Star tearing down buildings for parking lots

[Long]

They are probably adding surface lots because they own the land and they don't need the buildings.   And they will probably be able to make a few bucks off arena event parking.

[LenexatoKCMO]

KCEOKEK - I don't know anything for sure about staff levels - hence the "aparently". 
However, I do recall that they mentioned in some of their articles that the new presses would give them much stronger capability in the commercial and contract printing businesses.  Perhaps that would account for more workers. 

[kevink]

So that goes back to my earlier question: Is the Star sell adding surface lots not because of additional workers but because city codes require X number of spaces per square footage? If that's the case, then at least some of the blame needs to fall on the codes, which were a response to a society that favors cars over public transit.

My guess without knowledge of the specifics: they are doing this on their own, to satisfy what they believe their own demand is, and probably for future flexibility. Even with adding these spaces, I would wager that they are probably under-parked according to the codes for the office and industrial use. Perhaps someone from the City can clarify-

[nota]

OK-I was going DT anyway so I went there. I drove around the whole area several times. Here are some observations:

Star parking lots were all full. People walking back and forth everywhere. The street parking in the block of the old buildings which is clearly marked "NO PARKING between 7AM and 6PM" was full also.

Up by the new building, the street parking was full-I assume with construction workers.

The smashed building is indeed small.

The surrounding area is full of boarded up and empty buildings. Some also with open hole windows and no boards. Totally run down. Several bars, little to no "retail"

Tons of "For Sale" and for Lease signs. Lots of phone numbers of the big RE companies.

If it weren't for the Star and the activity going on there, the area would be deader than a hammer.

With all that in mind, I applaud the Star for doing the right thing and improving their property in a manner that would not only help their planned expansion but would also improve the neighborhood.

Those other old buildings won't all be full of "street level retail" and lofts etc till my grandchildren have grandchildren. And maybe by then, the Star will sell off some of their property to a developer and if they don't, they might build a parking garage.

However, frankly I can't see a whole lot of difference between a parking garage and a parking lot in that particular area. Not enough development there to attract anyone. That is except for the Star and what they have done.

[KC0KEK]

According to www.kcstar.com/cam/newplant_05_11_2003.html, the printing/production facility has about 400 workers, most of whom are on the night shift.

[LenexatoKCMO]

Those other old buildings won't all be full of "street level retail" and lofts etc till my grandchildren have grandchildren. And maybe by then, the Star will sell off some of their property to a developer and if they don't, they might build a parking garage.

However, frankly I can't see a whole lot of difference between a parking garage and a parking lot in that particular area. Not enough development there to attract anyone. That is except for the Star and what they have done.

Thank you for that rosy outlook - Do you have a clue what you are talking about?  I am glad to hear that the Power and Light District and the Arena are "not enough development to attract anyone" even after your grandchildren's grandchildren are around.  Have you been living under a rock?  This area is directly accross the road from the biggest concentration of development in the damn city!  The  land we are talking about will be closer to the arena and P&L than almost any other available land downtown.  If any developers beside Cordish have a hope of developing residential close to the district - this is the spot.  Try seeing the bigger picture sometime.  Apparently things are changing too fast for you to notice.  

[nota]

Thank you for that rosy outlook - Do you have a clue what you are talking about?  I am glad to hear that the Power and Light District and the Arena are "not enough development to attract anyone" even after your grandchildren's grandchildren are around.  Have you been living under a rock?  This area is directly accross the road from the biggest concentration of development in the damn city!  The  land we are talking about will be closer to the arena and P&L than almost any other available land downtown.  If any developers beside Cordish have a hope of developing residential close to the district - this is the spot.  Try seeing the bigger picture sometime.  Apparently things are changing too fast for you to notice.  

Putting words in my mouth I see.

Get a grip - I was speaking only of the blocks immediately around the new building-like across the street. GEEEEEZ!!!!!!!!

I guess you missed this.

[Big Red Storm]

I have to agree with LenexatoKCMO here.  While this area isn't chock full of development right now, it will be very soon.  You have the P&L District and arena to the north, the possibility of Truman Blvd., and a very hot area all around it.  Development is expanding all over the area.  I don't think we will have to wait 'till your grandchildren have grandchildren nota, it will probably be no more than 5-10 years before this area is full of development (including that retail).  I also understand the opposing view of this, I just think building a parking garage would be much better for the neighborhood than tearing down buildings for more parking lots.

[Long]

I have to agree with LenexatoKCMO here.  While this area isn't chock full of development right now, it will be very soon.  You have the P&L District and arena to the north, the possibility of Truman Blvd., and a very hot area all around it.  Development is expanding all over the area.  I don't think we will have to wait 'till your grandchildren have grandchildren nota, it will probably be no more than 5-10 years before this area is full of development (including that retail).  I also understand the opposing view of this, I just think building a parking garage would be much better for the neighborhood than tearing down buildings for more parking lots.

This is exactly why we don't need to worry about the Star tearing down two buildings for parking!!  Development will move in when the market decides its time, they will buy up the land from the Star, the Star will build a parking garage.  And to top it off, the developers probably would have just torn down these buildings anyway (see P&L).

Until this happens, our two choices are-- (a) a block full of surface lots, or (b) a block full of surface lots and a parking garage. 

[LenexatoKCMO]

Putting words in my mouth I see.

Huh? The highlighted bit is right there in your post. 

[Beermo]

I guess the only potential brightside would be if the Star turns loose some of their further away lots for development (like the giant on the West side of Soho South). 

the star has half of that lot. the other half went to soho tenants when it was occupied a few years ago.

[Beermo]

anyone know what these buildings look like? (they are being very quick about it too................... starting this week?)

one was the former one-story hip hop detail shop on the corner of 16th and mcgee. the other was the former 3-story AAA auto body, which is still on the corner of 17th and mcgee.

[Beermo]

I can't even articulate how disgusted I am with this.

why? they were both dumps and not suited for occupancy or a business. i understand the tearing down part might break your heart, but hey, they were shitholes.

[Beermo]

Exactly. . .  the buildings torn down for P&L represent a greater loss than anything the Star has done or is planning.  But I suppose someone would argue that the new Star building is bad because it doesn't have street level retail and residential on top of the sloping roof.

you wouldn't want to shop there or live there if it did.

the thing some people might be missing or forgetting is that the new building is not exactly a new star. you wouldn't want to live across the street on either mcgee or oak.

the new building is just a production facility. not a headquarters. despite it's glass and copper exterior.

when it goes 100% online next year, it's going to be a 24/7/365 work facility. there will be press runs and inserting going on at all hours. there will be big trucks and semi's loading and unloading 24 hours a day. the truck traffic will be horrendous.
anyone ever see those trains that run from the tracks by union station to the star warehouse in the alley between walnut and grand? those cars will hold 80 full size rolls of paper. you're not going to get half of that in a semi trailer. all the paper that the stars requires will have to trucked to the new facility. imagine how many trucks that will take. daily. you might not like it if you live in soho south.

[Beermo]

Nota - have you been to the northern xroads lately?  Take a look around and count how many surface parking lots there are sprinkled everywhere that have little signs on them that say "KC Star employee parking" - they are everywhere- some of them huge.  If a company is going to hold itself out as a great savior of downtown and promoter of the neighborhood (as the Star has done in countless self-promoting articles and even recently in a full blown sectional insert) have the decency to build a parking gargage for your employees rather than hundreds of acres of lots.  Hallmark and H&R Block had the decency to build garages for their employees around their downtown facilities rather than paving over the whole neighborhood - why shouldn't the Star be held to the same standard? 

what exactly is the northern xroads?

lot 5 is between 16th and 17th on walnut. the star has it to the alley in the middle and to the halfway point going north from 17th. the other half is soho south parking.

the lot south of 17th on walnut used to be the star's lot about 10 years ago. it is now bazooka's

that's all the star has west of walnut.

lot 9 is the lot that's between diamond shamrock and and the star warehouse on grand. it holds about maybe 25 spaces. lot 8 is the little lot next the star print shop and across the alley from lot 9. it has about 20 spaces.

these 2 lots are the only lots the star has between grand and walnut.

lot 18 is where i park. on the corner of 16th and mcgee. it has about 30 spaces maybe. we only have to park there before 6pm. it is also used with impunity by anyone visiting anyplace near the lot.

lot 3 is the big lot where they are taking down the 2 buildings.

lot 2 is the lot on the north side of the main star building on grand.

lot 1 is the lot on the south side of the same building.

the star also has a lot on the corner of 18th and oak. and assorted little bitty lots over on oak or locust.

the one thing that you lack is an understanding of what the star is all about and and an understanding of what their corporate owners are all about.  i'll give you a hint.....it's not about generosity. i'm sure you can figure it out. i'll give you another hint it starts with the letter...$.

the cost of a garage is 10 times more than a surface lot. at least. i'm sure if you offer to provide the cash they would build one.

[Beermo]

1) I was refering to their existing stock of parking - not just the new lots.  Have you seen their lot west of Soho South - it is one of the largest downtown - nearly a city block

not true again. the lot you refer to is lot 5 and the star has less than a quarter of that block. they do have about a third of the entire surface lot. 

i can understand you being upset, but if you want to toss around hyperbole and rants, you should at least have the facts straight to back up your righteousness. it really helps.

and maybe you're just upset about that particular lot because you think the star has the whole thing. you can rest easy. they don't.

[nota]

Lordy Beermo! You and I agree on something???

I'm marking this day on my calendar.

[Beermo]

Truly, I am very happy to have the Star downtown.  However, I would much rather have a built up environment without any big companies than what they are doing.  One of the truly most important things in an urban environment is to have continuous urban fabric.  Holes in it for parking everywhere make it very unsuccessful.  You can say all this good stuff about the Star building there, but the surface lots are killing the neighborhood.  Having a corporate headquarter surrounded by parking is not a success, it is a dissapointment.  It is time for the Star to build a garage and stop killing the neighborhood, or else just get out.  Downtown will survive whether they are there or not.

By the way Long, the block that you mention at one point did have great urban fabric until companies like this and the city raped it in the ass.

geez, this is a long thread.

when the star had all those neighborhood killing lots put in, there was no neighborhood.

that block had run down 100 year old buildings where that lot stands now. that's not urban fabric, that is rundown dilapidation. you're thinking of some fairy tale, not reality.

the reason that the star has that many lots is because they have that many employees. most of those employees don't live downtown and i would say over half don't even live in k.c. they all pay the e-tax.

there are many, many businesses that would not have even got off the ground, let alone survived and made it to the point that people that NOW live in the area are frequenting them if the star didn't exist downtown. hell, i get in with no cover to any show at the brick because i'm one of those star employees that helped sheri stay afloat when people like you were in the burbs and or in high school, having urban dreams. while you were dreaming about downtown i was working and spending money there 20 years ago. where were you when downtown was a complete shit hole with nothing but bums, drunks and star employees around and there was nothing open at night and no place to get food or drink?

this seems to be one of those gentrification issues. now that you and your friends are there the star should just move on after a 125 years so you can have your chic urban lifestyle with the hip bars and trendy restaurants.

downtown is downtown. if you want to be hip move to aspen.

[Beermo]

Nota - I never called it untrue - I called it self-promoting and bad journalism - big difference.  When a media outlet constantly presents its own promotion as "news" - that is bad journalism.

bad journalism? are you kidding. the star hasn't done shit as far as writing goes. they haven't won a pulitzer since '92.

again, the star is not about journalism, it's about $$$$$.

[Beermo]

I'm pretty sure they did that on purpose.  They took the wind out of any potential outrage before it could get started.

you guys are killing me. you make a big deal over 2 shitty buildings that you can't even occupy. wtf. go save some whales or a rainforest.

they started tearing down the first one yesterday about 10am. it was cool. i was there and saw them take out the first wall. lots of good no hole brick. that place was a one story structure with no windows. and not much else but 4 walls and a roof built on a slab.