The following work was awarded First Place in the J.C. Nichols Student Prize competition. It was conducted as a design exercise during my undergraduate studies at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. This work includes a video tour of the 3D Sketchup model, detailed renderings produced in Photoshop, and diagrams and plan views produced using ArcMap, Sketchup and Photoshop.

Early analysis of The Landing site revealed a unique topographical identity. The site rests in a valley between parallel ridges that run from southwest to northeast. In the years prior to settlement of the area, a small stream ran in the deepest portion of that valley, directly across the current location of The Landing’s parking lot.

Insert “Path of Stream” map here

The path of this former stream was the seed of my plan for the redevelopment of the site. The negative ecological affects caused by vast stretches of impervious surfaces have been well documented. When impervious surfaces are located in low-lying areas, the negative impact can be compounded. To remedy this negative impact, the design calls for a large rain garden to be installed on the eastern portion of The Landing site. The expense of this public investment will be offset by the tax revenues generated from high-density residential and commercial structures along the Troost & 63rd Street corridors.

The design calls for 63rd Street to be narrowed to one lane in each direction from The Paseo to Troost. This opens up space for on-street parking along both sides of the street. Facades along the south side of the street are pushed 25′ further from the curb creating a wide pedestrian way. This sidewalk is protected from the noise and danger of vehicular traffic by perforated metal screens which mimic the modernist touches of buildings elsewhere on the 63rd Street corridor. A high-visibility crosswalk is installed along the Forest Ave. corridor and a gateway feature welcomes pedestrian neighbors from the north onto the site. On the north side of the street, large apartment buildings are to be built at the The Paseo and Troost corners, with smaller buildings at Forest and Tracy.

At the prominent corner of 63rd & Troost, more high-visibility crossings make it safer for transit riders to make their connections. Curb-protected bike lanes have been installed on Troost per the recommendations in the new BikeKC Master Plan. A pergola park welcomes visitors to the Landing site and gives transit riders a shady and pleasant area to wait for their bus. Facing the pergola park are new restaurants or retail locations with space for offices above.

The pergola park opens onto a wide pedestrian path with outdoor cafe-dining and a viewing area across the landing site. An ADA ramp to the lower level is flanked by planters which manage the flow of rainwater to lower elevations.

The pedestrian path opens to a small plaza along the Forest Ave. pedestrian corridor, with 63rd Street through the gateway to the left and a large, grand staircase leading to the lower level at the right. Straight ahead, past the sculpture feature, the path narrows to a comfortably-close width with outdoor dining and 2nd floor apartments to the left and offices to the right. This corridor opens up to a large terraced area with dramatic views of the convent to the southeast.

This rain garden is the centerpiece of the design. Here, water is collected from across the surrounding area. The deep soil and native plant-life allow for storm runoff to be filtered and slowed. This prevents toxins and potential floodwaters from damaging sensitive ecosystems further downstream. A system of sluices and bioswales are integrated throughout the site to begin the absorption process and guide water to this location.

The rain garden also features shady areas that can be used for rest or as outdoor classrooms for the nearby Hogan Prep and Kaufman schools.

The interior of the lower level has large apartment buildings looking north onto smaller retail spaces which break up the large pedestrian area. The east-west axis of this pedestrian mall is bisected by the continuation of the Forest Ave. corridor.

The purpose of these sequenced gathering spaces is to create what sociologist, Ray Oldenburg called “third places”. Third places are neither home, nor work but function as places where people may gather as groups or individuals and be engaged in public life (Oldenburg). Oldenburg described them as leveling places, with no barrier to entry, where people of different backgrounds may coexist. My hope is that these spaces can help normalize relationships across the racially divided Troost Ave. by creating spaces where stereotypes and prejudices are dispelled through proximitous activities. To that end, the spaces are all designed to be large enough for people to observe from a distance, but small enough to inspire spontaneous interactions.

The 63rd Terrace corridor is extended from Rockhill Rd, east across the site. The block between Rockhill and Troost is open to motor-vehicle traffic, while the portion across The Landing is a wide pedestrian mall. On Troost, a mid-block, high-visibility crossing enables neighbors from the west to cross easily and safely to The Landing’s western gateway. To ease that crossing, and to make way for a parking lane and protected bicycle lanes, Troost has been narrowed to one way in each direction between Meyer Blvd. and 63rd Street. Two large apartment buildings look west onto Troost from The Landing, while mixed-use buildings face them from the other side of the street. These mixed-use buildings are designed with first-floor retail, second floor office space, and set-back, upper floors, for apartments. The setback of the residential floors prevents the tall structures from looming over passing pedestrians.

New residential structures continue south of Meyer Blvd. However, the intensity of these structures is lower than those at the heart of the site and take the form of rows of townhomes facing Meyer and Troost as well as an extended Harrison Street and 64th Terrace.

Meyer Boulevard has also been redesigned. The road has been narrowed to one lane in each direction for motor vehicles. This creates room for a green median that offers a pedestrian refuge for a mid-block crossing at the southern end of the Forest Ave. corridor. The protected bike lanes, added along Meyer & The Paseo, are another nod to the new BikeKC Master plan.

The road is flanked by large apartment buildings similar in scale to the mid-rise structures at Armour Blvd, between Cherry & Kenwood. These give way at mid-block to four, 2-story office buildings which face inwards towards the Forest Ave. corridor. This increased density, along with the dense building pattern across the redevelopment, should increase the tax revenue generated by the area. These revenues can offset the costs of implementing and maintaining the many public spaces called for in the plan.

The Future Land Use Diagram shows how new structures will create a variety of activities in the area allowing for a 24-hour activity cycle. Residents and office workers will be able to find on-site breakfast opportunities. Lunch-seekers from the nearby Research Medical Center will have a variety of options to choose from and outdoor seating to enjoy. In the afternoon, students from Hogan Prep and the Kaufman school can find after-school work or places to loiter with their friends. In the evenings, residents will return and stay through the night. The new office and retail spaces are roughly in-line with square-footage recommendations from the city’s Troost Avenue Corridor Plan from 2013 (KCMO).

The planned phasing of this development begins with the main Landing site. This phase could progress most quickly because there is no land-assembly required; it has long existed as a single parcel. The second phase builds off of the redevelopment momentum that already exists along the 63rd street corridor and may progress simultaneously with the first phase. The importance of the rain garden to the ecological health of the area demands that it be implemented as soon as possible. In order to accomplish this I recommend that the city and property owners work together to secure a 319 Nonpoint Source Grant from the federal government. Section 319 of the 1987 Clean Water Act created a program offering financial assistance for efforts to manage nonpoint pollution such as storm-water runoff (Missouri). Securing a 319 grant can help offset the costs of the rain garden system.

Phase III focuses on the block west of Troost and Phase IV focuses on the area south of Meyer Boulevard. These final two phases should be implemented as demand grows for the additional residential units they will provide. If necessary, recommended densities in these final phases may be adjusted upwards in order to meet demand. However, this should only occur so long as the large institutional structures at Meyer Blvd. & Rockhill Rd. remain as buffers between the new developments and the neighborhood to the west.

The overall affect of these improvements will be to create a more ecologically sound development that features a variety of high-quality public spaces for residents and visitors alike. The increased density will bring new life to a neglected node which has been undeserving the city relative to it’s important location at the interchange of critical regional corridors.

Citations

Missouri Department of Natural Resources. (n.d.). Section 319 Nonpoint Source Implementation Program. Retrieved May 16, 2019, from https://dnr.mo.gov/env/swcp/nps/index.html

Oldenburg, R. (2005). The Great Good Place: Cafés, Coffee shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair          Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community. Philadelphia: Da Capo Press.