KCRag Forum

Plans for former St. Francis Xavier School worry neighborhood

More concern from neighborhood about redevelopment of St. Francis Xavier School at 53rd and Troost.

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/10/14/38 ... avier.html

This will be old news for some, but Dollar General is proposing a new store across from the Rent-A-Center in the 4200 block of Troost. It would replace the horse barn/gravel lot that is there now.

They're going through BZA right now because they would need variances for... almost everything:

Case No. 14247-A-1 – 4235 Troost Avenue – A business lot located on the west side of Troost Avenue between E. 42nd Street and E. 43rd Street, to consider a request for a variance to the minimum required rear yard setback of a principal building in a business district, a variance to the minimum required width of perimeter landscaping of a vehicular use area, a variance to the minimum required width of a landscape buffer strip between a vehicular use area and a residential district, and a variance to permit a vehicular use area to encroach into a required landscape area of a vehicular use area, to allow for
the construction of a new retail store, plus any other necessary variances. (Continued from 11-13-12 – No Testimony – No Required Quorum)

The next BZA is December 13 and I assume they will discuss this then. The people I've talked to in the surrounding neighborhoods are concerned that the style of development - parking in front, building pushed toward the back - isn't appropriate for Troost. I would love to see something that brought the building out to the street wall and incorporated the MAX stop that is directly in front of the site.

Dollar General variances denied. Developer may appeal to Circuit Court.

chaglang wrote:Dollar General variances denied. Developer may appeal to Circuit Court.

how do you know they might appeal? the lawyer said yesterday at the hearing that the next step is to "find another site."

i was there and spoke on behalf of the neighborhood along with some other folks. it was a pretty interesting, and long, hearing.

chrizow wrote:

chaglang wrote:Dollar General variances denied. Developer may appeal to Circuit Court.

how do you know they might appeal? the lawyer said yesterday at the hearing that the next step is to "find another site."

i was there and spoke on behalf of the neighborhood along with some other folks. it was a pretty interesting, and long, hearing.

I think he simply meant they have the right to appeal to circuit court.

chrizow wrote:

chaglang wrote:Dollar General variances denied. Developer may appeal to Circuit Court.

how do you know they might appeal? the lawyer said yesterday at the hearing that the next step is to "find another site."

i was there and spoke on behalf of the neighborhood along with some other folks. it was a pretty interesting, and long, hearing.

Thanks for going and doing that. I heard about the appeal from a neighbor who heard it from Pete Hughes. Feel free to disregard if you heard something different/better sourced.

Is anything going to come of that group the Troost neighborhoods were going to form? I'd like to have at least one meeting before everyone forgets about it.

Pete was there, and I left after him, so he may have heard about the appeal. Interesting. They must really want that site - I would think it easier to go find another site where the neighborhoods won't complain.

I think the nascent Troost Coalition will move forward. The Dollar General project got everyone together, but I think going forward there will be further collaboration. Most likely it will be reacting to proposals more than anything else, unless we can proactively solicit projects, but it's a valuable dialogue.

What was the story with the MAX stop? My neighbor said the city found an additional restriction during the meeting.

Was someone there from BNIM?

chaglang wrote:What was the story with the MAX stop? My neighbor said the city found an additional restriction during the meeting.

Was someone there from BNIM?

yeah, BZA staff suddenly brought up the fact that, because the site is near a MAX stop, the maximum number of parking spaces was only 13 (or 18 if partially in a garage). the developer was seeking 30 spaces. so this raised an additional request for variance at the hearing. the BZA chair actually said she thought this worked in Dollar General's favor because "it is impracticable for a Dollar General to only have 13 parking spaces."

yes, a planner was there from BNIM on behalf of Manheim Park. i think he really saved the day. He had generated renderings of potential alternative site plans, situating the store against the sidewalk and putting the parking to the north and behind the building. His two proposals purportedly would not have required any variance, or at the very least would not have required as extensive of variances as those requested by Dollar General. This is critical because Dollar General had to prove that the project would be "not practicable" without the requested variances. The BZA board was persuaded by his renderings, even though they were rough and without a lot of specs or formality, to show there were at least alternatives to the proposal from Dollar General, and as such Dollar General could not meet its burden to prove that there is no other way to do the project other than as proposed. The BZA asked the lawyer if the developer was willing to take a bit of time and submit alternatives more in line with what the neighborhood was asking for, and he said no. Then the request was summarily denied.

This could be a nice precedent for disallowing chains to shoehorn their preferred cookie-cutter pad lots into the urban fabric.

From a neighborhood perspective it's a reminder that it's good to bring acceptable alternative site plans to these things, even if they're only conceptual.

chrizow wrote:a planner was there from BNIM on behalf of Manheim Park.

Zack Flanders.

Beacon Hill Grocery Plans Advance

The Hospital Hill Economic Development Corp. and Truman Medical Centers have received the transfer of land at the planned site of 27th Street and Troost Avenue.
The transfer came from the city of Kansas City and the receivership of the Housing and Economic Development Financial Corp.
Planners say the 35,000-square-foot store will have extensive produce, meat and dairy sections. It also will have partnerships with local growers and hold periodic farmers’ markets.

chaglang wrote:Beacon Hill Grocery Plans Advance

The Hospital Hill Economic Development Corp. and Truman Medical Centers have received the transfer of land at the planned site of 27th Street and Troost Avenue.
The transfer came from the city of Kansas City and the receivership of the Housing and Economic Development Financial Corp.
Planners say the 35,000-square-foot store will have extensive produce, meat and dairy sections. It also will have partnerships with local growers and hold periodic farmers’ markets.

Fantastic! Any ideas on what franchise the grocer will be? I was worried that it would be something crappy like a Sav-A-Lot, but it sounds like it will be quality.

I think this could really help Longfellow take off. It already has some bright spots, but I think it has the potential to be one of the better urban neighborhoods in KC.

In other Troost development news, the month's Hyde Parker featured new plans for the Firehouse at 45th and Troost.
It was bought by the Christian Fellowship Baptist Church (located just across the street) last May and they have plans to put a coffeehouse on the first floor with a dance studio upstairs.
I'm not too optimistic for this, as it seems to be a long-term plan without any current funding.

Also, St. Mark's is still looking to open a coffee shop.
Their previous plan of utilizing the former ice cream shop at 37th and Troost didn't materialize, but now they are exploring the use of the Squier Manor Carriage House just across the street.

Probably won't be Sav-A-Lot, as they already have that location at 34th & Troost.

Did the fire house sale get spun off from the SFH house on Harrison? For a while they were a package deal.

The St. Mark's coffee house is plodding along. Right now the biggest threat is that De La Salle will get tired of waiting for a plan to finalize and demo the building.

Also- lots of progress on the De La Salle addition this week. The tilt-up concrete walls look pretty cool, better than the renderings I have seen previously. They used a form liner that gave a similar look to the east walls of the NAMA expansion, only running vertically instead of horizontally. Steel is on site, and it looks like they might be using hollow-core slabs for the roof (?). Having a building out near the street in that block of Troost already makes a huge difference.

chaglang wrote:Beacon Hill Grocery Plans Advance

The Hospital Hill Economic Development Corp. and Truman Medical Centers have received the transfer of land at the planned site of 27th Street and Troost Avenue.
The transfer came from the city of Kansas City and the receivership of the Housing and Economic Development Financial Corp.
Planners say the 35,000-square-foot store will have extensive produce, meat and dairy sections. It also will have partnerships with local growers and hold periodic farmers’ markets.

this is a good spot. lots of empty lots around that area

chaglang wrote: The St. Mark's coffee house is plodding along. Right now the biggest threat is that De La Salle will get tired of waiting for a plan to finalize and demo the building.

I walked through that building with Pastor Donna from St. Marks. It needs gutted, of course, and the back addition should be torn down but the main building…the coffeeshop part…appeared to be structurally sound.

I think it would be a great spot for coffee shop and it’s the sort of retail we desperately need on that stretch of Troost. But maybe I’m biased now that I live in the neighborhood…

chaglang wrote: Did the fire house sale get spun off from the SFH house on Harrison? For a while they were a package deal.

The church bought the house along with the Firehouse. They are donating it to someone who will rehab it.
Sounds like they have the donor lined up, but the transfer hasn't occurred and they haven't announced to whom or when it will happen.

Volker Dad wrote: I think it would be a great spot for coffee shop and it’s the sort of retail we desperately need on that stretch of Troost. But maybe I’m biased now that I live in the neighborhood…

Yes, I've been waiting for some sore of coffee shop or cafe on Troost to which I could give my patronage.
I think (or would hope) that there are many others in the neighborhood that would make a concerted effort to support these types of businesses on Troost.

KCtoBrooklyn wrote:

Volker Dad wrote: I think it would be a great spot for coffee shop and it’s the sort of retail we desperately need on that stretch of Troost. But maybe I’m biased now that I live in the neighborhood…

Yes, I've been waiting for some sore of coffee shop or cafe on Troost to which I could give my patronage.
I think (or would hope) that there are many others in the neighborhood that would make a concerted effort to support these types of businesses on Troost.

Agree completely. I drive past that building every time I have to go get coffee anyway.