By Kevin Collison
A proposal for a 30-story residential and hotel tower at the northeast corner of Wyandotte and 14th adjacent to the historic Power & Light Building has been submitted to the city by Lux Living.
The plan submitted by the St. Louis developer calls for a building that would include 300 apartments and 200 hotel rooms along with a small amount of retail space. It would include a 421 space, four-level garage.
“LuxLiving is evaluating a potential high rise development at 14th and Wyandotte,” a company spokesperson said.
“We hope to partner with the local community to activate this corner of the convention district. In the meantime, our team has submitted a preliminary design package to the city.”
The development application lists the DLR Group as the architect. The tower would devote five levels to the hotel and 15 levels to apartments.
If the proposal were to move forward, it would rival the number of apartments in the nearby 296-unit Two Light building and the 288-unit Three Light project now under construction.
It also would remove a rubble-strewn lot at 1319 Wyandotte which was a dangerous hazard to passersby three years ago. The property drops 10-15 feet from the adjoining sidewalk and was not fenced for a month until the city acted on complaints.
The property at 1319 Wyandotte has been a blighted mess since an old garage located there was razed more than seven years ago. The adjoining parcel at 1330 Wyandotte is currently a surface parking lot.
Lux has been active in the Kanas City urban core market for the past couple years.
The firm is building the 215-unit Wonderland project at 19th and Broadway, and the 192-unit Katz project at Westport Road and Main.
The developer also has the rights to redevelop the 250-unit Freight House Village project at 20th and Walnut, and build a 250-unit project on the riverfront.
The two properties where the project is proposed were put on the market two years ago with a list price of $7.1 million after a previous development concept fell through.
Three years ago, an entity called Bravicci LLC floated a proposal that called for a tower on the site with 160,000 square feet of office space, 225 apartments and a 200-room hotel atop a 500-space above grade garage.
That deal never progressed however, and the properties are now owned by an entity called Red Oak Capital Fund II LLC that lists its offices as being in Grand Rapids, Mich.
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My comment is I hope LUX living does NOT ask for any type of tax incentive or abatement and if so who are they requesting it from so I can enter public testimony in opposition as I have done before, with success, for the people and our education system in Kansas City.
My comment is that I will oppose this construction of new apts and hotel by Lux Living if they are asking for tax incentives or abatements. As has been shown in the past, Lux Living, is NOT a reliable manager for their apartments as has been documented and testified by their tenants in St Louis. Their application for building apts in the river district area in KC was shut down when it was verified that this company was not accurately vetted prior to their application. It Lux Living is requesting tax incentives and or abatements for this high level project I will attend and give testimony against it as I have at many other projects and with success for the purpose of protecting and working with affordable housing and decreasing funding for our KC Schools.
The incentive request for the riverfront project was withdrawn, Lux is still pursuing the project.
and if they request tax incentives and abatements for high end apartments, I will again oppose!
Clay mercusen you should run for office. Posting multiple comments on the same post sounds like 1) you have a personal beef with the company and want attention 2) you have nothing better to do in your life at this time.
My name is Clay Marcusen, it is not the name you addressed me with. I am unclear what company you are referring to and I, as many others, do respond when I see proposals that I believe unfair to the people. If this bothers you, don’t read it!
Here’s an example of what happens when people like you blindly oppose tax incentives. In 2014, millionaire Shirley Helzberg wanted to redevelop 1640 Baltimore, and got tax incentives. But there was a public outcry. So she didn’t get the tax incentives. At the time, the KC school district got about $20k in tax revenue per year from the property. With the redevelopment, even with the tax incentives (i.e. tax forgiveness), the school district would have received about $100k in revenues per year. Due to the outcry, that piece of land was never redeveloped. So the school district has lost $80 per year in tax revenue, and then far more revenue once the tax incentives would have ended. Instead of having a new building with high paying jobs (BNIM was going to move in), and more downtown workers, with $80k in new taxes for the school district (and more later), we have an old warehouse with no new jobs, and no new tax revenue.
Mr Dan,
Thank you for your response. First of all I do not “blindly oppose” tax incentives. My knowledge of tax incentives and abatements is for neighborhoods that are in low income areas and not “blindly” in the center of town where developers apply for and receive this money for their personal benefit. They instead, as stated by MAK properties, can proceed with private money and not my tax money. Otherwise, they are just adding to the problems of people affording their rent. The average renter in Kansas City can afford $550 – 750/month based on their income, including teachers, and not the $1200/month that the city has described as “affordable rent.
According to an editorial in today’s KC Star, and many other articles written our city is lacking truly affordable rental housing. The market is quite available and apartments aplenty for the higher income bracket. When a person’s rent goes up, which is happening every day, the individual or family may be forced into eviction and which is a topic that is increasing in Kansas City along with the increase in rents beyond the level of inflation.
Why: because of developers using tax incentive money to build and rent at unaffordable rates and therefore encouraging other landlords to increase rent.
How do I know this? I am currently a tenant and I was previously forced out of my “truly affordable” apartment in midtown KC with a 30 notice tacked on my door along with many others in the small complex for the reason of the new owner refurbishing and increasing the rent and with no alternatives which is not right to be kicked out with such short notice. I have met and know personally at least 100 people in midtown area that have been evicted, especially during COVID, and are currently struggling to maintain their rents and possibly facing eviction. I have also spoken with leaders in the KCMO School District who are of the same opinion as me and are quite professional in their knowledge and speaking to the financing as you described only from a different perspective.
The solution: the city needs to work in co-governance with the people in preventing evictions and working with developers in establishing housing that is truly affordable instead of forcing people into a “homeless” situation. Once a person has an eviction on their record it is extremely difficulty to find another place to live. The city housing trust fund was formed and now with increased funding in the new city budget and this can and should be a place that builders and developers can work on affordable housing.
So low income persons struggle day to day with their jobs, families, health, education, safety, and it can be addressed and is being addressed by several organizations.
So, in summary, I am for truly affordable housing as described above and will support tax incentives and abatements for housing that will benefit the working and retired and disabled persons that are struggling to make ends meet. I will continue to comment and post on articles I see written that include application for tax incentives and abatements that do not support truly affordable housing.
Clay Marcusen
I mean, this is going to be the 800 lb gorilla in the core. Doesn’t belong on that block next to KCPL Shoehorned into that empty lot isn’t optimal for something so girthy. I don’t object to the design, just the placement.
When will something “TALL” ever come to KC?? Mediocre/ small bulky buildings are wack & does nothing to our skyline. Omaha, Tulsa ,& OKC Has ball💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾 KC needs to represent, smh #standup #standout #gotall💯💯