KCRag Forum

What the fresh hell is this? This can’t be the same project, right?!?!

Anthony_Hugo98 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 20, 2022 8:34 am What the fresh hell is this? This can’t be the same project, right?!?!

No joke. What happened to the previous projects? And that spot needs ground level retail or something. That's a high profile corner.

I would be interested in their reasoning for no retail or walk ups on the south side.

The whole point is to be a TOD site. Someone doesn't know what that means. Or is this a different project?

Will the garage be public? Maybe it can be a park and ride or something…..regardless, this is a really poor design for the site

Well so much for an interesting project with potential. Just another slapped together box with paint. Shame some of the previous renderings, the stylish ones, the ones used at the PIEA meetings, were cast aside. Glad it’s development, shame it sucks from design & function standpoint

Everything I get, beyond the ground floor being bad, is that the rendering we’ve seen does seem to match the plans shown. The elevations are tacky. No ground floor activation on 3rd is what surprised me the most of this.

Some mention that total number of spaces declined from previous iterations.

normalthings wrote: ↑Tue Sep 20, 2022 10:02 am Some mention that total number of spaces declined from previous iterations.

https://twitter.com/EricWBunch/status/1 ... 9490114560

Can the city stop this and negotiate for a better ground floor?

UMKC Roo wrote: ↑Tue Sep 20, 2022 12:06 pm Can the city stop this and negotiate for a better ground floor?

I imagine they could. Wasn’t the approval process held up at the Ascend/Defeo project at 3rd and Oak because the Oak side wasn’t what they had hoped? Adequate changes were then done and the project was approved. So I guess they can do the same thing here.

What I learned from this 3rd and Grand project is that in response to an RFP, make sure you include diagrams and renderings of the ground floor and then stick with those so people don’t get false ideas.

This would be a good example for that site.



The Bower, Washington DC.

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.874919 ... 384!8i8192

^Yes. Likey.

^^The FAA would shit themselves like they did with everything else that’s new and proposed in the neighborhood. I’m in for a redesign.

Chris Stritzel wrote: ↑Tue Sep 20, 2022 9:07 pm ^^The FAA would shit themselves like they did with everything else that’s new and proposed in the neighborhood. I’m in for a redesign.

I think another factor that concerns me is if the city allows that horrific ground floor to happen, then many future developments will see that it's okay to do that too. City needs to send a signal that they demand a real ground floor of retail/amenities so future projects don't waste time and have to re-draw.

UMKC Roo wrote: ↑Tue Sep 20, 2022 9:09 pm

Chris Stritzel wrote: ↑Tue Sep 20, 2022 9:07 pm ^^The FAA would shit themselves like they did with everything else that’s new and proposed in the neighborhood. I’m in for a redesign.

I think another factor that concerns me is if the city allows that horrific ground floor to happen, then many future developments will see that it's okay to do that too. City needs to send a signal that they demand a real ground floor of retail/amenities so future projects don't waste time and have to re-draw.

I think getting the City Manager's attention is all it will take to get this addressed. He seems to be on it and openly wants KC to get more vibrant. It can't get more vibrant with ground floors like these in the newest buildings.

Lots of great pushback by the Planning on this project (asking for better materials, walk up units or commercial, etc.)

However this comment took me by surprise:

The proposed height of the building is not in compliance with the Greater Downtown Area Plan. Staff recommends reducing parking to reduce the height of the building.

https://compasskc.kcmo.org/EnerGov_Prod ... ab=reviews

This is on major transit routes and Streetcar and bikeways. This should be whatever height the economy can support. Hilarious we are building transit and then setting maximums to density along it.

I don't see why a 10-story building couldn't go there. The site at 5th and Main has a proposed 13-story building.

Ground floor continues to be a complete flop
https://twitter.com/joshboehm/status/16 ... nuHX7uYY9A

UMKC Roo wrote: ↑Fri Dec 09, 2022 8:25 pm Ground floor continues to be a complete flop
https://twitter.com/joshboehm/status/16 ... nuHX7uYY9A

I feel like I'm becoming the new GRID (a compliment) but I am dismayed that this is allowed to happen. Does KC have an actual interest in becoming a walkable dense place? Where is the weak link in the process today? Is it the Planning department? Council? This is a key location and the parking garage entrances front 3rd and there is limited ground floor activation.