Re: Katz on Main
Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2022 10:37 pm
My goal on Main in Midtown is the destroy the abomination of that suburban Home Depot
The money that “abomination” provided has enabled the redevelopment of Armour Blvd into something special again and supported hundreds of home improvement projects for low income home owners. Not to mention it was a god sent for someone rehabbing a 100 year old house in Valentine. Know your history before saying something stupid.AlkaliAxel wrote: ↑Wed Feb 09, 2022 10:37 pm My goal on Main in Midtown is the destroy the abomination of that suburban Home Depot
Well someone was bound to complainCorneliusFB wrote: ↑Wed Feb 09, 2022 11:31 pmThe money that “abomination” provided has enabled the redevelopment of Armour Blvd into something special again and supported hundreds of home improvement projects for low income home owners. Not to mention it was a god sent for someone rehabbing a 100 year old house in Valentine. Know your history before saying something stupid.AlkaliAxel wrote: ↑Wed Feb 09, 2022 10:37 pm My goal on Main in Midtown is the destroy the abomination of that suburban Home Depot
Would there be more money to go around if it was a dense mix of retail, entertainment, and living? yes!CorneliusFB wrote: ↑Wed Feb 09, 2022 11:31 pmThe money that “abomination” provided has enabled the redevelopment of Armour Blvd into something special again and supported hundreds of home improvement projects for low income home owners. Not to mention it was a god sent for someone rehabbing a 100 year old house in Valentine. Know your history before saying something stupid.AlkaliAxel wrote: ↑Wed Feb 09, 2022 10:37 pm My goal on Main in Midtown is the destroy the abomination of that suburban Home Depot
But would it actually be a dense mix of retail, entertainment, and living if the Home Depot was never built? No!normalthings wrote: ↑Thu Feb 10, 2022 1:23 amWould there be more money to go around if it was a dense mix of retail, entertainment, and living? yes!CorneliusFB wrote: ↑Wed Feb 09, 2022 11:31 pmThe money that “abomination” provided has enabled the redevelopment of Armour Blvd into something special again and supported hundreds of home improvement projects for low income home owners. Not to mention it was a god sent for someone rehabbing a 100 year old house in Valentine. Know your history before saying something stupid.AlkaliAxel wrote: ↑Wed Feb 09, 2022 10:37 pm My goal on Main in Midtown is the destroy the abomination of that suburban Home Depot
I can tell you that when i moved back to KC in my mid to late 20s, i had a visceral reaction to Costco/HD as well. Hated everything about it and couldn't fathom who could possibly have committed this blunder. A decade later, as a homeowner with 2 kids I can tell you my perspective has evolved on this. I spend a ton of money at HD and recently became a Costco member. This is a huge amenity to have in the heart of the city. Other people who have visited are jealous that we have this when they see it. (not to mention to the millions it has thrown off to support home rehab in the area and fund nearby developments)CorneliusFB wrote: ↑Thu Feb 10, 2022 4:32 pm @AlkaliAxel - I am sorry for the “saying something stupid” comment. That was uncalled for on my part. You are obviously passionate about this city and I commend you for that. With that said, many of us have been fighting for downtown and midtown all of our professional lives. Midtown Marketplace is a very flawed urban development, and one we would never dream of allowing today (see the main street overlay district for proof), but it was necessary at the time, and I don’t think Midtown is where it is today without that project.
I hope you use your passion to continue improving our City’s urban environment, but please don’t insult the hard work of those who came before by failing to consider the “why” behind what has been done.
I thought the plan was for a restaurant or something at the corner of Main and Westport with the frontage on main being that restaurant. My understanding was also that the Westport frontage was amenity space. Could be wrong though. I imagine Lux will do more in KC. People are wanting to be in Kansas City, so there's opportunity to grow.CorneliusFB wrote: ↑Thu Feb 10, 2022 4:42 pm and about that Katz project… excited it’s moving forward, hope they reconsider the plan for the original storefront and use it for public facing retail and not just building amenities. Glad to see Lux is investing so much in the City and looking forward to seeing what type of owner they turn out to be.
I understand why it would've worked in a different time period, where maybe Midtown was a shell. But I think that if we're getting to the point where young 20's like myself are confused why there's a suburban Home Depot or Costco sitting in Midtown- then I think that's a sign that it's time for something there to change on that end. At the very least, hide it or cover it. It's a gigantic eyesore and just kills the vibe. It may have been suitable 25 years ago but it's a different time now. People like myself who grew up in the 2010's and have only know an "urbanized" KC think it looks really bad now.CorneliusFB wrote: ↑Thu Feb 10, 2022 4:32 pm
failing to consider the “why” behind what has been done.
Discussed at great length here: viewtopic.php?t=1983&start=300AlkaliAxel wrote: ↑Thu Feb 10, 2022 9:26 pmI understand why it would've worked in a different time period, where maybe Midtown was a shell. But I think that if we're getting to the point where young 20's like myself are confused why there's a suburban Home Depot or Costco sitting in Midtown- then I think that's a sign that it's time for something there to change on that end. At the very least, hide it or cover it. It's a gigantic eyesore and just kills the vibe. It may have been suitable 25 years ago but it's a different time now. People like myself who grew up in the 2010's and have only know an "urbanized" KC think it looks really bad now.CorneliusFB wrote: ↑Thu Feb 10, 2022 4:32 pm
failing to consider the “why” behind what has been done.
Jeez, this is making me feel really old. Turning 41 this week. Joined this site in 2003, almost 20 years ago! Costco was pretty new then. Grew up in KC and, in my teens, remember driving around the Main St corridor and what is now the Xroads back in the late 90s and Midtown was very "vibey" but it's hard to picture now how downtrodden it really was. I'll never forget hanging out (trespassing) around Union Station when I was in high school when it was derelict and basically had a homeless camp next to it. The area of Main where Costco is now, in 1996 the vibe was probably about what 39th and Prospect feels like in 2022.AlkaliAxel wrote: ↑Thu Feb 10, 2022 9:26 pmI understand why it would've worked in a different time period, where maybe Midtown was a shell. But I think that if we're getting to the point where young 20's like myself are confused why there's a suburban Home Depot or Costco sitting in Midtown- then I think that's a sign that it's time for something there to change on that end. At the very least, hide it or cover it. It's a gigantic eyesore and just kills the vibe. It may have been suitable 25 years ago but it's a different time now. People like myself who grew up in the 2010's and have only know an "urbanized" KC think it looks really bad now.CorneliusFB wrote: ↑Thu Feb 10, 2022 4:32 pm
failing to consider the “why” behind what has been done.
I know Kansans who specifically go to that Costco because of the wine and spirits. Something you cannot get at the Kansas Costco's. The revenue is probably out of proportion to the area it serves.shinatoo wrote: ↑Thu Feb 10, 2022 9:15 am Yes, the HD has been a godsend for me as I'm rehabbing my home. Is it the best configuration for that part of town, no. But I'm glad it's there. Plus the tax revenue from it and Costco has to be huge. Always busy.
Again, lots of other low-hanging fruit in that area can be developed before we start reconfiguring viable and valuable land uses.
Yep. For example I’ve only known a KC with a streetcar.
Since I have zero interaction with people in their 20s in KC, I am curious - are folks in this age bracket (who don't follow development or geek-out on KC minutiae like us) excited about KC? Like people graduating college or folks looking to relocate for work, do they WANT to go to KC? Or is it more of, "well my job is in KC, which is ok I guess, I hear it's not too bad." I am sure it's not as exciting as Denver, Chicago, whatever, but I would like to think there is some enthusiasm...AlkaliAxel wrote: ↑Tue Feb 15, 2022 3:20 pm people like myself have only known “the good life” KC here