The Plaza: Not that difficult and we all win

Over at TKC, Tony was complaining that we were all whiny, as a city, about preserving the Plaza when a lot of us complained about the possible razing of the Balcony building for the Polsinelli Law Firm's new building. But look what happened. Highwoods Properties and Polsinelli announced their plans, people didn't like them, they reworked them and now everyone, it seems, is getting what they want. Polsinelli and Highwoods get the new facility they want and need, the old Balcony building is saved and, really, the Plaza properties will be "new and improved" and invested in well so it can grow and develop wisely. This truly is one of those hoped-for "win/win/win" situations. Best of all, for Polsinelli--and even Highwoods--they come out of this with the reputations of doing the right thing for, yes, the Plaza, but also the city. It's a great PR move. What would have been a permanent black eye, of sorts, is now a badge of honor. It's a good day for Kansas City and all involved in this process. Have a great weekend, y'all. link to original post: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/08/26/2179076/highwoods-revises-plans-for-plaza.html

In case you'd care to help fight the new Polsinelli building on the Plaza

This entry is for just that--in case you want to help fight the new Polsinelli building proposed for the Plaza. If you're on Facebook (come on, admit it, you are), search for this group: Save the Plaza 2010 Then join, of course. They're having an organizational meeting this Friday evening at 5:30 pm, you'll find. You can also reach them at their email address savethe Plaza@yahoo.com. You are recommended to attend the rezoning hearing on oct. 5 at 12:30 at City Hall, too, if you can. Finally, if you can, listen in today on KCUR 89.3 FM, 11am as Steve Kraske will be talking with Kansas City Star development reporter Kevin Collison, Polsinelli Shughart chairman and chief executive W. Russell Welsh, Historic Kansas City Foundation president Scott Lane and others about the proposed project and why it's creating so much controversy. Side note: I'll bet the Polsinelli people are regretting now that they are immediately known as "The Law Firm That Wants to Tear Down Part of the Historic Country Club Plaza, Only to Build a New, Irrelevant, Contemporary Structure." Just bad PR, all the way around, huh? Too bad. Here's hoping. Have a great week, y'all.

On the Plaza and the proposed new building

I thought I might avoid this entry but I just can't. I can't help but write on how monumentally stupid and short-sighted it is for Highwoods Properties and the Polsinelli-Shughart Law Firm to propose tearing down one of the original, landmark Plaza buildings, in order to build a new, contemporary one that fits their needs. At least when the Lockton Companies built theirs they a) built it on an otherwise barren property and b) put one up that matched, in style, the mediteranean/Spanish style of the rest of the Plaza. The fact is, the Plaza still works, as a retail and restaurant destination right now, in spite of the fact that a huge quantity of the stores and spaces on it are utterly empty right now. And do you know why it works? It works because JC Nichols put up good, solid, one-style architecture and so created a destination. It only still works because it has good architecture--good "bones", so to speak--and so, feels like we've really gone somewhere, when we do go down there. What other area or place in town does that? Downtown? Decidedly not. Oak Park Mall? Please. No, the answer is no. The fact is, there is no other one area in town that is built the way places used to be built like this and that is the Country Club Plaza. For Highwoods and Polsinelli to now propose the beginning of what is surely the further dismantling of the Plaza is tremedously short-sighted and empty. If they want this building, find another site, please, ladies and gentlemen. But the fact is, this go-round, they know better than to ask for TIF money to create this debacle and it's all their own, private money. I'm afraid it looks as though it really will go through---unless Kansas Citians truly raise hell about it. I hope we're not all so poor that we don't have time to do just that--protest so much the plans are changed. Note to Polsinelli-Shughart: can't you just, please, make the "West Edge" project work for you? Please?? Links to related posts: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/08/19/2162001/office-building-planned-in-heart.html http://www.kansascity.com/2010/08/20/2164294/irate-plaza-fans-object-to-law.html

I'm so old...

I remember when the Country Club Plaza had no traffic lights. Keep cool, y'all and have a great weekend.

Plaza news

Heads up, campers.

Word is slowly getting out, in spite of Highwoods desire to keep it quiet, that one more Plaza store is shutting down, after trying to negotiate a lease that would work for the store.

Naturally, for Highwoods, no such "leniency" that would have otherwise kept the store there, the space filled and money coming in so the company has to close.

Word is that it is a photography/nature store of some kind.

(If you get my meaning).


Think happy thoughts, campers!

Saturday night's blow up--the only two things that matter

Let's call this what this was--a melee'--as I said before.

It wasn't "riot" and it certainly wasn't a "race riot", since it isn't one group against another.

You can even call it a "flash mob" as some have but a "flash mob", up to this point has meant people that get together to entertain others and create a fleeting event.

This was a flash mob that was created only to entertain themselves, at the rather big expense of others.

Two things, then, call out to me about this incident this past Saturday evening on the Plaza.

First, it seems insane that these kids coordinated this anarchy and chaos for entertainment.

There's no other way to describe it. It was simply anarchy and chaos for entertainment.

And how do you combat that?

Anyone who says you don't need or use pepper spray, then, needs to go down there and work with the police to get and keep things under control.

The second thing about this is that this is the third week in a row this has happened and, as the weather warms and word gets out, it's increasing in the number of people who participate. Good luck to us in May, June and the rest of the Summer if this isn't under control rather quickly. As in, immediately.

So if you're the government of the City of Kansas City, Missouri, or the Mayor or the Chief of Police or part of the Police Department or Highwoods Properties or their security staff, the only question is how do you stop it from happening again?

A glimmer of hope on the Plaza

 

Of course, this is good news, what with the Country Club Plaza apparently getting a big, new retail tenant--next year. That's some good news, sure.

And I was happy to see Brookstone was going into the old Sharper Image site but then looked closer.

It's for the holidays and only for the holidays.

Word has it Brookstone wanted to negotiate a permanent store location there but Plaza management said "No", as always. They'd rather pretend they are the high-end retail location they want to be, rather than be realistic and fill the space.

That should sound terribly familiar since they did the same thing to Meiner's, what? 5 or 6 years ago?

Instead of giving that terrific little store/restaurant a financial break, they preferred to throw them out and have it closed up--empty--ever since. Area residents on the Plaza needed a little grocer, sure, and they were a great tenant. The bistro they ran was fun and attractive and served reasonably-priced and good food but negotiate a lower lease?

Oh, heck no.

That just makes too much sense.

The space would be full, sure, and people could do commerce and we'd still be making money but not the highbrow money we want. That would never do.

Talk about pretzel logic.