: Americo Plaza Tower (Former Holiday Inn)

Post by kas1 »

https://cityscenekc.com/arts-related-11 ... -and-main/

300 units

460 underground parking spaces

$116 million price tag

"ground level mixed-use and landscape is intended to create a design focused node connecting the streetcar to the arts district"

height unknown -- the high cost is suggestive of a tall building, but 300 units easily fits on that site without building more than a few stories, so I'm not sure what the deal is with that
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Re: Americo Plaza Tower (Former Holiday Inn)

Post by smh »

kas1 wrote: Thu Mar 18, 2021 8:16 am https://cityscenekc.com/arts-related-11 ... -and-main/

300 units

460 underground parking spaces

$116 million price tag

"ground level mixed-use and landscape is intended to create a design focused node connecting the streetcar to the arts district"

height unknown -- the high cost is suggestive of a tall building, but 300 units easily fits on that site without building more than a few stories, so I'm not sure what the deal is with that
Just to add a little more:

Seeking incentives before the new modifications come into effect.

I find the inclusion of so much parking to be particularly offensive given this development is 1. seeking incentives, and 2. is directly adjacent to an existing MAX stop and future streetcar stop in an already walkable part of the city.

This is the same family/group of course that is developing Waddell & Reed downtown. At this point I think we can say with some certainty that they are obsessed with parking. But I suppose we had some idea of that based on DST's work over the years on the west side of downtown.

Also this guy is on the streetcar board which is doubly frustrating.

Anyway, this one is frustrating. Again.
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Re: Americo Plaza Tower (Former Holiday Inn)

Post by DaveKCMO »

Height allowance in this spot is generous, but that won't stop the faux outrage.

I'll reserve judgment until I see the ground floor design and how parking entrances are handled, but, yeah, waaaaaaay too much parking for this spot.
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Re: Americo Plaza Tower (Former Holiday Inn)

Post by dukuboy1 »

maybe they plan to lease some parking to hotel across the street as overflow or even for the Kemper Museum? Just guess/idea about the request size. Perhaps there were concerns when it was a hotel previously that the area just needed some flexibility to have it available if they need it. I'm not sure but may explain the incentives knowing they would give back some parking for the city to use. Again I don't know but just trying to frame it beyond "big dummies, use public transit" :lol:
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Re: Americo Plaza Tower (Former Holiday Inn)

Post by smh »

dukuboy1 wrote: Thu Mar 18, 2021 8:57 am maybe they plan to lease some parking to hotel across the street as overflow or even for the Kemper Museum? Just guess/idea about the request size. Perhaps there were concerns when it was a hotel previously that the area just needed some flexibility to have it available if they need it. I'm not sure but may explain the incentives knowing they would give back some parking for the city to use. Again I don't know but just trying to frame it beyond "big dummies, use public transit" :lol:
That could be, but I find myself more in the "if it walks like a duck..." frame of mind after their efforts downtown.
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Re: Americo Plaza Tower (Former Holiday Inn)

Post by dukuboy1 »

could be, I'm not sure. It would be nice for developers to find a better balance. But I'm not going to get too bent out of shape. Happy to see development moving forward and bringing more residents tot the area which in and of itself will spur other development, commercial and residential. Anything that can help fill in the & create a nice developed zone from Downtown to the Plaza would be great. Such a historically vital area of the past that was left for dead and slowly but surely over the decades has started to come back. KC is and will be a car centric city for the foreseeable future. But the more options we can do to provide public transit the more I see people using it. I own a car, and live in the Northland. I work downtown. I drive to work but if there was a park and ride rail I would use it. But still need the car for most everything else, and honestly that is fine because we don't have the density and never will. But at least having an option, if if it is limited, is better than having no options at all
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