Is Midtown Marketplace one of the city's greatest blunders?

[beautyfromashes]

Not sure where to put this: It looks like they have put fencing up at the old funeral home- Main and Linwood. I don’t know if this is NFL Draft related being used as worker/overflow parking, whether they are just trying to keep cars off the lot for liability purposes or if they are going to raze the building.

Scheduled to be torn down. Doesn’t sound like plans for the property yet but is for sale.

[langosta]

Vantrust is already selling it?

[TheLastGentleman]

.

[FangKC]

No, Van Trust still owns it.

I wish that the whole area NW of Main and Linwood (about 4 sq. blocks) could be redeveloped in a dense manner.

[FangKC]

UrbanLab reimagines Midtown Marketplace.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CvXXDPDO9O ... BiNWFlZA==

[beautyfromashes]

UrbanLab reimagines Midtown Marketplace.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CvXXDPDO9O ... BiNWFlZA==

I usually like their stuff, but proposing getting rid of Home Depot is a bridge too far. It makes the whole proposal seem like pie-in-the-sky instead of realistically doable.

[shinatoo]

UrbanLab reimagines Midtown Marketplace.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CvXXDPDO9O ... BiNWFlZA==

I usually like their stuff, but proposing getting rid of Home Depot is a bridge too far. It makes the whole proposal seem like pie-in-the-sky instead of realistically doable.

Well said.

[Anthony_Hugo98]

UrbanLab reimagines Midtown Marketplace.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CvXXDPDO9O ... BiNWFlZA==

I usually like their stuff, but proposing getting rid of Home Depot is a bridge too far. It makes the whole proposal seem like pie-in-the-sky instead of realistically doable.

FWIW it’s already been mentioned by multiple sources that the Home Depot is on its last leg, and is basically limping along until the incentives expire. It’s losing a lot of money. The plan also is the final phase build out, but the video demonstrates the different phases

[beautyfromashes]

FWIW it’s already been mentioned by multiple sources that the Home Depot is on its last leg, and is basically limping along until the incentives expire. It’s losing a lot of money. The plan also is the final phase build out, but the video demonstrates the different phases

I’ve only really heard this from people who want it gone for urban reasons. It’s slam packed from open to close, more than any home supply store I’ve ever been to. If it’s losing money, it’s not because of lack of activity.

[DaveKCMO]

Only one way to find out... wait until it closes. It opened in 2001.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/16/business ... index.html

I have no faith in anyone's perception (including my own) of how it's doing relative to other stores. I have only heard (not first hand, but from two separate people who might be in a position to know) that it has relatively low sales and high leakage. Yes, it's absolutely an unconfirmed rumor.

They own the land that the store is on according to parcel viewer, so presumably if the store closes they would sell it thus opening it up for potential redevelopment. And with the streetcar coming, it should be attractive for higher land use. Let's face it: This was the best they could get at the time and things have changed.

The Main Street Overlay was approved after the store was built, so it's safe to say the same building could not be built there today (at least not without a fight).

Some history:
https://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/ ... ocus8.html
https://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/ ... tory3.html

[langosta]

isnt the Main Street McDonalds asking for another driveway to Main? I would start by blocking that request and getting that property taken down.

[beautyfromashes]

... it has relatively low sales and high leakage.

This might be true and if margins on these types of products is 20% (total guess) than you'd have to have five extra sales dollars for every dollar of loss. I'd guess this is a major reason we don't get near the retail in the urban core as the suburbs, sadly. Even if sales are higher if huge amounts of product are walking out the store, you not only lose the profit on that product, you lose the cost of the inventory that has to be made up with substantial more sales. Not sure how you fix it and it will hold the urban core back in a major way.

[DaveKCMO]

This is a little off topic, but since we're delving into urban core retail... so fascinated that the Aldi at 8th & Paseo doesn't have self checkout but the theft-a-thon CVS at 39th & Main does. I know they're different businesses, but wow.

[taxi]

A paint rep told me a couple years ago that the Midtown Home Depot sells more paint than any other HD in the region, which is something like 4 or 5 states. I despise that store but I go there often because of convenience.

[KCKev2]

To say the midtown HD has relatively low sales is laughable. The incentivized staff love working that location because it is easy to meet their targets.

[TheSmokinPun]

If the sales are high & they want to stay, why can't we find a nice solution where the neighborhood can develop while keeping an urbanized HD? I've seen several throughout the US, why not us?

[Cratedigger]

If the sales are high & they want to stay, why can't we find a nice solution where the neighborhood can develop while keeping an urbanized HD? I've seen several throughout the US, why not us?

Agreed. I like the timeline video Urban Lab put together breaking down how the Midtown Market can be reorganized to better make use of the site. First 10 seconds or so detail how to make the site more urban - without losing parking or the existing Home Depot

[langosta]

If HD turns a profit, a higher return could still be achieved by conversion to mixed use or residential used. However, the SFH or Town Home concept might need to go and multi family done instead

[horizons82]

A store like HD is still a huge benefit to homeowners, independent contractors, and those who wish to improve smaller-scale structures throughout midtown. An urban-style HD with parking above the store could easily be built in the existing HD parking lot.

[beautyfromashes]

Why would Home Depot do this? What’s in it for them? And I don’t see why they would want to give up their parking lot in front of their building. Customers aren’t going to carry their paint and supplies to a parking garage over by Costco, let alone wheel lumber or larger items. The best I think you could do is put taller, more dense development all around the edges of the development to shield Costco and HD. Even that’s unlikely because those businesses want to be seen and not hidden away. I understand what everyone wants to accomplish with these changes, but you have to think of the business perspective instead of just the urban design POV.