Plaza move-ins (ongoing)

[herrfrank]

I love the old Plaza tennis courts, but they have had their day. My parents lived in the Melbourne (303 Brush Creek Blvd) in the 1950s - early 1960s -- they played probably there once per week. By the late 1970s when I was playing at Homestead, the Plaza Courts had already become unfashionable. Then a big renovation in the 1980s, "Tennis Center" badging, but the parade quickly passed by.

Within biking distance are the Carriage Club courts; the enormous Woodside Racquet Club, plus a few public courts sprinkled here and there.

The Plaza is an urban retail district with high-rise living -- a few courts should be nearby but it does not need to be a major focus. I haven't heard similar outrage that there are no large swimming pools in the immediate area. There are modest swimming facilities (again mostly private), and the demand appears to be satisfied.

[Highlander]

I love the old Plaza tennis courts, but they have had their day. My parents lived in the Melbourne (303 Brush Creek Blvd) in the 1950s - early 1960s -- they played probably there once per week. By the late 1970s when I was playing at Homestead, the Plaza Courts had already become unfashionable. Then a big renovation in the 1980s, "Tennis Center" badging, but the parade quickly passed by.

Within biking distance are the Carriage Club courts; the enormous Woodside Racquet Club, plus a few public courts sprinkled here and there.

The Plaza is an urban retail district with high-rise living -- a few courts should be nearby but it does not need to be a major focus. I haven't heard similar outrage that there are no large swimming pools in the immediate area. There are modest swimming facilities (again mostly private), and the demand appears to be satisfied.

It's not casual match play that I am concerned about. It's the city having a suitable public venue where they can hold large metro-wide tournaments which means a lot of courts at a single location, parking, some kind of a pro shop and lighting. And there is the issue of UMKC and Rockhurst using the courts for their practices and matches. I am good with relocating them but it's not something a few courts in another park or private venues can accommodate

[Critical_Mass]

Why is losing some tennis courts getting more push back than losing the 100+ year old church building?

[Midtownkid]

Why is losing some tennis courts getting more push back than losing the 100+ year old church building?

Probably because we all own the tennis courts and we had no real say over the church.

I'm not happy about the church demo and I'm not happy about the prospect of losing the courts.

They put the "Country Club" in Country Club Plaza.

[TheUrbanRoo]

MIght be an unpopular opinion but I'd take the 5 over 1 instead of the tennis courts. I go by those courts everyday and they're almost always empty. If we could make it look good enough an apartment could be great, especially if it could contain a convenience store.

[cityscenekc]

I agree it's a shame the church was demolished, but it was not 100-plus years old. It opened in 1942.

[FangKC]

What is your point? Under National Trust guidelines, a building mustn't be 100 years old to be considered historic. The church would have met the guidelines because it was 82 years old.

The Flashcube Building was completed in 1974 and received historic designation and tax credits in 2017 even though it had not yet reached the traditional 50-year mark to be considered historic--seven years before the traditional age limit.

The church is 32 years older than the Flashcube.

https://flatlandkc.org/news-issues/flas ... t-project/

IMO, Historic Tax Credits shouldn't have been applied for the Flashcube Building because it has not yet met the National Trust's guidelines. Since tax credits are highly sought and rationed, it pushed ahead of much older buildings being selected, and perhaps ones that were much more imperiled. That is why I opposed it.

Some other financing methods should have been used. Of course, they could have waited until 2024 to apply when the building would have met the minimum guidelines.

[taxi]

I think a more important point is that the building had the potential to last much, much longer. I watched it come down, and it was built like a brick, um, it was well-built.

[GRID]

MIght be an unpopular opinion but I'd take the 5 over 1 instead of the tennis courts. I go by those courts everyday and they're almost always empty. If we could make it look good enough an apartment could be great, especially if it could contain a convenience store.

Depends on how well designed it is. Throwing anything in there is not worth it. There are so many empty lots to build on.

[Cratedigger]

Lot to like in here

https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/a ... 98720.html

Have always thought the Barnes and noble was over built. Like the idea of taking it to 8000 sq ft and replacing it with something else.

The roundabouts with fountains will become landmarks.

If well designed a luxury hotel in the center would be neat too. Hopefully the public agrees?

Lastly, looks like the grocery store will be more of a smaller Dean and Deluca vibe (I would bet it’s something like Berkeley’s Market in Dallas if you’re familiar) than Trader Joe’s. Would be great in my opinion

[LCDSI]

This all sounds very promising. I can't wait to see it in a few years. Very thankful we have them as the new owner.

[Chris Stritzel]

Lot to like in here

https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/a ... 98720.html

Have always thought the Barnes and noble was over built. Like the idea of taking it to 8000 sq ft and replacing it with something else.

The roundabouts with fountains will become landmarks.

If well designed a luxury hotel in the center would be neat too. Hopefully the public agrees?

Lastly, looks like the grocery store will be more of a smaller Dean and Deluca vibe (I would bet it’s something like Berkeley’s Market in Dallas if you’re familiar) than Trader Joe’s. Would be great in my opinion

Just what the doctor ordered.

[moderne]

Better than I even hoped for. BTW, we already have had a Paseo for a century and quarter.

[Cratedigger]

Better than I even hoped for. BTW, we already have had a Paseo for a century and quarter.

Believe this is an intentional nod to that as well as a tie in to the spanish theme of the area

[Midtownkid]

Love the vision shared so far. I really want to see some plans for the old Victoria Secret building and where Plaza III used to be. Those are pretty ugly buildings.

[GRID]

Wow, impressive. The Plaza about to get a major second life.

[rxlexi]

I read the article in the Star and I'm almost in disbelief at how positive it is. These guys are saying all the right things, all the way down to the little physical details (replacing flat roofs with angled and mansard spanish tile, for more special views out from the upper levels!). More than that, it's such an great feeling knowing they have the capital to back it up.

Removing chunks of retail for pedestrian promenades and outdoor space, bricking the streets and expanding the sidewalks (shaded by mature trees), placing a luxury hotel somewhere in the central bowl, the grand fountain roundabouts, the list goes on. And the conceptual rendering of the former Saks building looks amazing - imagine if the rest of the duller structures could be reimagined similarly.

It remains to be seen how much of this comes to fruition, but it continues to feel like this is a dream scenario for the rebirth of the Plaza and surrounds.

[GRID]

I read the article in the Star and I'm almost in disbelief at how positive it is. These guys are saying all the right things, all the way down to the little physical details (replacing flat roofs with angled and mansard spanish tile, for more special views out from the upper levels!). More than that, it's such an great feeling knowing they have the capital to back it up.

Removing chunks of retail for pedestrian promenades and outdoor space, bricking the streets and expanding the sidewalks (shaded by mature trees), placing a luxury hotel somewhere in the central bowl, the grand fountain roundabouts, the list goes on. And the conceptual rendering of the former Saks building looks amazing - imagine if the rest of the duller structures could be reimagined similarly.

It remains to be seen how much of this comes to fruition, but it continues to feel like this is a dream scenario for the rebirth of the Plaza and surrounds.

I never really noticed just has bland some of the plaza is.

I mean this is a fascinating transformation from this https://www.google.com/maps/@39.0412894 ... FQAw%3D%3D

to this.

[TheLastGentleman]

If you take a good hard look at how the plaza mall currently looks, less than half of the buildings are any good, to be blunt

[TheUrbanRoo]

100%. I don't think myself, or many others, realized how bad and underwhelming the Plaza really was until after seeing this. But holy moly this is what we mean when we talk "transforming" or "revitalizing" an area if I've ever seen it before.

Most underrated thing to me is they're talking about removing the curbs. Huge, huge for the sense of feeling like a real Plaza.