Another vacancy in Westport
With the relocation of Starbucks, the Corner’s closure leaves half of the high profile Westport/Broadway intersection vacant.  Further east, additional large vacancies include the old Loma Vista hardware, the old Out There gay gift shop, and the giant Osco/Katz building.

Westport’s notoriously disorganized property owners and business owners really have their work cut out for them to fill so many vacancies during a recession.

January 21st, man found lying in the street with gunshot wounds, Pitch.

February 4th, burglars hold family at gunpoint, KMBC.

February 6th, armed robbers accost men on the street, Examiner.

News from City Hall
City Communications Office
City of Kansas City, Mo.

http://www.kcmo.org

CONTACT: Mary Charles, city communications officer, (816) 513-1356

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 7, 2010

Residents asked to park off-street during snow removal

With weather forecasts calling for significant snowfall between Sunday, Feb. 7 and Tuesday, Feb. 9, the City of Kansas City, Mo., is requesting that all residents voluntarily refrain from parking their vehicles on City streets by the morning of Monday, Feb. 8, through Wednesday, Feb. 10.

Parking cars off-street during snow removal operations greatly enhances the ability of snow plows to remove snow and use larger equipment when possible.

Parking cars on designated snow routes during Phase II of a winter storm is already against City ordinance and cars are subject to being ticketed two hours after the phase is implemented. During Phase I of a winter storm, drivers who do not have snow-rated tires on their cars will be ticketed if they get stuck on a major thoroughfare.

Crews assigned to arterial, and primary streets are on standby to report for work on the evening of Sunday, Feb. 7. The City’s Snow and Ice Plan calls for keeping primary and arterial streets open for traffic. On primary and arterial streets, crews plow curb-to-curb and work around the clock to remove snow and apply salt.

Crews assigned to residential streets are on standby to begin plowing residential streets at 6 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 8. On residential streets, the City’s Snow and Ice Plan calls for providing a passable lane. Crews assigned to residential streets apply salt on intersections, hills and curves and plow snow as needed.

The City’s Public Works, Parks and Recreation and Water Services departments collaborate to remove snow and ice from approximately 900 miles of primary and arterial routes and apply salt and plow as needed on more than 1,800 miles of residential routes.

Residents may call the following numbers for assistance: 3-1-1 City Action Center (a division of the City Manager’s Office), 311 or (816) 513-1313; and the Missouri Department of Transportation, (816) 622-6500. Requests for removal of tree limbs from the rights-of-way should be directed to the 3-1-1 City Action Center.

Media inquiries about ice and snow removal should be directed to Dennis Gagnon, public information officer for the Public Works Department, (816) 513-2659.

www.nelson-atkins.org

With the P&Z vote on Lake at Tomahawke Ridge coming tomorrow afternoon, I wanted to take a moment to share my thoughts and opinion on the Lake at Tomahawke Ridge development.

First and foremost, the media continues to report that there is an abundance of already developable land in the Northland.  This is patently untrue, especially in Platte County. Much of the vacate ground that appears to be developable in the Northland has no water and no sewer. Additionally, noise contours from the airport, commercial land uses and various terrain issues, such as steep slopes and flood plains, take out the vast majority of the remaining ground.

The fact is that no ground, presently in Kansas City, can support a development of this size without major capital improvements to the water and sewer systems.  However, the ground for the proposed Tomahawke Ridge can support the needed development.  There is an existing water transmission line on the property and the property is located less than two miles from a sewer treatment plant.  Additionally, the developer is willing to construct the sewer system at his own expense in order connect to the treatment plant.  The ground is currently zoned for apartments. It has no terrain issues and does not lie within any noise contours from the airport.

Secondly, all issues with the city departments have been resolved.  Fire no longer opposes the project due to the fact the residential sprinklers will be built in homes. Just a side note, residential sprinklers are required by the International Building Code for all new homes as of 2012.  The police have always been neutral on the project.  They have never stated response time is too long.  That issue has been misreported from day one.  The issues with the ambulance service will be resolved with a mutual aid agreement with the regional ambulance district.  Finally, the Aviation Department has sent a memo that they do not oppose annexation.  Many of these issues have been resolved after the Staff Report, often cited by the media, was published.  However, the City never issues an amended Staff Report.

Most recently, the Fiscal Analysis done by the KCEDC has been attacked as misleading.  The KCEDC used an average home price of $250,000 as a basis for the analysis.  This number has been attacked as it has been above the $170,000 work force housing number used in discussing the project.  However, the developer has said from day one that the project is a mixture of price ranges with 75% at $170,000 for work force housing and the other 25% starting at $350,000.  The KCEDC blended the number, adjusted the number up since; (1) these numbers are starting prices and (2) it is a 20 year analysis adjusted for inflation.  Therefore the KCEDC used $250,000 as the average price for the entire project. The same logic holds regarding the number used for the average household income.  It is a blended number based on the expected occupants of the development.

One of the common refrain is that this is sprawl.  However, we are providing workforce housing in a very close proximity to one the largest concentrations of jobs in the City.  The KCI Corridor has employers like Citicards, Harley Davison and ADT.  Literally, thousands of jobs are close to this project.  Placing housing next to jobs is a strong planning concept. It just happens to be that these jobs are not in the core of the City.

Finally, it has been misreported that this will be an economic burden on the City when it is the developer that is paying for all the infrastructure, building of all roads, all water and sewer connections. The developer is also supplying trash removal, recycling and snow removal.  In reality, the city’s taxpayers and media should be welcoming a developer that is willing to build in the City and not ask for any tax incentives; but instead, leave the City in better financial shape.  I would hope that the City could go out and attract more developments such as this so at the end of the day the City would have more resources to take care of basic services for its current existing citizens.

Christopher W. Byrd, P.C.

On the sprawl side, the infamous Tomahawke Ridge leapfrog development will likely pass the KCMO City Council’s Planning & Zoning Committee and go onto the full City Council.  That meeting happens on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. in the Council Chamber.

On the sustainability side, the Mid-America Regional Council unveils a new long-range transportation plan that calls for a shift in land use.  The plan encourages new development adjacent to existing development and within reach of existing infrastructure.  It’s meant to let suburbs grow more efficiently and help urban reas redevelopment more successfully, all while better supporting transportation options like public transit, bicycling, and walking.

Let’s Go KC: Learn about the new land use and transportation plans proposed for Greater Kansas City

MARC: Transportation 2040

Many Kansas City Councilmembers have been very vocal about sustainability, and this week the Tomahawk Ridge issue will demonstrate whether or not they have the courage to practice what they preach.

Details at www.kcdesignweek.org

www.ingredientrestaurant.com, 4807 Jefferson KCMO.

Follow the hashtag #OPEDSOTU to see tweets all of the politicians and journalists participating in the this national project.

Seattle Times: Live-Tweeting President Obama’s State of the Union.