Plaza move-ins (ongoing)

[normalthings]

Loose a nice Romanesque building for a 119th and Roe building.

if bulldozing, at least build tall

[earthling]

Loose a nice Romanesque building for a 119th and Roe building.

if bulldozing, at least build tall

With residential in top.

[kboish]

People yesterday- the plaza is dead and dying. someone should do something.

People today- NO! not that.

[CorneliusFB]

Pennington is basically saying everything that’s been called for on this forum. Allow the Plaza to evolve, become more dense and add a mix of uses.

How much did Ken Block pay Collison for this piece of trash propaganda?

[kboish]

Also, Taubman just reduced the overall amount of parking on the plaza when they tore down the building for the Nordstroms. They had to get approval of their plan from council and they argued to council that the plaza is over parked. Now they are saying they have no parking to spare....

“The unprecedented poaching of Plaza parking will be a direct detriment to Plaza tenants and their customers and the sustainability of the Plaza,” according to Taubman.

the amount of over dramatization from the involved parties is hilarious.

“It could lead to a collapse of overlay ordinances in Kansas City neighborhoods and is a threat to area planning.”

this is in regards to 20 ft higher than allowed zoning and not adding parking to an over parked area of the city that is getting streetcar expansion...

[AlkaliAxel]

People yesterday- the plaza is dead and dying. someone should do something.

People today- NO! not that.

Lol exactly. It’s hilarious to watch the hypocrisies that float on the site all the time

[AlkaliAxel]

I’ll say it again- all I care about is that it fits the Spanish mold of the Plaza. If you can’t muster up enough to do that, then get out.

[TheLastGentleman]

There are a lot of buildings on the plaza I'd rather see demolished before tearing down a fairly attractive church building on a prominent intersection, but at least it's not that old. I'm sure the Save the Plaza crowd will still be jumping in front of the bulldozers for this thing while more and more actual historic churches and other buildings get destroyed across town without protest.

[daGOAT]

There are a lot of buildings on the plaza I'd rather see demolished before tearing down a fairly attractive church building on a prominent intersection, but at least it's not that old. I'm sure the Save the Plaza crowd will still be jumping in front of the bulldozers for this thing while more and more actual historic churches and other buildings get destroyed across town without protest.

There are still a handful of vacant sites that can provide housing before we should tear anything down. That being said I'm okay with the project but its not necessarily ideal or the best use of the land; nor am I huge on losing the church, but whatevs.

[Critical_Mass]

Loose a nice Romanesque building for a 119th and Roe building.

if bulldozing, at least build tall

With residential in top.

Like the proposal from 2018 that was rejected?

[cityscenekc]

Pennington is basically saying everything that’s been called for on this forum. Allow the Plaza to evolve, become more dense and add a mix of uses.

How much did Ken Block pay Collison for this piece of trash propaganda?

"Trash propaganda?" What a weird reaction. It's a news story that informs you about something you wouldn't have known before. Pennington has plenty of opportunity to make his case for the project in the article.

[daGOAT]

if bulldozing, at least build tall

With residential in top.

Like the proposal from 2018 that was rejected?

Exactly! Trade in the parking podium for the Drake project and keep the residential portion and you gotta game changer that would be hard for anyone to have a legit reason to fight. I vote we remove parking minimums for a few block radius of the streetcar to really take their ammunition away.

[GRID]

I think it's fine. As far as retail goes, the plaza really needs to concentrate on making itself a dining destination. It would be nice if it were a little taller, but not sure it makes that much of a difference and I'm sure that new block tower would be opposed to anything blocking views.

The church is just not that big of a deal to me. It is of little architectural interest and is barely used. It does offer some nice contrast to the area, but having a more lively active block is more important.

I still think Nichols Road through the heart of the plaza should be redone with much wider sidewalks for more outdoor seating etc and Nichiols should be more of a pedestrian promenade that punches through to the streetcar stop. Relocate the tennis courts and build a pedestrian promenade along with a large mixed use development there and then you have a nice pedestrian connection to the core of the plaza.

[AlkaliAxel]

I think it's fine. As far as retail goes, the plaza really needs to concentrate on making itself a dining destination. It would be nice if it were a little taller, but not sure it makes that much of a difference and I'm sure that new block tower would be apposed to anything blocking views.

The church is just not that big of a deal to me. It is of little architectural interest and is barely used. It does offer some nice contrast to the area, but having a more lively active block is more important.

I still think Nichols Road through the heart of the plaza should be redone with much wider sidewalks for more outdoor seating etc and Nichiols should be more of a pedestrian promenade that punches through to the streetcar stop. Relocate the tennis courts and build a pedestrian promenade along with a large mixed use development there and then you have a nice pedestrian connection to the core of the plaza.

I agree with all this except the only thing I’m worried about is that these newer buildings aren’t keeping up with the Spanish mold.

And I’m telling you, if we let that Spanish design fade away, then it becomes no different than shopping at Town Center or Oak Park Mall. We’re letting what makes the Plaza special just slowly erase.

[beautyfromashes]

I agree with all this except the only thing I’m worried about is that these newer buildings aren’t keeping up with the Spanish mold.

And I’m telling you, if we let that Spanish design fade away, then it becomes no different than shopping at Town Center or Oak Park Mall. We’re letting what makes the Plaza special just slowly erase.

The "Spanish mold" isn't what made the Plaza special. It was a walkable area that was clean and vibrant with unique shops that caught your attention so you had to go inside and find out what they were. It was bars full of people and you didn't really care what they looked like on the inside or outside. Sticking some spanish tile on the outside of a Cheesecake Factory doesn't do fuck. Self edit: it wasn't clean. We didn't care.

[GRID]

I think it's fine. As far as retail goes, the plaza really needs to concentrate on making itself a dining destination. It would be nice if it were a little taller, but not sure it makes that much of a difference and I'm sure that new block tower would be apposed to anything blocking views.

The church is just not that big of a deal to me. It is of little architectural interest and is barely used. It does offer some nice contrast to the area, but having a more lively active block is more important.

I still think Nichols Road through the heart of the plaza should be redone with much wider sidewalks for more outdoor seating etc and Nichiols should be more of a pedestrian promenade that punches through to the streetcar stop. Relocate the tennis courts and build a pedestrian promenade along with a large mixed use development there and then you have a nice pedestrian connection to the core of the plaza.

I agree with all this except the only thing I’m worried about is that these newer buildings aren’t keeping up with the Spanish mold.

And I’m telling you, if we let that Spanish design fade away, then it becomes no different than shopping at Town Center or Oak Park Mall. We’re letting what makes the Plaza special just slowly erase.

I think you want to maintain most of the historic Spanish architecture, but putting it on all new development will just cheapen the historic parts of the plaza. I think you can build new modern development while also maintaining the spanish charm of the plaza. You don't want to make the entire district look fake.

[GRID]

This is a much better project than that mid rise on a parking pedestal IMO. I think anything that includes above ground parking is bad for the plaza. It has enough of that. There is no reason what so ever for this project to have its own parking.

[Highlander]

I think it's fine. As far as retail goes, the plaza really needs to concentrate on making itself a dining destination. It would be nice if it were a little taller, but not sure it makes that much of a difference and I'm sure that new block tower would be apposed to anything blocking views.

The church is just not that big of a deal to me. It is of little architectural interest and is barely used. It does offer some nice contrast to the area, but having a more lively active block is more important.

I still think Nichols Road through the heart of the plaza should be redone with much wider sidewalks for more outdoor seating etc and Nichiols should be more of a pedestrian promenade that punches through to the streetcar stop. Relocate the tennis courts and build a pedestrian promenade along with a large mixed use development there and then you have a nice pedestrian connection to the core of the plaza.

I agree with all this except the only thing I’m worried about is that these newer buildings aren’t keeping up with the Spanish mold.

And I’m telling you, if we let that Spanish design fade away, then it becomes no different than shopping at Town Center or Oak Park Mall. We’re letting what makes the Plaza special just slowly erase.

I think you want to maintain most of the historic Spanish architecture, but putting it on all new development will just cheapen the historic parts of the plaza. I think you can build new modern development while also maintaining the spanish charm of the plaza. You don't want to make the entire district look fake.

Yes. Today's attempts to emulate the artisans of the 20 and 30's fall totally flat. I suggest we protect the older buildings on the Plaza with great vigor but not sure the new buildings outside of the core need to adhere to that standard. The cost today is prohibitive to recreate what was done in the past and the modern efforts to build in the Spanish style are half hearted and look cheap/fake.

[mgsports]

No empty land at 119th Street and Roe in Leawood.

[FangKC]

There are modern buildings in Spain that maintain the Mediterranean aesthetic. It's about the use of tile, brick, stone, terra cotta, ornament, metal, stucco, patterns, and color.

I find it interesting that the developer who wants to build the new restaurants is criticizing Taubman for having empty retail spaces. Wouldn't the solution simply be to convert the empty existing retail spaces into restaurants instead of constructing new retail buildings that would compete? Isn't what is needed for any new construction on the Plaza simply residential buildings?

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