Street closures for H&R Block & PowerLight Live Cons

KCPowercat · Post by **KCPowercat** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 7:34 pm

According to the ATA's website, the following streets will be closed starting June 21st.

- Walnut between 12th & Truman
- 12th between Main & Grand
- 13th between Main & Grand

Plan your drive accordingly....great news to see movement on 2 great projects.

kcteen · Post by **kcteen** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 7:39 pm

is this Power & Light Live!/HR BLock or MAX related?

Also, if it is Power & Light Live! stuff, when are they going to start and what will they be doing? Just demolishing at this point, right?

kcteen

KCDevin · Post by **KCDevin** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 7:41 pm

So that's the Jones Store Block and the 2nd project is Power & Light Live right?

scooterj · Post by **scooterj** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 7:49 pm

I think it's definitely for Block and for P&L Live, the Business Journal has reported that streets in the project area would start closing this summer.

I can't think of anything MAX-related that would require closing entire streets.

I didn't know about the Walnut closure so thanks for posting that!

The combination of streets being closed makes me wonder if they are planning to demolish the Jones building this weekend?

KCDevin · Post by **KCDevin** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 7:51 pm

that's what I was thinking too, and do you think they will be breaking ground and tearing up the parking lots for P&L Live? Of course, what else could it be?

QueSi2Opie · Post by **QueSi2Opie** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 8:56 pm

I couldn't imagine them tearing up the streets for KC Power&Light Live before they even have tenants and an official rendering/design.

KCDevin · Post by **KCDevin** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 9:02 pm

well, H&R Block has their official rendering, and they aren't going to start constructing the buildings till next summer.

KCPowercat · Post by **KCPowercat** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 9:02 pm

I don't think they are tearing up many streets but maybe tearing up buildings within this block.

I believe the Walnut closing has a lot to do with them rerouting the fiber line....that's probably a great deal of all of this.

but the ATA says these will be closed for awhile so who knows....this could also be part of the streetscaping project which would work in tune with the MAX line.

I doubt any of this is based on the entertainment district for exactly the reasons Que mentioned.

KCDevin · Post by **KCDevin** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 9:07 pm

yea, however I was saying they might be breaking ground (in my original post I think I said the lots and the buildings are probably coming down)

but I thought it was strange they chose to close off those street if it's for MAX.
Streetscaping would be great, but I wouldn't think they would add trees and stuff before construction on P&L Live began construction.

QueSi2Opie · Post by **QueSi2Opie** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 10:10 pm

KCDevin wrote:well, H&R Block has their official rendering, and they aren't going to start constructing the buildings till next summer.

I thought ground breaking was this Fall, Devin? It'll take 18 months to complete and they (H&R) wanna relocate downtown by August 2006.

KCDevin · Post by **KCDevin** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 10:23 pm

read my post again more carefully:

well, H&R Block has their official rendering, and they aren't going to start constructing the buildings till next summer.

Groundbreaking is very different from constructing the buildings.
Remember the fiber optic deal? It made them postpone the actual building construction longer.
Groundbreaking would include demolition of current buildings, tearing up the lots, finding the quality of the ground, studying the land, digging down into the ground for the suitable foundation, pouring the foundation, then the construction will start. However by the time they could pour the foundation winter will almost be here and they wouldn't be able to construct it very easily in the middle of winter, therefore postponing the pouring of the foundation till spring, then construction of the buildings will start next summer.

scooterj · Post by **scooterj** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 10:37 pm

Except one minor detail... there IS no existing building to tear down on the H&R Block site.

(Unless they go ahead and clear out the south end of the block even though that's technically P&L Live)

GRID · Post by **GRID** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 10:59 pm

There are a ton of utilities they need to relocate for all the projects. The Downtown part of MAX is really going to be pretty intense as well and includes a lot of complete rehab of streetscapes. I'm glad they are actually closing the streets so they will look new when they are done instead of patched from having to rebuild them in phases.

KCPowercat · Post by **KCPowercat** » Fri Jun 18, 2004 5:07 pm

The Walnut portion of the closure is to remove the old trolley tracks.....can't we use them????

No word on 12th & 13th...I'd assume that's more for MAX and H&R Block

scooterj · Post by **scooterj** » Fri Jun 18, 2004 5:41 pm

There's old trolley tracks? Never noticed 'em before.

JerseyGuy · Post by **JerseyGuy** » Fri Jun 18, 2004 7:12 pm

Here's more info on the street closures on the kcmo.org website:

http://www.kcmo.org/cimo.nsf/web/et?opendocument

As well as a map of the area:

http://www.kcmo.org/cimo/map.pdf

scooterj · Post by **scooterj** » Fri Jun 18, 2004 7:30 pm

Even though this creates a whopping 15 seconds or so of inconvenience for my "commute" home from work, this is one project where they can close any road they want for as long as they need and I could not be happier.

kcteen · Post by **kcteen** » Fri Jun 18, 2004 10:55 pm

keep the buried pavers! bring back cobblestone streets

zonk · Post by **zonk** » Sat Jun 19, 2004 12:36 pm

There's discussions about closing the streets for the entire 7-8 block Power & Light District area...Let's see if it turns into that.

KCPowercat · Post by **KCPowercat** » Sat Jun 19, 2004 1:22 pm

at very least 14th street should be closed for good.