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

[TheUrbanRoo]

We knew it was coming with Lux's situation:

"Plans for a nearly $200 million apartment-and-hotel tower in downtown Kansas City appear to have fallen through. After multiple extensions to close the site purchase, the owner of the land at 14th and Wyandotte streets recently retained a Chicago firm to find new buyers."
https://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/ ... lobal.html

[Chris Stritzel]

All the new guy has to do is get the plans for this project, or have new ones drawn to the same scope, and you have yourself a project.

[moderne]

Would like to see NorthPoint take over the project so they could maximize their investment in the block, but they would probably scrap the plans and put up some stick built low rise like they did to the north of the P&L Bldlng.

[Cratedigger]

Would like to see NorthPoint take over the project so they could maximize their investment in the block, but they would probably scrap the plans and put up some stick built low rise like they did to the north of the P&L Bldlng.

As far as 5/1’s go that Northpoint one isn’t THAT bad.

I actually like the brick/stone thing they have as the facade. Fits the neighborhood well

[dukuboy1]

Well so much for a new high rise. What a shame. Most likely will be developed into something very, very, underwhelming. Hope I’m wrong.

[GRID]

Would like to see NorthPoint take over the project so they could maximize their investment in the block, but they would probably scrap the plans and put up some stick built low rise like they did to the north of the P&L Bldlng.

Doubt that will even happen. Not enough return on what it would cost to get that lot. That lot is ideal for a substantial high-rise apartment, office or hotel project which is why it has seen several large scale proposals by various developers. There is just nobody with the ability to actually build such a project in KC.

It will likely stay like it is for at least another five years, probably more like ten though.

[TheLastGentleman]

It’s really weird to me that KC was able to do Union Station, WWI Museum, Power and Light District, and the Kauffman Center, all in little over a decade; but now a decade later we’re struggling to do anything. Did the city get poorer somehow?

[moderne]

With all the investment in that part of the loop those two vacant lots on Wyandotte both with numerous proposals over the years remain vacant as they have within living memory.

[Highlander]

It’s really weird to me that KC was able to do Union Station, WWI Museum, Power and Light District, and the Kauffman Center, all in little over a decade; but now a decade later we’re struggling to do anything. Did the city get poorer somehow?

Those are all civic projects except for P&L. Apartment construction has been pretty strong until just recently. Downtown hasn't really gained much in terms of white collar employment if it's gained at all over the last 5 years or so (and that drives a lot) and interest rates presently could be having some impact on projects that didn't already have financing lined up. Getting the Royals in East Village would be a huge benefit.

As an aside, wasn't apartment construction in Barney Allis Plaza suppose to begin this Fall or early next year?

[earthling]

Higher interest rates not helping but there are lots of factors.

[GRID]

Higher interest rates not helping but there are lots of factors.

Yeah, Sprawl. Growth in JoCo is still probably the biggest obstacle to urban core development in KC. I mean there are still suburban office projects going up in JoCo when suburban office construction has nearly come to a grinding halt in most metropolitan areas and that was before the pandemic.

Factor in the size of metro KC and how much private development still occurs in the suburbs and it's even worse in KC. There are several very large heavily subsidized projects going up in Overland Park, Olathe, Lenexa etc. It seems like the development wave that was shifting back to the MO side in the mid 2000's is going back to KS again. Not just with office space, but also large more urban apartment developments etc.

And now Lee's Summit is really starting to build some JoCo type large scale developments too making things even worse.

It doesn't help that it has become very difficult to get incentives in KCMO when developers can easily get incentives for greenfield projects in the suburbs.

Looking at KC from the outside, it really seems like development has dried up there. At least in the city. Another reason to get the stadium downtown.

[Highlander]

Higher interest rates not helping but there are lots of factors.

Yeah, Sprawl. Growth in JoCo is still probably the biggest obstacle to urban core development in KC. I mean there are still suburban office projects going up in JoCo when suburban office construction has nearly come to a grinding halt in most metropolitan areas and that was before the pandemic.

The only sizeable suburban office project in Johnson County is Shamrock adding another building to their HQ complex at 95th and Metcalf. There is a very large construction project at Lenexa Town Center but that's a hospital. Office construction is very subdued right now across the metro.

[TheUrbanRoo]

Idk what's the freak out for. This is great news. It could've been 6-12 months before they started selling this place again. Now it's already gonna get moved and it will happen as soon as the new buyer is in.

[TheLastGentleman]

It’s really weird to me that KC was able to do Union Station, WWI Museum, Power and Light District, and the Kauffman Center, all in little over a decade; but now a decade later we’re struggling to do anything. Did the city get poorer somehow?

Those are all civic projects except for P&L.

The Kauffman Center building itself was private donations.

My point is that I find the idea bizarre that the KC area is just too poor to achieve anything, when it has clearly achieved a whole series of things in recent memory

[moderne]

Since WWII KC has under performed its geographical promise. But that's another topic. We need a 4 Light announcement(and not an underwhelming one) to cheer us up.

[Highlander]

It’s really weird to me that KC was able to do Union Station, WWI Museum, Power and Light District, and the Kauffman Center, all in little over a decade; but now a decade later we’re struggling to do anything. Did the city get poorer somehow?

Those are all civic projects except for P&L.

The Kauffman Center building itself was private donations.

My point is that I find the idea bizarre that the KC area is just too poor to achieve anything, when it has clearly achieved a whole series of things in recent memory

I know. But I think the big driver here is ultimately KC's inability to attract and keep large white collar companies and attract and keep them downtown in particular. So many downtown fails:

AMC leaving for Kansas
Transamerica setting up shop in ATT and then leaving for Iowa
StateStreet downsizing
DST purchase by SS&C
Waddell & Reed bought by Australian company before moving to downtown
Payless Cashway occupying Trizec building next to US and going belly up

Among many others

Having those corporations downtown drives civic oriented contributions and especially the urban residential market.

[moderne]

KC functions in American capitalism like a colony. The excess gets siphoned off to other places. Branch offices like the uniformity and inter change ability of beltway office parks.

[Chris Stritzel]

I’m not concerned about this project being dropped. A bullet was dodged on the side of Lux. A roadmap is not available for what can, and should, go here. I expect someone will propose something similar.

If were Cordish, I’d breathe a sigh of relief since that means head-to-head competition is held off for now. Buys sometime to put their next product forward.

[GRID]

Higher interest rates not helping but there are lots of factors.

Yeah, Sprawl. Growth in JoCo is still probably the biggest obstacle to urban core development in KC. I mean there are still suburban office projects going up in JoCo when suburban office construction has nearly come to a grinding halt in most metropolitan areas and that was before the pandemic.

The only sizeable suburban office project in Johnson County is Shamrock adding another building to their HQ complex at 95th and Metcalf. There is a very large construction project at Lenexa Town Center but that's a hospital. Office construction is very subdued right now across the metro.

You can play it down all you want. Sure office construction is delayed a bit right now, but I guarantee you that if any new offices go up in KC it will continue to be in the suburbs. You have places like Lenexa City Center and Leawood that ae still adding office space. I believe there are plans ready for more offices around the Sprint Campus etc.

Regardless, the suburbs are building massive mixed use developments that will compete with downtown KC. Now you have Lee's Summit and Clay County possibly joining in soon with their own huge urban mixed use projects.

It has an effect. Especially in a smaller metro like KC having so much going on in the suburbs. And the funny thing is, it's often developers like Block doing them while sitting on empty land downtown for multiple decades.

KC is not Seattle or Austin where you can have this scale of suburban development with little impact on downtown development.

All I'm saying is I'm seeing signs of KC's development moving back to the suburbs. Be it offices or apartments or whatever. There is a trickle of urban core projects, but the momentum has hit some major snags while projects are getting bigger and more dense and more frequently announced in the suburbs again.

KC does not need a new 1980's type of wave of suburban development like this or downtown is never going to get any true momentum.

Brookridge:


City Place:

[Cratedigger]

This hollowing of the urban core as people, jobs and retailers flee to the suburbs and exurbs is a national trend since Covid. So far, KC’s downtown growth stats are actually relatively positive but we need to work to keep that the case.

https://www.axios.com/2023/12/15/cities ... on-pricing