Westport

[loftguy]

Looks like a new pizza place will be opening in the Rivermarket and another breakfast/lunch spot in the Crossroads. Good news.

What is the Crossroads restaurant opening?

[ThorsteinVeblen]

Loftguy,

Should've been more specific in that post. I was referring to Howard's Cafe that will be opening on 1708 Oak along with the rest of their business.

[FangKC]

Is that the spot where Madrigal was?

[loftguy]

Loftguy,

Should've been more specific in that post. I was referring to Howard's Cafe that will be opening on 1708 Oak along with the rest of their business.

I did not realize that a restaurant was part of his plan. Great news...

[DaveKCMO]

Is that the spot where Madrigal was?

madrigal was/is in the 1600 block of oak.

[kcjak]

http://www.kansascity.com/news/business ... 60608.html

Insomnia Cookies, Qdoba and Pickleman's in free-standing buildings on the lot on the SE corner of Westport and Mill St. Highly discouraging after a planned building w/parking never made it past the planning stage. I wouldn't have as much a problem with this type of development taking place on one of the lots across from Char Bar, but that lot offered a lot of potential for better development.

[earthling]

Had high hopes for a major mixed-use project for that lot. This sounds like a quick and dirty project. What a wasted opportunity for such a primo spot. The city core has got a momentum going now and it's time to set higher expectations with projects, especially for key spots like this.

[DaveKCMO]

Had high hopes for a major mixed-use project for that lot. This sounds like a quick and dirty project. What a wasted opportunity for such a primo spot. The city core has got a momentum going now and it's time to set higher expectations with projects, especially for key spots like this.

westport needs an overlay, but it unlikely to ever get one.

[KCtoBrooklyn]

Yeah, definitely a waste -this not the right development for that lot. 3 crappy chains? No thanks. (Ok, the cookie place sounds like it could be cool, but do we really need more burrito and sandwich chains when you have Freebird's and Which Which right across the corner!).

[pash]

.

[brewcrew1000]

Is there a way to fight this piss poor idea? Qdoba could just go into the Freebirds spot, i don't see that place surviving much longer, its not that good and the service sucks, its always dead in there now. Picklemens could go into the spot next to Westport Cafe, in the spot where the boot was. Cookie place i'm not sure about but i'm sure there is a decent spot for it.

Man, some kind of larger mixed use apartment would be golden right there, you would probably even attracted a national retail store if that would have been built. If a larger scale mixed use was built you could have maybe upgraded the Alley back there to be more ped friendly, put up a fountain or something as well.

[kcjak]

I drove down Mill St yesterday (the one that goes by Panera in Westport) and noticed the building just to the west is being demolished. I think it's the Center for Health Advancement, according to Google Maps. If they don't build a new structure in that location there is going to be surface parking from World Market all the way to St. Luke's.

It's an ugly building and completely isolated, but I'd rather see that than asphalt.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.051003, ... 2C1VxA!2e0

[longviewmo]

This is the only thing I could find about it: http://www.kansascity.com/news/business ... enter.html

[chaglang]

Of course there's a Save Westport Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-Wes ... 1085253974.

The goals of the group are a little unclear. From the phrasing of some of the posts it sounds like it's merchant-generated thing.

Our goal is to save Westport. We understand the importance of progress and business in Kansas City but we also need to shed light on the fact that if people want to build in Westport that it should not take away from anything currently meeting the needs or patrons that frequent it daily weekly or monthly. This is our concern. There is a current developer that is insisting on building in the parking lot right in front of the Westport Saloon and Buzzard Beach. If that construction occurs, where are all the people going to park? Is it better to cram more national chain stores in a place that already has a home?

Thank you all for your support thus far. We would like to clear some things up. This is not 100% about parking. While everyone has their own reasons for disliking this development, the most important thing is keeping the integrity of the oldest neighborhood in Kansas City intact. The businesses in Westport have accepted with open arms all the new additions to the neighborhood over the years (for the most part). We have also paid ridiculous rental rates on this lot for years to keep this type of thing from happening. We have absorbed rate increases having little to no other option than just having it fenced off and kept the insurance current. To supplement that rent, maintenance, and insurance cost, we have held many events in the space. We have attempted to put together plans to purchase the lot, however, with so many different operators and needs, it has been complicated. Sure more businesses is good for Westport and even though these chains will inevitably fail in the district, putting this ugly thing with a drive-through right in front of buildings built in the 1850's and operated by local community members is simply disgusting. Not to mention the political sliminess of the entire process that got us here. It is far fetched to think that we can actually get this mess stopped. However, sitting back and watching it happen with a closed mouth is not going to happen. If nothing else, standing up for what is right and fighting until the very end is what we will do.

There are a lot of things wrong with that argument, including ignoring the number of parking lots/garages already available within a 5 minute walk, the number of chains already coexisting with locals, and the verrrrrrry loose historic preservation standards the area follows (Kelly's new party deck and the facade of the Gusto for example). The Facebook page reads like some people are just upset that they didn't get to buy the lot. Obviously these restaurants aren't the highest and best use of the land, but arguing that there should be a mixed-use building on the lot is a better approach than throwing a bunch of spurious arguments at the wall to see what sticks.

Edit: And of course there's an Abandon Westport Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Abandon- ... 8321078534

[kboish]

This is going to have a drive-thru??? Oh hells no

[flyingember]

This is going to have a drive-thru??? Oh hells no

most of midtown commercial is zoned to permit them and have medium parking requirements and setbacks. if you want change, contact the council and ask for zoning changes across the city.

midtown seems like the perfect place to put in mixed use with residential above with ever project. More income for the property owner, improved tax return for the city, customer density for nearby commercial property, less need to tear out homes to go dense for the neighborhood, homes would end up with a nice residential unit behind them, not just a blank face.

Like the Commercial Federal at 43rd and Main looks to have ran into this issue. They couldn't expand the building much more without being unable to fulfill parking minimums, have space for bike parking, landscaping in the parking lot and then add the actual ability to use the lot like space for a dumpster, utility access points, sidewalks, entrances and such

[geeman68]

This is going to have a drive-thru??? Oh hells no

I wasn't aware of any drive throughs. The gourmet cookie-ry and Picklemans are not drive-thru establishments and I don't remember a drive through when Qdoba was here before...

The parking argument is stupid. I almost always park in the garage behind Char Bar and it is always empty! That garage provides AMPLE parking for the area.

[beautyfromashes]

If they were really worried about parking, why did they let St. Luke's buy up every available parking lot for miles and fence them off to patrons?

[kboish]

This is going to have a drive-thru??? Oh hells no

I wasn't aware of any drive throughs. The gourmet cookie-ry and Picklemans are not drive-thru establishments and I don't remember a drive through when Qdoba was here before...

The parking argument is stupid. I almost always park in the garage behind Char Bar and it is always empty! That garage provides AMPLE parking for the area.

I wasn't either, but in the facebook post chaglang posted it states

...putting this ugly thing with a drive-through right in front of buildings built in the 1850's and operated by local community members is simply disgusting

Thats what i'm basing it off of.

While I do wish it wasn't 3 average chains going into a fairly no-descript, unimpressive, poor use of space development...I also agree that the parking argument is ridiculous. Its kind of funny they are complaining about the proposed building ruining the vintage atmosphere of their 1850's era building, yet have no problem with the SHITTY parking lot that currently exists there. You can't use that argument in the same breath as complaining about losing the parking lot...which I think is the biz owners true cause for "outrage". The funny thing is the critical mass of businesses only helps.

If the existing tenants along the alley and the developer had any imagination- they'd try to create a really cool vibe along that alleyway w/ the new development playing off each other. Instead they will just bitch at each other.

[DaveKCMO]

If they were really worried about parking, why did they let St. Luke's buy up every available parking lot for miles and fence them off to patrons?

sssshhhh. we don't talk about the havoc st. luke's has wrought on midtown.