Columbus Park Redevelopment

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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Re: Columbus Park Redevelopment

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normalthings wrote: Mon Sep 26, 2022 3:38 pm Multi-family apartment project at 650 East 4th Street, Kansas City, MO filed a plan.

No details in the application link. Designed by DRAW
Neighborhood meeting on this to be held tonight at 7pm at the Don Bosco Senior Center. I'll be there to see what's up and also start getting involved in neighborhood meetings across town.
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Re: Columbus Park Redevelopment

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The meeting tonight was eventful. All of the people who attended the meeting were not against the development per se, but they were fed up with how long has taken the development team to even get to this point. I didn’t realize that the original master plan for this development went back to 2004, so the neighbors are rightfully upset about this taking 18 years and the project not being any more than 50% complete. It was said that the original master plan called for 360 apartments, townhouse, and single-family units, but only about 106 have been constructed.

The development at 4th and Cherry Street will consist of 56 apartments spread out over three different buildings. The first phase will be a 2-3 story studio-only building along Cherry Street. The other two buildings will make up the one- and two-bedroom components. Of the units in this development, 30% of them will be designated affordable at 30% AMI (the developer made it sound like the studios would be the affordable units, but he wasn’t really clear). The remainder of the apartments will be market-rate. Rent for the market-rate units will range from $900 for a studio apartment up to $1495 for a two bedroom. Parking will be accessed from Cherry Street.

The buildings will be clad in a dark brick, or stucco, wood, and perforated metal on the balconies. A small green space will be included on 4th Street. The design of the new buildings at 4th and Cherry reminds me a lot of the smaller components of 2501 Beacon Hill, which makes sense since they’re designed by the same people (DRAW). In many ways, the plan presented tonight is the same that was proposed in 2018, just with the building on 4th and Holmes split into two.

Two residents of the current Columbus Park lofts development have specified that over the past year, when they hired a new property manager, the situation there has gotten much better. Landscaping is being kept up more in maintenance requests are being fulfilled in a timely manner. The new property manager got lots of praise.

Regarding the old bus barn redevelopment at 401 Charlotte, that should be completed in the next 5 weeks. Those units range from 1000sf to 1200sf and have rent from $1600 to $1800 per month. There are 12 units in that building.

The commercial building at 5th and Charlotte is waiting on a tenant to get financed.

A construction timeline on the project at 4th and Cherry Street was set tonight. If all goes well, construction could begin on that project in the spring and wrap up about a year later. Construction timelines on the other two buildings on that property and the project at 5th and Charlotte have not yet been established.
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Re: Columbus Park Redevelopment

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"Eventful" is a nice way to put it. Yes, the neighborhood is fed up with these developers. As a CP resident, I've been involved with this development since 2004 and we have been fed multiple lies, most of them laughable, but my neighbors want development so badly that they ate it up. There is no accountability for the developers' failures, since the LCRA has become a shadow of its former self after Joe Egan left. I could write book about these shananigans, but it's not worth the effort. If anyone has questions, fire away.
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Re: Columbus Park Redevelopment

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The land fronting Cherry should be the last piece they build on, at this point. With the removal of the MO 9 HWY overpass on the boards, Cherry Street will become the 'welcome mat / front door' to Columbus Park from the River Market. I just hope they are not facing their 'backs' to it since it is currently an imposing blank concrete wall. A '2-3 story studio-only building' and parking access fronting Cherry? Neat, I guess. But will that look good in X years when the overpass is replaced with an at-grade urban boulevard? I believe this developer has a lot of developable land they own on the mostly empty block the old bus barn is located (and empty sites north and east of that).
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Re: Columbus Park Redevelopment

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The apartments that have been developed so far have been crap, and their design does little to create a walkable village or active streetscapes.

My criticism is that these are apartments you place in the suburbs near a strip mall. The designers paid little attention to the historic patterns of the neighborhood. The apartments should have been pushed against the sidewalks with separate entrances to the apartments facing that sidewalk. The parking should have been placed in the center of the block with the units on the edge. How hard is it to do that?

They ruined creating any decent streetscape along 3rd Street with that parking lot. I suppose one could excavate it and put the parking under a new building there, but you know that won't happen.

They really screwed up the blocks they did, and shouldn't be allowed to do anything else in the neighborhood.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1107733 ... a=!3m1!1e3
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Re: Columbus Park Redevelopment

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FangKC wrote: Thu Oct 20, 2022 9:32 pm They really screwed up the blocks they did, and shouldn't be allowed to do anything else in the neighborhood.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1107733 ... a=!3m1!1e3
Makes me slightly ill every time I happen to go by.
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Re: Columbus Park Redevelopment

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RFP has gone out to redevelop HAKC's six acres.

Housing Authority seeks residential proposals for Columbus Park land adjoining DIY skate park

...
The authority last week issued a request for proposals for developers to acquire and pursue residential or limited mixed-use ideas on about 6 acres it owns off of Fourth Street, bounded west to east by Campbell and Gillis streets.
...
The authority aims to support a low- to moderate density proposal, no more than four stories tall and compatible with the pedestrian-friendly character of Columbus Park. From there, an evaluation panel will give extra consideration to projects that provide homeownership opportunities or housing for residents making up to 80% of the area's median family income (MFI). Additional goals include green space preservation, parking orientation away from the street, and neighborhood participation in planning.

"HAKC and the community strongly encourage the application of 'New Urbanism' design principles in the development," the authority's RFP reads. "The primary characteristic of New Urbanism is a greater orientation to the pedestrian than the automobile, with the goal of supporting an active street life. This creates a setting similar to a village in terms of building scale and orientation, with appropriate treatment of green space, lighting, streets and sidewalks."
...
The authority's RFP lists a Jan. 5 deadline for project submissions.
https://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity ... 2022-12-15

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Re: Columbus Park Redevelopment

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FlippantCitizen wrote: Thu Oct 20, 2022 10:09 pm
FangKC wrote: Thu Oct 20, 2022 9:32 pm They really screwed up the blocks they did, and shouldn't be allowed to do anything else in the neighborhood.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1107733 ... a=!3m1!1e3
Makes me slightly ill every time I happen to go by.
It reminds me of a motel or a prison cellblock. Really awful.
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Re: Columbus Park Redevelopment

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These please. They are new-build.

https://twitter.com/Cobylefko/status/16 ... saKC1ldxEw

https://twitter.com/Cobylefko/status/16 ... XdKEtr8y2A

I'd prefer different-looking townhouses breaking up the block, but if they have to be a consistent design I'll take these. The facades have texture.

One of the things I like about this block is the attention to the streetscape.

Location:

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9642658 ... 384!8i8192
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FlippantCitizen
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Re: Columbus Park Redevelopment

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Those are some really handsome townhomes. How I wish there was anything like that available in KC. Especially if they were for sale.
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Re: Columbus Park Redevelopment

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FlippantCitizen wrote: Fri Dec 23, 2022 5:48 pm Those are some really handsome townhomes. How I wish there was anything like that available in KC. Especially if they were for sale.
I think Freight House project is building them
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Re: Columbus Park Redevelopment

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I wish they would change the RPF to allow 7-story buildings along the south side of 3rd Street in Columbus Park, and maybe 10 stories on the north side of 3rd Street. Third Street should look like this except I'd take out the middle lane in this image for a landscaped median with trees.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9656208 ... 384!8i8192

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9645339 ... 384!8i8192
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Re: Columbus Park Redevelopment

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Columbus Park fights Airbnb takeover
Columbus Park, a historic urban neighborhood near downtown Kansas City, is being overrun by unregistered Short Term Rentals (STR), neighbors say. Now, the City is working on solutions that could have STR property owners paying their fair share.

On January 12, the Columbus Park Community Council (CPCC) sent a letter to Mayor Quinton Lucas, City Manager Brian Platt, and the City Council detailing the rapid proliferation of illegal STRs, advertised on sites like Airbnb and Vrbo. Their main concern, and their urgent requests to the City, are focused on Type 2, non-owner occupied units.

“We have a group of volunteers diligently trying to track these unpermitted businesses, and we are overwhelmed with that task, discovering new, illegal Airbnbs each week,” the letter said. “Columbus Park is becoming an unwilling hotel district.”

The most recent count found more than 25 listings on Airbnb for Columbus Park, only two of them registered with the City.
...
“STRs operating illegally, 90% or more [of them], should be put out of business and not granted a future license, especially for Type 2,” according to the letter. “These operators are often cash buyers for homes and multi-family buildings, and have multiple STR properties. They have the means to follow the ordinance and have chosen to defy it. Opening up any business can be challenging, whether it’s a restaurant or salon, yet they do not operate without the proper inspections and permits.”
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The neighborhood, which has seen steady increase in housing prices, asks the City to consider how STRs, as well as bulk buying of homes in targeted neighborhoods by real estate brokerages, may widen the gap in wealth and homeownership, increasing economic inequality and displacement in Kansas City.
...
https://northeastnews.net/pages/columbu ... -takeover/
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taxi
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Re: Columbus Park Redevelopment

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This is an epidemic in CP and other areas of the city, West Plaza for sure. Since the letter went out last week, we have discovered at least 5 more. Out of over 30, only 2 are licensed. It is a real mess, compounded by the city's inability to force compliance. The real tragedy is that the writing was on the wall, anyone paying attention should have seen what was happening in other cities and how they were struggling with the problem. Now, loads of investors risk losing major investments and that will make correcting the problem more difficult. And painful, though I don't feel sorry for them. On a scumbag scale, most of them are barely one step up from the payday loan people. I could go on and on. It is sucking the life out of our neighborhood. As many of you know, there are some determined people here. Expect to see some visible protest against these type 2 STRs real soon.
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Re: Columbus Park Redevelopment

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I'm happy people are standing up to this.

I check applications made to Compass everyday and there are often 8 or so STR applications all over the city. It's completely ridiculous to eliminate entire rental units for this. A condo that you own and occupy most of the year but want to rent it out while you're gone, fine. But don't take much needed housing off market to house those for a few days who couldn't give a shit about the city or neighborhood. And if the "owners" of the airbnbs are pieces of shit who don't care either, then they need to be run out of town.

Columbus Park is a lovely neighborhood and I'd love to live there (rent or buy a home), but if airbnbs keep creeping in, how will I? And with the available stock that doesn't become an airbnb, prices will rise sharply.
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Re: Columbus Park Redevelopment

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Prices have already risen and I know of at least 3 renters who were forced out because their domicile was converted to an airbnb. From my door, I can see at least 7. None are licensed. To be clear, these are completely illegal businesses.
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Re: Columbus Park Redevelopment

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In the second audit, the department concluded that few short term rental hosts are actually complying with City’s permit requirements – something Columbus Park residents already know firsthand.

“Since 2018, we estimate only about 7% of short term rental hosts have gotten a permit,” Jones said. “This has resulted in a loss of about $1.1 million in permit revenues, and that’s revenue that would have paid for enforcement and management activities.”
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Re: Columbus Park Redevelopment

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In addition to the problems neighborhoods are facing with these illegal rentals, and loss of permanent housing for residents, these units are competing with many City-subsidized hotel rooms and not paying any taxes.
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Re: Columbus Park Redevelopment

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The apps like Airbnb have a mechanism to get some okay from the cities to even have the listing live from what I thought I read in other cities. KCMO just needs to get that piece going.

I still don't see how that is going to stop property owners from kicking out renters and doing what they want with their property.
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Re: Columbus Park Redevelopment

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It appears that neighbors seem prone to turning them in.
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