TheLastGentleman wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 8:52 pm
If they build a new city hall I can guarantee it’ll be mediocre at best and absolute trash at worst. The existing city hall is a building so lavish and expensive, KC couldn’t have ever even afforded it normally. Turning it into something as mundane as apartments would be like turning the British parliament into a luxury hotel. Strange, unnecessary, and a total shame
I'd take a boring City Hall being built on an empty lot and 1000 new DT residents in the current building any day of the week.
Or just build 1000 apartments on vacant blocks, and leave City Hall as the seat of the municipality. A City Hall building is representative of the city itself. A boring City Hall building would just say we are a boring city that has no appreciation of architecture, grandeur, or history.
Rent out office space in other buildings downtown while City Hall is being renovated. It appears a lot of space is (or will be) available.
If city hall is abandoned as a government building then the politicians and idiots who decide to do that only deserve to be housed in the soon-to-be-abandoned Jackson county jail.
normalthings wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 8:11 pm
I am not proposing the demolition of the existing structures. I am proposing new replacement facilities constructed at a different location (your choice of east village, 18th vine, BOE, etc), government moves out of what is there today, and the old get gutted and refurbished into something else.
We can't keep having expensive bad aid after expensive band-aid. Build all new facilities and turn the old into housing or another use. Power & Light kicked everyone out, was gutted, and turned into a new use. Lets do the same with City Hall.
The choice between (a) expensive bandaids and (b) new facilities is total nonsense. Two totally new governmental buildings and the gut conversion of two office buildings into apartments will not be cheaper than even a phased renovation. It sounds more like a jobs program for developers.
Everyone should reread the BOE thread, where everyone was absolutely sure that the building was unusable and the land is too valuable to sit empty and local developers would be clamoring to build there. None of that happened.
Oh I love City Hall. An amazing structure inside and out. I hope this isn't a silly question and it would certainly not be optimal but could they build an additional structure on the empty KCPS/Library lot?
Karambit25 wrote: ↑Thu Jan 06, 2022 3:57 pm
Oh I love City Hall. An amazing structure inside and out. I hope this isn't a silly question and it would certainly not be optimal but could they build an additional structure on the empty KCPS/Library lot?
Bingo. City Hall is an art deco treasure and needs to remain a public building. As the city grows though, it may need more space and a city hall annex may be justified. I thought the city leased several floors in the Oak Tower. So the city may already need the extra space.
Maybe we just, uh, develop the vacant lots into housing and renovate the gov buildings and leave them as gov buildings? That first part could happen, starting tomorrow, on the BOE lot. There's absolutely no reason to link the two projects and probably increases the chances that we somehow end up with less than we started with.
Didn't see a general City Hall discussion.. so perhaps we can rename this one.. but anyways the garage replacement is well under way at City Hall. Most folks probably didn't realize it, but the entire South Lawn at City Hall is built on top of it's underground garage. The garage was in terrible shape and is being replaced. The city appears to be well aware of the risks these old, neglected garages pose and has been replacing their city owned garages in such shape. Unfortunately, the private sector appears to be evading the microscope when it comes to failing garages. I give it ten years or less before we see a collapse or other major failure in KC. Especially with garages in this kind of condition...
City Hall garage and Barney Allis Plaza are the first two to see replacement.
On the privately owned side, the garage at 8th and Grand is to be demolished soon. The garage near 13th and Wyandotte was supposed to be demolished for that one office building. I have concerns over the Peck's Plaza garage at 11th and Baltimore. If all three of these can be demoed and replaced with a better usage, things would be better off. I can't think of any other garages in terrible/rough shape around downtown.
Chris Stritzel wrote: ↑Sat May 25, 2024 5:20 pm
City Hall garage and Barney Allis Plaza are the first two to see replacement.
On the privately owned side, the garage at 8th and Grand is to be demolished soon. The garage near 13th and Wyandotte was supposed to be demolished for that one office building. I have concerns over the Peck's Plaza garage at 11th and Baltimore. If all three of these can be demoed and replaced with a better usage, things would be better off. I can't think of any other garages in terrible/rough shape around downtown.
the garage and building at between 8th & 9th on Walnut is in bad shape. Blocked off for years. Still kind of surprised that the Hampton Inn was not offered the garage for their hotel, which would have been a nice way to get it fixed and used. But Honestly the entire North end of downtown from 10th ST to Admiral/7th St from Grand To Walnut is in bad shape in spots and just prime for development. Otherwise dying old buildings, crumbling vacant lots or old parking lots. Would love to see some residential booming happening there.
Chris Stritzel wrote: ↑Sat May 25, 2024 5:20 pm
City Hall garage and Barney Allis Plaza are the first two to see replacement.
On the privately owned side, the garage at 8th and Grand is to be demolished soon. The garage near 13th and Wyandotte was supposed to be demolished for that one office building. I have concerns over the Peck's Plaza garage at 11th and Baltimore. If all three of these can be demoed and replaced with a better usage, things would be better off. I can't think of any other garages in terrible/rough shape around downtown.
the garage and building at between 8th & 9th on Walnut is in bad shape. Blocked off for years. Still kind of surprised that the Hampton Inn was not offered the garage for their hotel, which would have been a nice way to get it fixed and used. But Honestly the entire North end of downtown from 10th ST to Admiral/7th St from Grand To Walnut is in bad shape in spots and just prime for development. Otherwise dying old buildings, crumbling vacant lots or old parking lots. Would love to see some residential booming happening there.
thanks for the reminder on that. Count me very, very, skeptical that development proposal goes anywhere. Last post there from March mentioned, predevelop stages with no plan and no financing. I'll be shocked (albeit happily so) if this goes anywhere. Seems if developers don't have cash on hand financing is going to be next to impossible to get. Hope it happens, that end of downtown needs a major boost
dukuboy1 wrote: ↑Tue May 28, 2024 12:59 pm
thanks for the reminder on that. Count me very, very, skeptical that development proposal goes anywhere. Last post there from March mentioned, predevelop stages with no plan and no financing. I'll be shocked (albeit happily so) if this goes anywhere. Seems if developers don't have cash on hand financing is going to be next to impossible to get. Hope it happens, that end of downtown needs a major boost
Thousands upon thousands of KS and MO suburban apartments are getting financed.
dukuboy1 wrote: ↑Tue May 28, 2024 12:59 pm
thanks for the reminder on that. Count me very, very, skeptical that development proposal goes anywhere. Last post there from March mentioned, predevelop stages with no plan and no financing. I'll be shocked (albeit happily so) if this goes anywhere. Seems if developers don't have cash on hand financing is going to be next to impossible to get. Hope it happens, that end of downtown needs a major boost
Thousands upon thousands of KS and MO suburban apartments are getting financed.
Must be less expensive to build then, as most of the suburban APTs are just slapped together crap for the most part. But you bring up an interesting point. Weird how those developments get greenlit yet a lot of urban development stalls out and goes no where. So it has to be costs for sure and or developers have less hoops to jump through when they build in the suburbs
dukuboy1 wrote: ↑Tue May 28, 2024 12:59 pm
thanks for the reminder on that. Count me very, very, skeptical that development proposal goes anywhere. Last post there from March mentioned, predevelop stages with no plan and no financing. I'll be shocked (albeit happily so) if this goes anywhere. Seems if developers don't have cash on hand financing is going to be next to impossible to get. Hope it happens, that end of downtown needs a major boost
Thousands upon thousands of KS and MO suburban apartments are getting financed.
Must be less expensive to build then, as most of the suburban APTs are just slapped together crap for the most part. But you bring up an interesting point. Weird how those developments get greenlit yet a lot of urban development stalls out and goes no where. So it has to be costs for sure and or developers have less hoops to jump through when they build in the suburbs
Yes costs are lower (rents are too) but the development plans and incentives are getting rubber stamped most of the time. If you propose, it’s generally getting approved and quickly. Not as many battles as is with basically every urban core project but some of the suburban ones do run into hiccups.
dukuboy1 wrote: ↑Tue May 28, 2024 12:59 pm
thanks for the reminder on that. Count me very, very, skeptical that development proposal goes anywhere. Last post there from March mentioned, predevelop stages with no plan and no financing. I'll be shocked (albeit happily so) if this goes anywhere. Seems if developers don't have cash on hand financing is going to be next to impossible to get. Hope it happens, that end of downtown needs a major boost
Thousands upon thousands of KS and MO suburban apartments are getting financed.
Must be less expensive to build then, as most of the suburban APTs are just slapped together crap for the most part. But you bring up an interesting point. Weird how those developments get greenlit yet a lot of urban development stalls out and goes no where. So it has to be costs for sure and or developers have less hoops to jump through when they build in the suburbs
Very few suburban apartments are getting any form of structured parking, Nearly every urban one does. Massive cost difference.
