Downtown Mission/ The Gateway

[Tosspot]

I have to give the developers and designers some credit for trying, though.

[Robafurd]

There is no way in hell that tower is getting built there. Does no one else remember all the nimbys whining and protesting heavily a few months back about the 6 story "Monstrosity" that was to be the Waddell and Reed HQ? I believe that project was less than 1 mile away.

you might be surprised.  Mission is not OP and this project seems to be a good one.  There will be contention here, but I don't think many residents are going to simply say, "I don't like it, I don't want a tall building."  Mission already has some relatively tall buildings, and they have been there for decades.  People are showing concern, but it seems to be directed primarily at the quality and character of the development, not the nature of the beast.  Mission, Roeland Park, and Fairway want this development to be better than South JoCo; they have seen the mistakes made in South JoCo (and in the city) and this is their chance to do things better.  Sure, it won't look exactly like the proposal in the end, but I think this is going to be a big success.

[trailerkid]

There is no way in hell that tower is getting built there. Does no one else remember all the nimbys whining and protesting heavily a few months back about the 6 story "Monstrosity" that was to be the Waddell and Reed HQ? I believe that project was less than 1 mile away.

But keep in mind that developers here have been receptive to neighbors and vice versa. I don't think W+R/Copaken even had a meeting with neighbors. That is one of the key pieces in place to convincing neighbors that your plan is the right one. Additionally, having high end condos and a new hotel is more appealing than an office expansion for workers than drive in at 8:00 and drive out at 5:00.

I think the majority of neighbors bought into this development as they convinced them it would be more along the lines of Brookside rather than Zona Rosa-- a mix of uniqueness, walkability and town center feel. Also think about what they are replacing. If I lived there I would be overjoyed to look at a residential tower rather than a dead mall or the proposed Wal-Mart.

[Robafurd]

But keep in mind that developers here have been receptive to neighbors and vice versa. I don't think W+R/Copaken even had a meeting with neighbors. That is one of the key pieces in place to convincing neighbors that your plan is the right one.

good point, and another element that shows this development is headed in the right direction.

[WestPlazaGuy]

Even if the tower was to be built, are there enough buyers to support this density?  It would not seem like an easy project to "phase".

[trailerkid]

Even if the tower was to be built, are there enough buyers to support this density?  It would not seem like an easy project to "phase".

1. It would have views of Downtown, the Plaza and more.

2. It is new urban style condo located on the KS side.

I don't think they'll have problems selling it.

[ComandanteCero]

yeh, there are a lot of empty nesters in JOCO looking to downsize, but want to stay close to their family and friends and churches/clubs.  The fact that one guy was going to build a 15 story tower on the golf course near Nall and 95th goes to show something is definitely going on in that market.  Not to mention the proposed multi story condo buildings in the new development next to Town Center.  Obviously, it would be nice if they went to condos in the Plaza or downtown.... but I think that particular segment is less likely to move further into the urban core.

[KCMax]

We live right by there and the neighborhood is primarily made up of young couples, or starter families. I think its mostly people that want to live close to the city, but don't feel comfortable, or cannot afford any houses in Kansas City. I think there's a market, particularly for people that want to live close to the Plaza/Westport but don't want to pay high prices.

[Roelling]

Can anyone tell me what the status of this project is?  Is it up for a vote, or are there any discussion meetings open to the public?

[GRID]

Can anyone tell me what the status of this project is?  Is it up for a vote, or are there any discussion meetings open to the public?

It's being designed now, it's going through the hoops.  Should start going more public very soon.

[jimb]

I didn't see this link posted previously in the thread.  I found this at the City of Mission website today:

http://www.missionks.org/documents/Plan ... 20Plan.pdf

Dial-up users be forewarned - its close to 20MB.  Looks like it will be discussed at the Planning Commission meeting tonight.

[Roelling]

Does anyone have first hand knowledge of the discussions that occurred at the meeting on 1/23/06?  I am curious as to the time frame and status of this project.

[KCMax]

There is another meeting Feb 2 at 7:30 at the Mission Mall in the Community Room for anyone that would like to attend. I plan on being there and I'll try to report back.

[KCMax]

I attended the meeting last night. First of all it was packed. About 60-80 people there. Probably more than the mall has ever seen before!

The presentation was very thorough. They still want the 14 story hotel/condo unit, which I learned will be facing my house, about 100 yards from my doorstep. Two people were VERY much against this, and drew applause from about 1/3 of the people there. Other than that, this project has overwhelming support. If they remove the 14 story unit, it will have unanimous support. They plan the hotel to have about 108 rooms. The condo will have about 400 units. They went at length at how the condo residents will have all the amenities of the hotel - gym privileges, maid services - which was odd because I'm pretty sure few at the meeting will be condo owners. There will also be some neat looking rowhouses along Roseland. They said they hadn't been priced yet but threw out an estimate of $180-$320 per square foot - pretty affordable.

They made sure to emphasize there will be LOTS of parking - 3600 parking spots in all. But the parking spots seem to be well utilized. There will be lots of on-street parking, and then a huge surface lot on the 3rd level adjacent to Shawnee Mission Parkway. That level will probably house some sort of large box retailer like a Kohls or Best Buy. The first level, adjacent to Johnson Drive will house the boutique shops and restaurants. On the second level, there will be a neat little garden walk way alley - so the restaurants will have to face both sides.

They also want sidewalks around the entire project and emphasized pedestrian accessibility. They would like to have sidewalks down Shawnee Mission Parkway, as well as added greenery, but that's an issue for KDOT apparently. They also want to remove the ramp from Shawnee Mission Parkway to Johnson Drive. They'd also like to build rowhouses across from where Mission Mall is - where there are currently just a few stand alone businesses in houses. But that's not currently in the plans as of now.

As far as timeline, they apply for the re-zone for mixed use in front of the city council on the 8th. Then they'll be working with city planners on the project and if all goes well, Mission Mall will come down around the end of March. They'll do the Rock Creek remediation through the summer, and then they hope to begin building in the fall. They hope to be open by the end of the summer of 2007. Quick work!

The presentation went well, although the developer, while he seemed like a nice guy, kind of gave an air of "I'm a hot shot New York developer." One resident said something to the effect of "who cares about the 14 story building, this is progress, replacing an ugly dinosaur" which drew applause from about half the crowd. Most people seemed generally in favor of the project, and like I said, if there were no 14 story building, it would have universal support. However, I think the developers are pretty committed to the 14 story building - they kept talking about "signature building" and how it made it financially feasible to do this project.

[bbqboy]

hey Max, I thought the house you bought  was along 51st Street. You're actually down by Johnson Drive?

[KCMax]

I'm in the neighborhood just NE of Mission Mall, east of Roe, north of Johnson Drive, West of Shawnee Mission Parkway. From my front door you can see Mission Mall.

[bbqboy]

Got it. For my first job throwing papers,(1966) we used to wait under the overpass at 2:30 am  for the Truck from the Star to drop the bundles. My grandparents built,  in the early '50's,  one of the original houses on 55th st  between Johnson Drive
and Roe, facing what was Smileys, and now is channel  5. I guess I'm a child of RP/Mission.
Roesland Grade, Old Mission JH , SMN HS.
Are you for, against, or neutral on the 14 story building?

[KCMax]

Cool. I love the neigbhorhood. It has a lot of charm and character. I am pretty neutral to the 14 story building. I don't really see why it would be that big of an eyesore, I think it would be kind of cool. It certainly wouldn't be any more of an eyesore than what is currently there.

My fiancee doesn't like the 14 story building though. It could be remedied (for us at least) if they would plant some trees in the empty field that sits NE of Mission Mall, thereby blocking any light from the facility from getting into our neighborhood.

[jimb]

Between the East Gateway, West Gateway and the Rock Creek/Downtown proposals, Mission looks prepared to completely re-make itself.  If it all comes together (which will take a LONG time), they will have a very unique place - not just for JoCo, but for the region as a whole.

[Missionite]

Thanks for the update Max. As for the empty lot on the NE corner of the Mall site, I believe Roeland Park is looking into bulding some sort of residential building...though not as tall as the current 14-story proposal.

bbqboy, it's good to see a fellow SM North grad on the board. 

I'm all for this project and the tower. Once the first tower goes in, it's only a matter of time before the rest of Mission starts building 'up.' There's already talk of a tower on top of the current Wild Oats store. I'm not so thrilled that there will be such an emphasis on parking in the new development though. I guess I can't complain though as it's definitely better than the monster that's currently there.

Matt