Broadway Jimmy John's

[Eon Blue]

I was sitting at the intersection of 7th & Broadway today, looking south. The first thing that popped in my head as I gazed at the majestic brick canyon in front of me was that it needed MOAR DRIVE THRUS.

[GRID]

Well, this project is surprising. No excuse for allowing something like this in one of KCMO's only true urban corridors like Broadway. What a shame.

[Eon Blue]

The Downtown Neighborhood Association held a meeting last night and a representative from the Parks Department was on hand to answer questions and provide some insight into what happened. They said they recognized that this was a bad deal right away and tried to throw up as many road blocks as they could, but they don't have the power of ordinance to enforce their guidelines. There was also a push to get the JJ building built up to the curb without a setback, but I don't recall if that stuck or not.

I came away sympathetic for the department, given their predicament. Rest assured, they have people that espouse the same views we do on these issues. The Parks Department is working on measures behind the scenes to prevent things like this in the future, but there's a lot of moving pieces on that. Part of it is an effort to get the historic part of the Kessler System on the national historic register as well as ordinances to enforce guidelines. In the mean time, community agitation remains the best way to preserve our boulevards.

[WinchesterMysteryHouse]

Urban design principles and the spirit of preservation are facades unstructured by city ordinance?

[kcjak]

Looks like word is getting out http://www.kctv5.com/story/24031572/nei ... restaurant

[KCPowercat]

The Downtown Neighborhood Association held a meeting last night and a representative from the Parks Department was on hand to answer questions and provide some insight into what happened. They said they recognized that this was a bad deal right away and tried to throw up as many road blocks as they could, but they don't have the power of ordinance to enforce their guidelines. There was also a push to get the JJ building built up to the curb without a setback, but I don't recall if that stuck or not.

I came away sympathetic for the department, given their predicament. Rest assured, they have people that espouse the same views we do on these issues. The Parks Department is working on measures behind the scenes to prevent things like this in the future, but there's a lot of moving pieces on that. Part of it is an effort to get the historic part of the Kessler System on the national historic register as well as ordinances to enforce guidelines. In the mean time, community agitation remains the best way to preserve our boulevards.

My sympathy for them goes away given they have known of this problem for decades and haven't acted to get themselves more power to fight these issues.

[aknowledgeableperson]

The city's parks roadway system did not extend into the downtown area until recent history, not decades ago.

[flyingember]

The city's parks roadway system did not extend into the downtown area until recent history, not decades ago.

that's not true. this map is from 1926 and shows the boulevards inside downtown

http://gallupmap.com/wp-content/uploads ... ge-map.jpg

[aknowledgeableperson]

I was manly referring to Grand and Broadway. There were parks but there was no emphasis on boulevards in a city/urban setting. A city street was a city street. A boulevard street was to be more like park instead of something urban.

[flyingember]

I was manly referring to Grand and Broadway. There were parks but there was no emphasis on boulevards in a city/urban setting. A city street was a city street. A boulevard street was to be more like park instead of something urban.

I think you're right in terms of the transition. there's a number of boulevards of the past that aren't as nice today and definitely some were added that have yet to be improved to anything close

[smh]

The last day or so I've been wondering if the proposed compromise (i.e., that the neighborhood is fine with a Jimmy John's, but no drive-thru) isn't a raw deal for us all. Perhaps it is realistic to expect that a better project simply won't happen at this point on that particular parcel and thus we should attempt to minimize the most negative aspects of the current proposed project. However, it seems to me that a standalone Jimmy John's, even if built up to the sidewalk, is almost exactly as bad as the same building with a drive-thru and therefore has no place downtown and especially inside the Loop.

I'd advocate for a higher and better use of that parcel the same way we advocated three years ago to the save the Cosby. To me it is nearly the same issue: demolition of the Cosby would have torn a hole in the dense, walkable urban fabric of downtown KC (while removing an irreplaceable historic building). Likewise, construction of an out-parcel style, suburban Jimmy John's in the heart of downtown also makes semi-permanent a hole in the fabric of downtown. One that is unlikely to be repaired for decades.

Whereas with the Cosby the city did what it could to help delay demolition until a suitable buyer could be located, so to I'd like to see the city and Downtowners work to delay construction of any single-use building on the Jimmy John's parcel. In the meantime, we should work to find a buyer (Price Development, perhaps?) who knows how to build a 5-story apartment building with retail (perhaps Jimmy John's!) on the street level.

Obviously I've left out a few details, but I think the concept is sound.

/rant

[KCPowercat]

The city's parks roadway system did not extend into the downtown area until recent history, not decades ago.

Irrelevant to my comment. They (parks) obviously wanted more power to impact development on the entire system, not only downtown.

[pash]

.

[KCMax]

The last day or so I've been wondering if the proposed compromise (i.e., that the neighborhood is fine with a Jimmy John's, but no drive-thru) isn't a raw deal for us all. Perhaps it is realistic to expect that a better project simply won't happen at this point on that particular parcel and thus we should attempt to minimize the most negative aspects of the current proposed project. However, it seems to me that a standalone Jimmy John's, even if built up to the sidewalk, is almost exactly as bad as the same building with a drive-thru and therefore has no place downtown and especially inside the Loop.

I didn't know anyone was objecting to it being a Jimmy John's. Who cares about that? The drive thru and design is what makes it intolerable.

[smh]

The last day or so I've been wondering if the proposed compromise (i.e., that the neighborhood is fine with a Jimmy John's, but no drive-thru) isn't a raw deal for us all. Perhaps it is realistic to expect that a better project simply won't happen at this point on that particular parcel and thus we should attempt to minimize the most negative aspects of the current proposed project. However, it seems to me that a standalone Jimmy John's, even if built up to the sidewalk, is almost exactly as bad as the same building with a drive-thru and therefore has no place downtown and especially inside the Loop.

I didn't know anyone was objecting to it being a Jimmy John's. Who cares about that? The drive thru and design is what makes it intolerable.

I don't think that paragraph says anyone is objecting to it being a Jimmy John's.

[KCPowercat]

That Broadway happens to be part of the boulevard system is incidental to the real issue here, so criticizing the Parks Department is silly. The heart of the matter is that the city's zoning laws allow suburban-style development even in the most urban parts of the city. That needs to change.

Agreed....we shouldn't rely on the Parks board as our line of defense......

[aknowledgeableperson]

The city's parks roadway system did not extend into the downtown area until recent history, not decades ago.

Irrelevant to my comment. They (parks) obviously wanted more power to impact development on the entire system, not only downtown.

If memory serves me well in this case the Parks Board was not actively seeking to make those streets Blvds. It was a way to use restricted Blvd funds to enhance the beauty of the streets and was a proposal by city leaders not the Parks Board.

[KCPowercat]

The city's parks roadway system did not extend into the downtown area until recent history, not decades ago.

Irrelevant to my comment. They (parks) obviously wanted more power to impact development on the entire system, not only downtown.

If memory serves me well in this case the Parks Board was not actively seeking to make those streets Blvds. It was a way to use restricted Blvd funds to enhance the beauty of the streets and was a proposal by city leaders not the Parks Board.

In the case of Jimmy Johns downtown?

[chaglang]

They said they recognized that this was a bad deal right away and tried to throw up as many road blocks as they could, but they don't have the power of ordinance to enforce their guidelines.

But they also didn't seem to warn anyone that this is coming.

[grovester]

They said they recognized that this was a bad deal right away and tried to throw up as many road blocks as they could, but they don't have the power of ordinance to enforce their guidelines.

But they also didn't seem to warn anyone that this is coming.

That's what I took from it. If they were really concerned about it, just make it public.