Metro North Mall

[mistervinix]

KSHB aired this story today:

http://www.kshb.com/dpp/news/region_mis ... -bannister

I can find no other reference online that Metro North's "developers just revealed their concept for a new mall".

[flyingember]

http://www.kctv5.com/story/22451832/met ... g-building

I like how this article mentions a direction that's going to be shown and then doesn't. now that's reporting

[mistervinix]

Sounds like they won't move forward until they find that elusive second anchor. Good luck with that. They probably would like to replicate the general idea at Metcalf South, since it has two anchors now.

[FangKC]

Tear down big enclosed mall. Build new smaller enclosed mall.

With even smaller enclosed malls failing. It doesn't seem that just building another one--albeit smaller--is a solution. I have a feeling that what they are going to build will also fail and be vacant in 40 years, and we'll start all over again.

The way to go in my opinion is adapt the layout of Zona Rosa, but differentiate it by including a lot of residential on site--including over the stores and restaurants. Narrow streets with angled parking. Small pocket parks. A library, a community center with recreational facilities like a swimming pool, tennis, basketball, a gym, and a softball field; 24-hour urgent care clinic, child daycare, hair and nail salons, post office, churches, and small chain hotel. Include a nursing home and assisted living on-site.

And please, no bland design. Creating a charming place--with quality--that has visual interest with nice landscaping, flowers, nice streetlamps, fountains, and artwork. Build something with lasting appeal. Make a place where people can walk.

The biggest growing market segment in residential--that is going mostly unmet--is creating housing for active seniors. Something that isn't sterile and isolated, like John Knox Village. What is needed is something that is incorporated into the community--including all the on-site shopping and services. Build the apartments to meet the needs of aging people, and the disabled. Smart housing with built in solar power on-site.

There is plenty of room around the mall to building additional housing.

That said, you might not even have to tear down the present mall. The retailers might have done better if there were more a couple thousand residents living on-site. Some of the stores could cater more to them. Some of the smaller, former store spaces could become the library, community center, gym, classrooms for furthering education, health clinic, etc.

The mall itself could have high-rise apartment and office buildings built up against the tall blank walls of the mall exterior. I think a clever architecture firm could adapt the present mall with new functions and build a lot of residential around it.

Do something different. Create a network of non-linear European streetscapes in the parking lots around the mall, and pack it dense with housing and hidden parking. Build courtyards and pedestrian alleys. Place wide sidewalks along narrow streets so they can be outdoor seating at restaurants, and some store owners can place their wares outside the store. Make the place special so that people ditch their cheaply-built cookie-cutter box stucco apartment buildings and houses, and move there and stay.

This would save a lot of building material ending up in landfill, and the waste of the construction materials, energy, and carbon it took to build the mall.

[mistervinix]

Tear down big enclosed mall. Build new smaller enclosed mall.

With even smaller enclosed malls failing. It doesn't seem that just building another one--albeit smaller--is a solution. I have a feeling that what they are going to build will also fail and be vacant in 40 years, and we'll start all over again.

The way to go in my opinion is adapt the layout of Zona Rosa, but differentiate it by including a lot of residential on site--including over the stores and restaurants. Narrow streets with angled parking. Small pocket parks. A library, a community center with recreational facilities like a swimming pool, tennis, basketball, a gym, and a softball field; 24-hour urgent care clinic, child daycare, hair and nail salons, post office, churches, and small chain hotel. Include a nursing home and assisted living on-site.

And please, no bland design. Creating a charming place--with quality--that has visual interest with nice landscaping, flowers, nice streetlamps, fountains, and artwork. Build something with lasting appeal. Make a place where people can walk.

The biggest growing market segment in residential--that is going mostly unmet--is creating housing for active seniors. Something that isn't sterile and isolated, like John Knox Village. What is needed is something that is incorporated into the community--including all the on-site shopping and services. Build the apartments to meet the needs of aging people, and the disabled. Smart housing with built in solar power on-site.

There is plenty of room around the mall to building additional housing.

That said, you might not even have to tear down the present mall. The retailers might have done better if there were more a couple thousand residents living on-site. Some of the stores could cater more to them. Some of the smaller, former store spaces could become the library, community center, gym, classrooms for furthering education, health clinic, etc.

The mall itself could have high-rise apartment and office buildings built up against the tall blank walls of the mall exterior. I think a clever architecture firm could adapt the present mall with new functions and build a lot of residential around it.

Do something different. Create a network of non-linear European streetscapes in the parking lots around the mall, and pack it dense with housing and hidden parking. Build courtyards and pedestrian alleys. Place wide sidewalks along narrow streets so they can be outdoor seating at restaurants, and some store owners can place their wares outside the store. Make the place special so that people ditch their cheaply-built cookie-cutter box stucco apartment buildings and houses, and move there and stay.

This would save a lot of building material ending up in landfill, and the waste of the construction materials, energy, and carbon it took to build the mall.

Great thoughts. But WAY too expensive and cutting edge for this metro, I'm afraid.

[SWFan]

http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/n ... s+Journal)

[FangKC]

http://www.kmbc.com/news/kansas-city/pl ... index.html

[FangKC]

While smaller in footage, the design of the enclosed mall doesn't appear to be that different in concept from the present mall. The thing that bothers me is it's surrounded by a sea of parking lots, not unlike the present mall.

[grovester]

But this is what the public wants!

[Eon Blue]

How wonderfully 20th Century! I wonder if they'll seek exemptions to allow for the use of asbestos in the construction and to allow for smoking inside? Maybe the dress code will include polyester and leisure suits.

[mistervinix]

Then again, the developer may a pioneer in the new trend of tearing down old malls - only to be replaced with a new mall. I suppose in the future people will flock there every time it's raining or snowing, when they don't want to go to Zona Rosa and get their hair wet. Maybe the new mall can have completely covered parking as well...

[FangKC]

Yes, this new design is cutting edge and innovative. Blech!

[GRID]

This actually makes a lot of sense. First off, enclosed malls are not dead,they have drastically been reduced in number, but I always thought that they would see a comeback to some extent, especially in weather climates like KC. For a metro the size of KC to have only two successful enclosed malls is kind of crazy. The Northland is a suburban market of well over 300,000 people and the area needs an enclosed mall to compliment other shopping areas for the same reasons Independence Center and Oak Park continue to thrive.

Also, Zona Rosa is a lifestyle center that anchors the west side of the Northland and a new center similar to Zona Rosa will eventually go up near Liberty. The main reason Metro North failed in the first place was because the Northland had one location of most major chains and the Metro North area lost out to Liberty and Tiffany Springs. With growth, they were able to support two, but not three major retail areas. Now I think growth is catching up and there is enough population to support a revived metro north area, or there will be soon. Creating a new mall with a more upscale mix of tenants such as Nordstroms, Crate and Barrel etc that will only have one Northland Location is a perfect use of that that space in the central part of the Northland.

As far as it being a mall surrounded by parking? It is what it is. Save that kind of stuff for developments that can actually be interconnected to surrounding areas. Even Zona Rosa is just an island among suburbia. This is probably the best way to redevelop that area rather than let it rot and build something just like it a few miles north along 169. Now that would be a disaster and if this falls through, it's also highly likely. The project will need a TIF or something I'm sure. That's the only way any kind of project like this can happen in KC where nearly all retail is subsidized by tax money even brand new projects on greenfileds in affluent suburbs (see Corbin Park, Prarie Fire etc).

[chaglang]

If this is the "vision" that's going to bring that mall back, I'm underwhelmed:

To compete with Internet shopping, next-generation malls must include attractions that generate excitement, he said. Hayes said MD Management was still researching the types of attractions to include at Metro North but mentioned two — a courtyard for events in front of the new mall and a theater/entertainment complex behind it — during Wednesday's meeting.

[KCMax]

Indoor malls are dead, not to be replaced by outdoor lifestyle centers, but to be replaced by Target/Walmart and the internet.

This is a terrible idea that people will immediately regret.

[mistervinix]

Indoor malls are dead, not to be replaced by outdoor lifestyle centers, but to be replaced by Target/Walmart and the internet.

This is a terrible idea that people will immediately regret.

Kind of like Mission building the Mission Center mall in the early 90s, only to see it fail a decade plus later. But it had no anchor or draw other than the two Dillard's (and was aesthetically about as ugly as you could make a mall). Maybe the Metro North project will offer something more unique. I imagine they'll go after one of the "dine in" theater concepts (even though that idea died - twice! - at Zona Rosa).

[FangKC]

I predict failure. It's an Band-Aid approach.

[GRID]

Indoor malls are dead, not to be replaced by outdoor lifestyle centers, but to be replaced by Target/Walmart and the internet.

This is a terrible idea that people will immediately regret.

Brick and mortar stores are not going away (entirely) and that location needs to be redeveloped. Nation internet sales taxes are coming. That alone with slow the internet's ability to compete with physical stores.

The key is to build something at Metro North rather than let is rot and watch 2-3 million sq ft of retail go up elsewhere in the northland as the northland continues to add residents.

I'm not a fan of sprawl, but this is a case where commercial sprawl needs to be re-developed before it become cancerous and effects home values etc.

The Northland will eventually get the attention of similar retail and restaurants that now go to South JoCo and if there is a way to concentrate them into a new Metro North project, that would be the way to go. Like I said, they will just end at 98th and 169 instead which would not be good.

[GRID]

Indoor malls are dead, not to be replaced by outdoor lifestyle centers, but to be replaced by Target/Walmart and the internet.

This is a terrible idea that people will immediately regret.

Brick and mortar stores are not going away (entirely) and that location needs to be redeveloped. Nation internet sales taxes are coming. That alone with slow the internet's ability to compete with physical stores.

The key is to build something at Metro North rather than let is rot and watch 2-3 million sq ft of retail go up elsewhere in the northland as the northland continues to add residents.

I'm not a fan of sprawl, but this is a case where commercial sprawl needs to be re-developed before it become cancerous and effects home values etc.

The Northland will eventually get the attention of similar retail and restaurants that now go to South JoCo and if there is a way to concentrate them into a new Metro North project, that would be the way to go. Like I said, they will just end at 98th and 169 instead which would not be good.

[shaffe]

The only way this will work is if, like was previously mentioned, this mall tries to go for the higher end stores. I don't think the northland can support 3 Macys/Dillards/JC Penny shopping centers, but if this project tries to become more of a St. Louis Plaza Frontenac type shopping center then it might carve out a niche.

Nordstrom is a must here IMO.