KCPD East Campus

[mean]

Right, I forgot the entire neighborhood around the new HQ/Lab was also burned to the ground by death squads.

[smh]

Right, I forgot the entire neighborhood around the new HQ/Lab was also burned to the ground by death squads.

[pash]

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[KCPowercat]

Whether I like it or not really doesn't matter. It happens, willingly and unwillingly, for many economic development projects.

Just like a pol you dodged that question.

LOL

[IraGlacialis]

The whole project, even as a mostly-empty-land-and-surface-parking development, would easily fit in the vacant lots already owned by the city on the west side of Prospect between 26th and 28th Streets. No demo costs, no trampling on property rights, same great location.

Regardless of what you think of eminent domain, where's the usual KC Rag disdain for abysmally poor land use and development practices? Especially when it's the city doing it. I guess this sort of nonsense is OK so long as it only happens in the hood?

Exactly.
This place could easily be condensed into an two-block urban, and probably more cost-effective, set-up without the PR disaster that is inevitable for this. If that complex was actually going to be fully occupied by buildings, I could see the issue, but this seems to have been avoidable from the get-go. Even if a more condensed version would possibly cost more money, the social resentment garnered from the current idea would likely cancel-out any monetary savings gained. And in areas such as this, goodwill is the biggest commodity for law enforcement; otherwise, you might as well set yourself up like the strong arm of some Latin American/Middle Eastern/SE Asian tinpot dictatorship, and nobody likes that.
Hopefully, there is enough pressure on them for a decision change..

[mean]

The PR disaster is only going to be among urban nerds. The city at large not only will most likely not give a shit about this, they will probably say things like, "Better a bunch of surface lots than crack houses." This isn't the plaza. This isn't where people with money / influence hang out, so nobody really cares.

[Highlander]

Of course, you earlier stated there was no business in the P&L area. And there was at least one so you statement was incorrect. And instead of saying so you come back with your latest that the business didn't matter. Just like a politician.

Making a comparison to the P&L District is just plain silly. I don't care if they knocked down a business or two to create the P&L District, what was there was mostly nothing and it was replaced by a development that was substantially more dense. I really don't care if they knock down half of the east side, but only if they replace it with something more viable and dense. I want density and viability in the urban environment not a spread out suburban complex with surface lots.

[Thaine]

I think the site is big enough to provide for future expansion perhaps like south patrol. A helipad and swat facility.

128 parcels of which 13 are owned by the Land Trust, some were already for sale, maybe 16 dangerous buildings and 60 some vacant lots. The rest are maybe a few more rentals than owner occupieds. Quite a few speculators, some owning as many as 12 properties.

If you put a red dot on a KC map every time a violent crime is committed, this area is smack in the middle of the reddest area.

The criteria used by the public, police department and city in picking the site:
1. Cost of the land and construction (grading, demo, etc).
2. Size and shape.
3. Ease of vehicle and especially pedestrian access.
4. Visibility of the area for security purposes.
5. Possible environmental hazards or contamination. (possible businesses on Prospect only--and no gas stations).
6. Sufficient distance from RRs and HWYs (to protect the lab from vibration).
7. The opportunity to serve as a redevelopment anchor for the surrounding area.

25 sites were seriously considered and this is hands down the only site suitable.

Displaced occupants will get relocated by the City. Owner occupants will get 125% of the homes value. "Heritage" owners, people with their or their relatives 50 year history on the property will get 150% of the property's value. Every property gets appraised by three different appraisers and the initial offer is the highest of the three.

The neighborhood, where most everybody plans to stay, is arguably safer, cleaner and more valuable, post-project.

[pash]

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[aknowledgeableperson]

The point is that half a square city block is two-and-a-half acres. Which is 108,000 square feet. They could build a single-storey building the size of what they need in that half-block. Instead, they're gobbling up six times as much area and giving a big "fuck you" to the neighborhood in the process.

Look, it's a shitty proposal. They could easily lose the oh-so-precious "campus" concept and build a three-storey building plus surface parking in just part of the empty land the city already owns in the very same location. There'd be plenty of empty land left if they want to expand later.

I am not sure what land the city already owns at the selected location that you refer to. Could you point it out? By the way "Land Trust" is not city owned property if you are referring to that.

Anyway, almost half of the selected site is already vacant. And if there are that number of dangerous buildings on the site it would appear that soon well over half of the lots will be vacant. Granted, if the site and neighborhood were completely built out and/or a big demand for development it would not be an ideal location for a campus like setting. But it is not. And I would imagine for the life of the complex the neighborhood will not be filled with houses and businesses. In other words, in that part of town there is an oversupply of land available.

Sometimes some have to suffer for the greater good. This should be a good project for the neighborhood. Not saying it will be everything they say it will be but it is an attempt to turn things around so for that I will give them credit.

[Thaine]

Even if you think it's OK to kick people out of their homes for wasteful and ill conceived projects, that compensation is a joke. You do realize, don't you, that people who don't want to sell by definition have a higher reserve price than what the market's offering? And that houses in that area are next to worthless.

I don't really argue on here but that's a good one. Hey, I was just putting some facts out there because there didn't seem to be many available for discussion. The City doesn't own anything there. At least consider how big this City is and how much of it goes to waste i.e. go to a tax sale or look at everything Land Trust owns.

[pash]

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[aknowledgeableperson]

Then why don't you try to find it?

[pash]

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[aknowledgeableperson]

Yeah. Sure.
Along Prospect, maybe. But behind those lots that face Prospect are houses along Montgall and Wabash.

[pash]

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[aknowledgeableperson]

Nice try but it still does not account for the total amount of land they need. And since they wouldn't block off 27th St to make it contiguous your so-called discovery fails a second time.

Besides, the street address is of no concern since the project would already border Prospect.

You say they don't need the amount of land they propose to take. I would assume that the amount they propose to take is what is needed. Otherwise why drive up the cost of the project by taking more than what they feel is needed? And given that they looked at 25 possible sites this site selected has what they need and want. Granted, you may not like the amount of land for the project nor the design nor the amount dedicated to parking but that, for now, are their expressed desires.

So, try again to find the amount of land they, not you, desire for the project.

[pash]

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[FangKC]

Through all of this, I have wondered why they don't build and house the crime lab downtown. Seems like it would be most useful to have it at police headquarters, and that would be the logical place for it.

[Thaine]

Through all of this, I have wondered why they don't build and house the crime lab downtown

They required the facility to be in East Patrol, I'm told. It will serve downtown, Central and South Patrol, and most of the other cities in the region.