DowntownKC.net

A GRAND BOULEVARD Rally ’round the flags (KC Star)

Grand Boulevard appears destined to become the “Boulevard of the Americas,” flying flags of more than 30 Western Hemisphere countries under a plan approved Tuesday by the park board.

Civic activist Jim Malouff has secured City Council backing and $45,000 for the project, which could get under way this year. The Downtown Council has agreed to maintain banners featuring the various flags, which will be hung permanently from light poles between Second and 28th streets.

The colorful flags “will contribute to the beautification of Grand Boulevard … and add to the ambience of downtown,” Malouff said.

The name change to Grand Boulevard of the Americas will be honorary and will not require businesses to change their formal addresses.

I think it’s an awesome idea! Anything to make downtown more unique is a great thing.

Kevin Collison of the KC Star recently wrote a very enlightening article about the current progress of the Sprint Center which is scheduled to open in October.

What’s more, people outside will enjoy the energy within when the arena is lit up at night with activity. Call me a homey, but I think this multifaceted glass bowl designed by an all-star team of local sports architects will garner some national recognition.

Brenda Tinnen, the Sprint Center’s general manager, said the $276 million arena project was on time and on budget, which is important to her boss, billionaire Phil Anschutz, whose company would be responsible for any overruns.

Tinnen also promised that Anschutz Entertainment Group is planning some “big-bang” events when the arena opens in October.

“You will see concerts that have passed Kansas City by before,” she said.

Kevin Henderson reported good progress on the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, which is rising on the arena’s north side.

“Our goal is to become the nonstop celebratory house of college basketball,” he said.

Link to story

I drove by earlier today, and looks like the glass panels completely circle the lower portion of the stadium. It’s going to be a thing of beauty on the KC skyline when all the glass panels are in place in a couple months! Also, it looks like Ticketmaster already has the seating chart available for the new arena.

Looks like KC managed to convince a high-profile national charter school to open its doors in the downtown area in the near future.

Links
- Discussion thread
- High-profile charter school poised for KC (KC Star)
- Union Station High School? (KC Star)
- KIPP.org

Quick rundown…
- Founded & managed by the KIPP Foundation (Knowledge Is Power Program)
- It would be a charter school, meaning public and tax-payer funded, but run by a local, independent board.
- KIPP currently educates 12,000 students in 52 schools around the country.
- The state has already approved the school, so the next step is to find a location. Everything from Downtown at 9th & Grand, to the crossroads, Midtown, 18th & Vine, and Union Station have been discussed as possible sites.
- A KIPP school is far different from the education environment that most public schools have. Students are given the teachers phone number and home visits are encouraged. School days are longer, and have more days in session per year than traditional public schools.
- 80% of KIPP graduates attend college, which is rather remarkable for schools that primarily educate urban youth.

My thoughts?
While I am thrilled KC has been given the opportunity to have a school such as this, one reason publicly stated for getting this school is to try and convince young families to stay in the downtown area and personally, and I don’t think that is a very realistic vision for this project. I am a 20-something resident of Downtown KC, and once I have children of schooling age, I’m not sending them into the KCMO school district as it currently is, and I’m in the majority with that line of thinking too. In 5-10 years it might be in better shape than it currently is, but still… it’s going to take a lot to convince me not to move to the suburbs or send my children to private school so they can have a quality education. Living downtown is cool, but I’m not going to sacrifice my children for that luxury.

Having just purchased at Riverbend Lofts at 2nd & Main, I couldn’t have been more thrilled when I came across this discussion about the 2nd Street Landscape Project. Amazingly, I hadn’t heard of this streetscaping project before, and it looks like it’s exactly what that area of the River Market needs.

Proposed items for the 2nd Street Corridor include:

• Roadway and sidewalk dimensions that give priority to pedestrian access, but also provide
  vehicular access
• An architectural element that could serve as a wayfinder or meeting point, with visibility
  from 5th Street, through the City Market and to 2nd Street

• Various parking options, including parallel and angled parking
• The addition of design elements to the existing sub-station on 2nd and Grand that
  would be incorporated seamlessly with other design features
• The development of pedestrian plazas, particularly at intersections along 2nd Street
  where there would be limited vehicular traffic
• An interpretive tower that would incorporate historical photos and signage about the
  history of Kansas City and the River Market
• Public amenities, such as bike racks and park benches that would be consistent with
  other aesthetic design elements along 2nd Street

Some links to PDFs with more information
http://www.kcmo.org/cimo/PAL/2ndStreetTabloid83.pdf
http://www.kcmo.org/cimo/PAL/2ndStreetEnews83.pdf

The Downtown Kansas City Council just released their annual Economic Impact report, you can find a PDF of it here.

Here are a few highlights on the impact of a $4 billion transformation of the city’s urban center.

Residential Statistics

• 861 units completed in the last 4-5 months
• 988 units under construction
• 2,649 units planned
• Since 2005, 630 affordable housing units have been completed.
• Over 16,000 residents live Downtown.
• Population of downtown expected to grow on a yearly basis through 2030 after negative growth from 1970-2000
• Between 2000 and 2006, the number of residential units Downtown increased 50 percent, a $630 million investment Downtown.

Most Expensive Projects Since 2006

• IRS Regional Service Center - $370,000,000
• Power and Light District - $350,000,000
• Kaufmann Center for the Performing Arts - $326,000,000
• Sprint Center Arena - $251,000,000
• Federal Building - $200,000,000
• Federal Reserve Bank - $200,000,000
• Kansas City Star Printing Press - $199,000,000

Business Statistics

• There are approximately 3,000 businesses Downtown, employing 100,000 people.
• Approximately 35% of Kansas City, MO employees and 10% of the MSA’s employees work Downtown.

Looks like it is that time of year again for the annual 2007 Kansas City Urban Housing Tour, which will be occurring on May 5th & 6th. For those that haven’t heard of it before, it is a weekend filled with activities and tours focusing on the urban housing market. If you are looking at either renting or buying in the KC area, this is a must see event as you can cram in an entire month’s worth of real estate/rental shopping in a matter of a couple days.

Sadly, I’ll miss the tour once again this year. Last year I was in Cancun, this year, I’ll be in Chicago. But, I already bought my downtown loft, so it’s probably better that I stay away from looking at all the shiny new projects that I’ll be jealous of.

More information on the event can be found on the downtownKC.org website.

Cordish adds two tenants to Power & Light District

The first is Maker’s Mark Bourbon House & Lounge, a 6,000 sq. ft. restaurant that already has a location in Louisville. But the other has me really excited, a Howl at the Moon dueling piano bar. KC will be Howl’s 13th location in the US and looks to be a ton of fun!

From Howl’s About Us page

Howl at the Moon takes the term “piano bar” to new heights, with the piano players offering up witty discourse while encouraging the audience to “sing-along” to songs almost everyone knows by heart. Anyone who delights in good music will have a wonderful experience. Howl at the Moon strives to keep their shows fresh with a mainstream and recognizable format that allows their typical customer to sing along with 90% of the songs.

Every staff member of the Howl at the Moon is involved with entertaining guests. There are staff “ShowTime” routines at the bar or on stage, and some (with talent) even perform with the piano players.
Howl at the Moon is a place where you’ll find “friends you have not met yet,” with everyone drawn together by the camaraderie and nostalgia to form one large, synergistic party, swaying to the music, bellowing out familiar lyrics.

It’s a place for a good time - for traveling business people and conventioneers in search of local color, and for people of all ages and occupations in the community. Although there are regulars, you will never find exactly the same people at “Howl” on any given night. The “Howl” is a hot spot for birthdays, anniversaries, bachelor, and bachelorette parties.

To get an idea of what we’re in store for, check out “Howl at the Moon” videos on YouTube.

Don’t worry Cigar Box, you’ll still always be my favorite.

Looks like KC is having it’s 3rd major fire in the last month, completely destroying another building just east of downtown at 7605 E. 12th.

KC Star article with video link.
Three-alarm fire burning on KC’s east side

What started out as a potentially great project just got a swift kick in the nuts. East Village is the leader as federal building site (KC Star).

Here’s the issue, the General Services Administration is wanting to consolidate its scattered KC offices and build a 700,000 sq. foot complex. Essentially, it would be a slightly smaller version of the IRS complex recently built next to Union Station, but right smack in the middle of what was initially supposed to be a vibrant 12 sq. block resident/retail project dubbed ‘The East Village’.

I can handle the boring 8-5/M-F government district we currently have downtown as long as it is surrounded by something with a little bit of life, but this would essentially turn the entire east side of downtown into a dead zone outside of business hours. Building a complex this size within walking distance of the new entertainment district and the Sprint Center just seems like an awful waste of space.

If you wanna see comments from some pissed off people about this issue, check out the East Village Thread.

The KC Business Journal just published an article (MoDOT move enables housing redevelopment in Columbus Park) about the Missouri Dept of Transportation agreeing to relocate from Columbus Park to the West Bottoms. This will allow Zimmer Real Estate Services to proceed with plans to convert 22 acres of land just east of the River Market into 360 housing units and 30,000 sq. feet of commercial property. This is great news for the downtown area as that is prime location for anyone looking for urban living, not in the middle of downtown.

Currently, the east side of the river market is booming with available property, Cold Storage Lofts just opened up, Bridgeworks Lofts still has a couple units left along with another project (townhomes?) just to the west of it opening within a few years. Hopefully the commercial property aspect of this project can add some much need essential amenities to the incoming residents. I met one of the developers with this project while on vacation last summer, and he couldn’t have been more excited about the potential this project has. He was convinced it was the next hot spot for urban redevelopment.