NE Corner of 14th & Wyandotte (300 unit apartment)

[FangKC]

It should be a lesson though. Waddell & Reed insisted on not having an activated streetscape so they could have their beloved parking garage at that level and then they didn't even occupy the building. The City should have said no to them on that. The reason it's important is that conventioneers walk down that block past a blank wall and there is no chance for retail in that building. Again, how many more stretches of blocks with nothing on them can we tolerate? Visitors won't even engage with your city if you force them to walk down blocks with nothing on them. Or for that matter, downtown workers?

Oh I forgot, the heralded P&L District! How many times does one think visitors will go to P&L before they are completely bored with it? You can't expect people walking blocks to get to something, and you can't expect them to be satisfied with "branded concepts" before they just stay in their hotel and watch cable or Netflix, or play some games on their phone in their office during lunch hour.

Again this is the convention district where hotels are. The City dropped the ball on getting better street experiences on this project and on the Midland Office Building retail stalls being lost. They keep missing opportunities to give visitors a reason to leave their hotel.

[normalthings]

It should be a lesson though. Waddell & Reed insisted on not having an activated streetscape so they could have their beloved parking garage at that level and then they didn't even occupy the building. The City should have said no to them on that. The reason it's important is that conventioneers walk down that block past a blank wall and there is no chance for retail in that building. Again, how many more stretches of blocks with nothing on them can we tolerate? Visitors won't even engage with your city if you force them to walk down blocks with nothing on them. Or for that matter, downtown workers?

Oh I forgot, the heralded P&L District! How many times does one think visitors will go to P&L before they are completely bored with it? You can't expect people walking blocks to get to something, and you can't expect them to be satisfied with "branded concepts" before they just stay in their hotel and watch cable or Netflix, or play some games on their phone in their office during lunch hour.

Again this is the convention district where hotels are. The City dropped the ball on getting better street experiences on this project and on the Midland Office Building retail stalls being lost. They keep missing opportunities to give visitors a reason to leave their hotel.

Your take on the convention center business is far from what I am seeing in the market but I 100% agree that connecting CC district to everything else is key. There are a lot of reasons for visitors to leave their rooms and frankly the sprawl of KC attractions is probably the greatest barrier (Plaza miles away, stadiums in the middle of nowhere, on and on and on)

[TheUrbanRoo]

frankly the sprawl of KC attractions is probably the greatest barrier (Plaza miles away, stadiums in the middle of nowhere, on and on and on)

Streetcar extension should help fix that.

[FangKC]

If you walk a couple of blocks from your hotel, or the convention center, and encounter blank building walls and very little retail, or interesting street activity, you tend to lose the enthusiasm to walk much further and explore. People don't want to walk very far unless they aren't getting some sort of payoff. They give up. This affects retail in other downtown locations when they don't benefit from tourists venturing out. It affects decisions about new businesses making choices about which spaces to rent downtown, or NOT rent. Is there any pedestrian traffic on this street? It's why so many places don't have evening hours.

The developers of the building are indicating 300 apartments. Where are the services and conveniences near them? Will residents have to walk 10 blocks for that, or will they end up getting in their cars and driving?

[KCPowercat]

W&r better design at the street is purely thanks to dna advocacy

[GRID]

I have been wondering when this lot will get another proposed development. Hopefully this one will stick. There have been so many proposed developments there that for some reason never get any traction.

I think the W&R is fine because it's only a block from Four light which should have ground floor retail. There is only so much ground floor retail that will be leased.

More importantly, Blue Cross needs to occupy the building and get some activity going there.

[Cratedigger]

Are they trying to lease out the retail space in W&R or waiting until 2025? I walk by the shell space everyday and there seems to be no activity

[smh]

Are they trying to lease out the retail space in W&R or waiting until 2025? I walk by the shell space everyday and there seems to be no activity

This retail space is on the southeast corner of the building, right? Across the garage entrance from the jump lobby? That feels like a lonely corner for retail, as opposed to the heavily traveled 14th St corridor that should have had retail. But I agree it will be somewhat less lonely if the highway is capped well. Would be a nice spot for a cafe supporting the park.

[TheUrbanRoo]

If the proposal were to move forward, it would rival the number of apartments in the nearby 296-unit Two Light building and the 288-unit Three Light project now under construction.

25 stories atleast I would gather

“We’re working with a local developer who plans to ultimately developer the property,” he said. “There’s clearly a higher and better use for that property.”

https://cityscenekc.com/big-apartment-p ... wyandotte/

[normalthings]

High and better use is a standard industry phrase for “this is a good site to redevelop”. There is literally no connection between that phrase and any potential “we are building a tower”.

[TheUrbanRoo]

High and better use is a standard industry phrase for “this is a good site to redevelop”. There is literally no connection between that phrase and any potential “we are building a tower”.

I have no clue how else they’re fitting 300 units then

[normalthings]

High and better use is a standard industry phrase for “this is a good site to redevelop”. There is literally no connection between that phrase and any potential “we are building a tower”.

I have no clue how else they’re fitting 300 units then

You are insinuating that the phrase has a hiding meaning. There is no hidden meaning.

If you want to dive deeper: you could put 300 apartments on this site with <10 floors.

Faultless Linen is 1 acre, 215 units, 6 floors. So like 9 floors to do 300 at 14th Wyandotte.

[TheUrbanRoo]

High and better use is a standard industry phrase for “this is a good site to redevelop”. There is literally no connection between that phrase and any potential “we are building a tower”.

I have no clue how else they’re fitting 300 units then

You are insinuating that the phrase has a hiding meaning. There is no hidden meaning.

*shrugs*. It was just bolded. They can infer whatever they'd like from that.

[normalthings]

I have no clue how else they’re fitting 300 units then

You are insinuating that the phrase has a hiding meaning. There is no hidden meaning.

*shrugs*. It was just bolded. They can infer whatever they'd like from that.

I agree that hopefully its a tall and cool project! Just don't want to get too excited. This site has a proposal every 5 years that never pans out.

[langosta]

https://compasskc.kcmo.org/EnerGov_Prod ... fbc26c244d

The portion of the alley proposed to be vacated is between two parcels that are being redeveloped as part of a mixed use development..... The proposed development intends to maintain the view corridor at the ground level from power and light district to Municipal Auditorium, and provide pedestrian enhancements ion the portion of the alley to be vacated in keeping with the original power and light district masterplan.

[smh]

Stop vacating public ROW.

[langosta]

Stop vacating public ROW.

It sounds like they are converting the alley to a pedestrian way

[Cratedigger]

Stop vacating public ROW.

It sounds like they are converting the alley to a pedestrian way

That's not quite how I read it.

The portion of the alley proposed to be vacated is between two parcels that are being redeveloped as part of a mixed use development. The current alley runs east to west from Wyandotte to Baltimore, and connects to an alley that runs north to 13th st. The alley access will be maintained as is with an ‘L’ shape configuration to service the three other buildings on the block. Only the portion of the alley abutting these two parcels is proposed to be vacated to create one larger contiguous parcel for the mixed use development

So this is what I think they're saying. Green being the full future parcel and the blue line being the future alley way.

[langosta]

“provide pedestrian enhancements ion the portion of the alley to be vacated in keeping with the original power and light district masterplan.”

[smh]

Still a vacation, even if they maintain it for access. Why not just grant an easement over the alley for a pedestrian way? Why shift to private ownership?