112 & 206 East 31st

Issues concerning Downtown as described by the Downtown Council. River to 31st Street, I-35 to Bruce R. Watkins.
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Chris Stritzel
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112 & 206 East 31st

Post by Chris Stritzel »

This is a project I've been playing with for a while now and am happy to finally kick the process off. I'll have more to share soon, but the two parking lots at the corner of 31st and Grand, presently owned by KCPBS, are under contract by an affiliate of mine. Today, I applied for a Development Assistance Team meeting to review the site plan and density plan that we have to make sure we are in conformity with the Main Corridor Overlay District and any underlying zoning district (UR). The building design is being worked on now. I intend to present the plans to the neighborhood before posting them here.

I will say that a few users have seen the plans for me to get feedback from.

Hope to share more soon. Until then, I'll be vague with answers because I can't overpromise and underdeliver.

Specifics I'll share now: Two, 4-story buildings totaling 100 apartment units (all one- and two-bedroom) with 70 parking spaces and some commercial space. Site plan calls for both buildings to "step back" halfway down Grand to create a side-yard that helps blend with the front yards of the homes on that block of Grand.

Additional details are TBD.
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Re: 112 & 206 East 31st

Post by droopy »

Congrats in advance Chris. I’m super excited to see things develop. Sounds like a great project. That’s going to be a busy block for construction with streetcar, your project, Price Bros inevitable demolition and another project in the works nearby
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TheLastGentleman
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Re: 112 & 206 East 31st

Post by TheLastGentleman »

I remember someone saying here that those sites stay clear because sheets of ice from the KCTV tower plummet onto them, causing damage
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FangKC
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Re: 112 & 206 East 31st

Post by FangKC »

yes, TLG, that is what I've heard too. One was recently demolished for that reason. Any new buildings in that area will need to have fortified roof structures of some kind. Perhaps some type of metal screen structure that will break up falling ice before it hits the roof. It could be designed as a shade pergola for a roof deck as well.

The link below shows the structure that was demolished recently -- reportedly to remove it from risk of ice damage.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/112+E ... -73.982079
swid
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Re: 112 & 206 East 31st

Post by swid »

Congrats!

If you haven’t already, email the Union Hill Neighborhood Association board with whatever detail you can share at this time and/or to set up some time to meet with them.
Last edited by swid on Mon Jan 30, 2023 11:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Chris Stritzel
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Re: 112 & 206 East 31st

Post by Chris Stritzel »

That building is right next door to the tower. We’re north from the tower across 31st, so I expect maybe the situation is different considering some houses front 31st. I heard the grassy lot to the east and immediate sites south are cleared of buildings because of the ice. But we’re making sure to reinforce our roof anyway.

SWID, I’ve been in contact with Stacy from Union Hill. I have to give her a call tomorrow about this subject. She and Eric Bunch are grouped together in an ongoing email thread.
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Critical_Mass
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Re: 112 & 206 East 31st

Post by Critical_Mass »

The project sounds great to this union hill resident. Looking forward to more details!
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smh
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Re: 112 & 206 East 31st

Post by smh »

Sounds great, nice work Chris.
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Re: 112 & 206 East 31st

Post by alejandro46 »

This sounds great, looking forward to seeing renderings and getting construction started.
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Re: 112 & 206 East 31st

Post by moderne »

That block of Grand is one of the most charming in KC and probably the most complete Victorian block. It will be nice to have these buildings as a gateway. Please just do a better job than Bob Fry on the other side of Union Hill.
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Chris Stritzel
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Re: 112 & 206 East 31st

Post by Chris Stritzel »

moderne wrote: Tue Jan 31, 2023 11:21 am That block of Grand is one of the most charming in KC and probably the most complete Victorian block. It will be nice to have these buildings as a gateway. Please just do a better job than Bob Fry on the other side of Union Hill.
The building redesign should yield something positive, but I'm limited in the ability to dictate design since a majority of the cost falls in the hands of my affiliates. The first design was not representative of the neighborhood and would've been shot down the moment it was introduced. The hope is to do a better product than has been introduced in recent years.
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FangKC
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Re: 112 & 206 East 31st

Post by FangKC »

Please no geometric design silliness.
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KCtoBrooklyn
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Re: 112 & 206 East 31st

Post by KCtoBrooklyn »

moderne wrote: Tue Jan 31, 2023 11:21 am Please just do a better job than Bob Fry on the other side of Union Hill.
It's funny you bring that up, because I have seen some midtown residents (those particularly concerned with "historic-looking" buildings) site those as the gold standard for fitting in with the neighborhood aesthetic. I do think the two "Luxe Apartments" buildings on 30th St pull it off pretty well (although I'm not a fan of the fencing).

I believe Bob Frye still owns a few vacant lots in the area (including a couple flanking these sites). I'm curious if Chris or anyone else has heard if there is anything in the works for these lots.
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Re: 112 & 206 East 31st

Post by moderne »

Frye's projects though well intentioned, are poorly managed and never completed as planned. The buildings on 30th were supposed to have cast stone porticos that were never installed, thats why the units above the front doors have exterior doors leading to space..No sound proofing in units, you can hear neighbors on all sides, up and down--foot steps, dogs barking, music, even passionate love making in middle of night. Unregulated pets on elevators urinating and jumping on other passengers. Entry monuments were planned for 30th and Gilllham, never materialized.
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Chris Stritzel
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Re: 112 & 206 East 31st

Post by Chris Stritzel »

Quick update on this, per a quick discussion with some in the neighborhood, parking has increased from 70 to 89 spaces (the maximum we can fit without eliminating units or the commercial space). Additional changes are being made to be more in conformity with the Greater Downtown Area Plan and not just the Main Corridor Overlay District.

We're getting close to submitting a Development Plan application to the city. We had to make tough choices with this one to balance what we want and what we think the neighborhood will want (based on early conversations with some in the neighborhood) while ensuring that this is financially feasible. The toughest choice was squeezing in more parking while maintaining the overall layout of the building.

We're also playing around with the idea of some traffic calming on Grand Avenue as that street will become entirely one-way northbound as a result of this project. The goal there is to not allow cars to come flying around the corner and into the neighborhood. That's key for the neighborhood and for our own project.

That's all for now.
swid
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Re: 112 & 206 East 31st

Post by swid »

I wish my neighbors would think a bit more all the way through "one of the reasons we voted for the streetcar extension was to *reduce* the need for cars/parking, right?", but alas. Another one of my pet peeves is one-way neighborhood streets (if you want traffic calming on side streets, that's what speed bumps/tables are for), but I'm not going to win that argument, either.

In any case, I'm hoping this project moves forward and will happily talk it up with my neighbors. I don't know how much through has gone into exterior detail at this point, but it'd be nice to see some styling cues/trim details taken from the apartment buildings on the corner of 30th and McGee.
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smh
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Re: 112 & 206 East 31st

Post by smh »

Trade them the traffic calming in lieu of additional parking so close to frequent transit?
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Chris Stritzel
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Re: 112 & 206 East 31st

Post by Chris Stritzel »

swid wrote: Thu Mar 16, 2023 12:39 pm I wish my neighbors would think a bit more all the way through "one of the reasons we voted for the streetcar extension was to *reduce* the need for cars/parking, right?", but alas. Another one of my pet peeves is one-way neighborhood streets (if you want traffic calming on side streets, that's what speed bumps/tables are for), but I'm not going to win that argument, either.

In any case, I'm hoping this project moves forward and will happily talk it up with my neighbors. I don't know how much through has gone into exterior detail at this point, but it'd be nice to see some styling cues/trim details taken from the apartment buildings on the corner of 30th and McGee.
In terms of design, quite a bit of thought has been put into it on the architect's side of things. A modern option is what's being rolled with here, which is different from the intention I had, but I get the goal to be a bit edgy and offer something a bit different than what's been built recently. I expect design to be a point of contention, but I think the design will grow on people like it has for me. Just the renderings we have had produced don't have the level of detail we're thinking about, so it looks goofy in rendering form.

Just a warning.
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Anthony_Hugo98
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Re: 112 & 206 East 31st

Post by Anthony_Hugo98 »

Perhaps parking could be placed on grand as an element of traffic calming, and maybe swap those spaces from inside the buildings parking structure, so as to not lose any space for ground floor activation?
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Chris Stritzel
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Re: 112 & 206 East 31st

Post by Chris Stritzel »

Anthony_Hugo98 wrote: Thu Mar 16, 2023 1:28 pm Perhaps parking could be placed on grand as an element of traffic calming, and maybe swap those spaces from inside the buildings parking structure, so as to not lose any space for ground floor activation?
We already intend to add parallel parking on Grand with a wide raised crosswalk. With all the other parallel parking in the area, we could offset interior parking for on-street, but that's where we'd likely run into problems with neighbors.

I'll talk about the option, but I'm sure they'll want all parking to be inside the buildings. Most I can do is 89 spaces, so that's what the plan reflects. If they don't have a problem with having residents park on the street, then I'll revert to the original 70-space plan.

I'm positive we won't fill every space since we expect to open just after the streetcar extension opens.
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