Travel Log: Greater Kansas City

I’m on the road this week so I will be bringing you images from my travels through small towns in Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas. A good friend from Seattle has work to do in a bunch of these towns so I am going along for the ride.

On Tuesday afternoon I walked a few blocks to catch the #70 Grand bus. The timing was good, I arrived at the stop just as the bus stopped — both were running a few minutes late. I then took MetroLink to the airport. My flight to Kansas City took about as long as it took me to get to the airport. Still, I didn’t use any fuel nor will I have to pay to park my car at the airport.

As we approached Kansas City the extent of the flooding was clear. This view is from over Downtown KC looking north. The airport is in the north edge of the KC region. I arrived at a different terminal than my friend’s flight that had some from Chicago. We each took buses to the rental car building where we had to get “upgraded” to a minivan because Dollar was out of economy cars. I must admit, the automatic opening/closing side & rear doors on the van are addictive.

After dinner with friends that live in a very cute bungalow in South KC we headed to Independence Missouri for the evening. Our Red Roof Inn had a nice view of I-70. The boil order on the water didn’t help. The next morning I spotted the newer gas station above with the sidewalk ending in grass of an old parking lot for the business next door. Many places have a lot of work to do until they get everything connected.

The above image is about as close as we got to downtown Lee’s Summit, MO — the downtown is getting a new streetscape. In my many years of visisting Kansas City, I assumed Lee’s Summit was just typical post-war suburbia. Much of it is. However, the downtown looked really interestsing (although not in the above image). It is not a one-street show — it is a multi-block area (see Google map). I look forward to returning to see how the streetscape project turned out.

We then headed to nearby Blue Springs Missouri.  Again, I know Blue Springs from the sprawl along I-70  — who knew they had a real downtown.  On Wednesday afternoon is we pretty active.  Unlike Lee’s Summit, downtown Blue Springs is pretty much confined to a few blocks of one street — Main St (google map).

Even small towns got bad building remuddles.

Above: Another view of Main St. in Blue Springs MO.

Blue Springs has a very charming, yet unused, old train depot.

Just a couple of blcoks west on Main you see some of the old housing stock, at first larger homes such as this example.

Another block or two and you get more modest homes such as this one.  I’m a sucker for frame bungalows, big porches and arts & crafts details.

Another cute house from Blue Springs Missouri within walking distance of downtown.

Above is from downtown Grandview Missouri, a small town now surrounded by Kansas City.  This was the largest building in their downtown.  Click here to see the google map.

It was an interesting day.  Leaving the greater Kansas City area last night heading to Iowa we saw lots of flooding.  Last night we stayed in some anonymous-looking area on the border of Iowa & Nebraska.  Tonight we’ll be in central Kansas.

An Urbanist’s Look at Palm Springs, CA

Palm Springs is actually more pedestrian-friendly than you might think. Oh sure, many places do not have sidewalks and the residential areas all have front-facing garages but the city (and its neighbors in the valley) do have some redeaming qualities.

First, Palm Springs is organized on a large grid of North-South and East-West Streets. Within the grid you will get weird curving streets and no sidewalks in the residential areas. This is not unlike Oklahoma City where I was raised, the large grid helping to keep you oriented as to where you have been and where you are going.

Some of the areas within the grid are not developed, possibly a result of Indians owning/controlling alternate squares in the grid. I also read that Palm Springs fell on hard times in the 70s and 80s and it looks as though some things were torn down during these decades.

The area certainly has bounced back as a tourist mecca, at least in the cooler winter months. In a few months the temperatures will be so high the tourists will stop coming for the summer. Palm Springs enjoys a lively downtown area.

This evening was their weekly street festival but even the night before the sidewalks were full. For 15+ years now they’ve been closing the main street for about six blocks to allow artists and food vendors to showcase their work. I’m not much into that sort of thing so I stuck to the sidewalks for the most park.

The main drag downtown is filled with an eclectic collection of buildings, many of which open to the sidewalk. Of note was the lack of bicycle racks despite a fairly good number of cyclists.

Many of the restaurants have open seating along the sidewalk as Palm Springs is a place to see and be seen. Misters help cool you off on those hot days.

Again, nearly every restaurant has either opening windows/doors or an open patio adjacent to the sidewalk. In addition to the misters to keep you cool, most places have heater to keep you warm as the temperature tends to drop considerably as the sun sets. Given that Palm Springs can manage good outdoor seating despite their weather extremes you’d think we would do more of this in St. Louis.

A good bit of the storefronts are from the modern age, minimally detailed. Yet, their large expanses of glass and interesting overhangs compliment the more traditional buildings.

The above view is looking just West of the main street. As you can see, the mountain range is very close to downtown leaving only a few blocks of development before you get to the base. This varies throughout the area with the mountains being enough distance back for a subdivision or two while at other times the mountain comes up right next to the main road. Mountains, the ultimate in urban growth boundary.

The downtown has one parking garage, offering free parking. On the night of the street festival we drove into the garage like so many others. It was not until we got to the top that we realized not a space was to be found, it was completely full. By having free parking they encouraged everyone to drive and had no way to communicate the garage was full.

One of the best buildings downtown is one that I think is reasonably new. Above you get this first glimpse into this 2-story building with balconies and lots of detailing.

Getting closer you can see a mix of materials, textures, colors and patterns. The open doors and those enjoying dinner on the 2nd floor add multiple layers of interest. It should be noted this building is located on the West side of the street so it will be in the shade before the other side of the street would be, helping it be a bit cooler.

The buidling is actually symetrical around a courtyard with a fountain. Multiple tenants are located within the building. For example, while one restaurant is on the ground floor another may be upstairs. From an urban perspective, the design is flawless.

Getting out into some of the neighborhoods you get your typical 50s and 60s tract houses although usually behind a privacy wall. In some cases, such as above, you get truly spectacular modern architecture behind impressive landscaping and a security gate. This home was on a list of noted mid-century modern homes.

A few tidbits:

• The late Sonny Bono was mayor of Palm Springs before being elected to congress.
• Palm Springs has a large wind farm at the edge of town, generating enough power for the entire valley.
• Wind & sun are plentiful but water is not.
• The area is diverse with a large gay & lesbian, jewish, latino population.
• Annual income is actually low due to the large number of retirees and folks with second homes.  However, wealth is everywhere, a little too often if you ask me.
• A 1962 Urban Renewal project relocated most of the black population who settled a town nearby via a prominent African-American in the area.
• Their bus system, known as Sun Bus, includes solar panels on the bus shelters.
• Don’t even think about finding a 24-hour grocery or drug store.
• More information at Palm Springs wiki.

It is called Nature, Not Undeveloped

In driving to Palm Springs Wednesday we took the long and scenic route though the desert mountains rather than the highway. Although a few houses existed among the native plants it was about as rural as you can get.

A narrow two lane winds its way through the very rocky terrain and we stopped at the one lookout that actually had any sort of man-made platform.  The view was spectacular — not a strip mall or tacky subdivision in sight.  To many such an area would be termed “undeveloped” but I prefer to think of it as natural.

Miles and miles of land which, thankfully, would be difficult to develop.  I know that I can come back in 20 years and be assured this will likely look much as it does now. 

Reaching the end of the mountains you can see the Coachella Valley below, thousands of feet below.   Palm Springs is one of nine or so municipalities in this valley.  The mountains act as a natural barrier against sprawling too far — although everything I saw was very low density.

Today we drive back to San Diego via the highways (uh, freeways in California) and I am sure the experience will be quite different.  More developed, less nature.

San Diego Spring Break: Urbanist Gone Wild

This week I am vacationing in sunny San Diego for Spring break from graduate courses at Saint Louis University. But I am never fully on break, yesterday I checked out a number of areas of the region and thought I’d share a few with you.

Above is an on-street motorcycle/scooter parking area in downtown San Diego. So while those on cars must pay $6 to park in the lot behind, those with more reasonable modes of transit were able to park for free. Really small and light scooters, such as my Honda Metropolitan, would still be vulnerable to theft if left in the above area not locked up. Still, this is a highly effective use of space.

Adjacent to a major trolley line is a small parking lot with a Flexcar, allowing members easy access to a car for those times they need one.

San Diego’s trolley system has some interesting differences with say Portland’s streetcar.  In reality, technology these days is developing and blending so quickly the differences between streetcar, trolley, tram and light rail and getting muddied. In the downtown area the trolley acted pretty much like a streetcar, stopping every 4 blocks or so.  However, as I took a suburban line toward Mexico the distance between stations could be measured in miles and the trolley acted more like a regional light rail system.
Above is a trolley with 3-4 cars at their 5th Avenue station.  The first thing you will notice is no raised platform.  The very front door includes a ramp for those needing wheelchair access.  In the extreme left of the image you will see a regular door open with a couple of steps and a final step slides out when the door opens.  Given how the wheelchair requirement is handled as a special case, the remainder of the system is pretty simple.  I did notice people boarding with bicycles or child strollers having difficulty.  Someone with physical disabilities but not in a wheelchair would also have issues with this set up.
Like St. Louis’ lightrail system, this operates on a honor system basis so their are no gates.  Just buy your ticket and board.  Unlike St. Louis, however, you must pay more for the greater distance you are traveling on the system.

When you approach a stopped trolley the doors do not open.  You press a button on the side of the vehicle to activate the door.  Similarly, from the inside when you reach a stop you press a button to open the door you wish to exit.

I took the above picture while riding their trolley, showing a large area of downtown that has been rebuilt at a high-density residential neighborhood. Being adjacent to their CBD with easy transit access to other areas makes this a desirable place to live. However, I understand developers in other parts of downtown have gone too far and they have a glut of condos, more so in high rises.

This is just around the corner from the prior picture. In the foreground you can see the track and the yellow “stand behind” line. Here the street width was divided up to allow a single flow of one-way traffic with on-street parking on one side.

A few blocks away two new buildings surround the existing trolley line. The building on the left is a good 20+ floors while the one on the right is more like 8 floors. Again, cars and rail transit don’t mix here but by creating a narrow space it works well.

I took San Diego’s Blue Line trolley all the way to the Mexican border. The building in the background on the right is the customs office for those crossing the border on foot or bicycle.

To get to dowtown I took a city bus while runs along a major street just a block from my friend’s house.  I noticed they have several brands/models of bus but most are what we will have eventually, a “low-floor” bus pretty much like those used in our region by Madison County Transit.  In these buses the floor is very low and when the bus stops it lets out some air on the suspension system and the floor is pretty well even with the curb height.  This makes boarding & unboard much easier and faster.  At the rear of the bus you get an area that steps up a bit above the rear axel.  Like the trolley system, you pay more depending upon where you are going.

I’ve got lots more to see while in San Diego including a couple of grocery stores with underground or rooftop parking.

Mixed-Use Project in Bay Area A Good Model for St. Louis

Yesterday I checked out a recent mixed-use project in the Bay Area, an excellent combination of large grocery store, smaller chain stores and restaurants along with some adjacent apartments. It is still far more suburban than I’d chose for myself but the form and connections are very suitable for nearly anywhere in the St. Louis region.

Now, before you go to the comments to tell me that St. Louis is not San Francisco you are correct, that is why I said this is in the Bay area. The “Shops at Waterford” is located in the town of Dublin — a good 35 miles from San Francisco near the intersection of two major interstates, the 580 & 680. This is part of an area in the East Bay known as the Tri-Valley which also includes Pleasanton, Livermore and San Ramon.

So, what is so great about the Shops at Waterford? Well, it is a new kind of suburban model of urbanity that places a high priority on pedestrian connections in a highly auto-centric area. It is neither old urbanism nor the new urbanism.

Here is the arial of the area (image1), with Waterford in the center of the image, at the NW corner of Dublin Blvd & Tassajara Rd (see map):

Both major streets are 4-6 lanes with zero on-street parking. As you can see, this is the first development on the intersection. Out parcel buildings are not some tiny Starbucks drive-thru but larger structures placed up to the streets.

The large roof you see is a large Safeway grocery store. To the top of the site are apartments built around a central parking garage, to the left are townhouses and then single family houses. From above it looks pretty conventional, but on the ground it is quite different than your typical shopping area in St. Louis.

2) Above: The view looking west along Dublin Blvd. This is pretty common for much of this area, street trees help separate pedestrians from the passing traffic. This wide boulevard includes a bike lane and in this area a right turn lane into the residential area.

3) Above: The opposite view looking East along Dublin Blvd. over toward the intersection with Tassajara. At left is the building which “holds” the corner. Again, street trees help improve the pedestrian experience as well as give the area a more pleasing appearance. The drives out to the street are only two lanes — one in and one out. This keeps the pedestrian crossings short.

4) Above: The pedestrian connection from Dublin Blvd. is quite well marked. This clear pedestrian path is welcoming.

5) Looking back to Dublin Blvd. we can see the first of many bike racks. Note the generous width of the sidewalks within the private development.

6) From this same spot we can look over toward the parking lot and see the nice walkway through to the building at the corner of the site. Of course, this also creates a pleasant pathway for those arriving by car.

7) Above is the same walkway seen from the parking lot.

8) From the crosswalk we can look North into the development. At left you can see the two entrance/exits for the Safeway with the apartments in the background at the far edge.

9) Standing in front of one Safeway entrance looking North we can see the second entrance (the green tower) and another bike rack. I like that the bike rack is not some cheap design meant to hold 20 bikes and squished up against a wall in a dark corner. Also note the stone wall that screens the extra shopping carts from view.

10) Continuing past the Safeway we can begin to see how the apartments relate to the shopping area.

11) Above is the second of the walkways out into the parking and smaller out buildings. More bike racks and benches.

12) Looking back where we’ve been, the generous sidewalks and adjacent parking make a decent place for outdoor seating.

13) The corner where the one-story shops meet the apartments is great for a restaurant with outdoor seating. I’m not sure you can get real Texas BBQ in Northern California but that is a subject for another blog.

14) This view back to the South gives us a nice overview with the Safeway store dominating the center of the buildings.

15) Looking to the West we can see the buildings do not actually meet. The strip with the Safeway on the left stops short enough to leave a generous walkway to the adjacent residential neighborhood. Apartments with ground-level retail are on the right.

16) Above is another view of the same corner. To the right is an entrance to a parking garage for apartments residents and to serve as additional parking for the shopping area. The apartments surround the garage so you don’t see it from the shopping area.

The bright colors of synthetic stucco are par for the course in California, something I don’t care for too much. But, my point is not to look at those issues but look at the form of the buildings.

17) Turning to the East (Tassajara Rd.) we can see more of the retail spaces topped by apartments.

18) As we walk along by the retail/condos we look back to the South and on the right we can see where we walked with the Safeway in the center. On the left is an out building that we’ll get to later. Once again, note the very clear & inviting pedestrian walkways within the project.

19) Looking back to the West we see the how the apartments relate to the internal sidewalk and parking area. We are now at the East end of the project at Tassajara Rd.

20) At Tassajara Rd. we look to the North and we can see how the condos continue for a good distance, the shopping center walkway is to the left. Street trees between the sidewalk and street improve the experience for those walking from their apartment to the store. But let’s head back South along Tassajara Rd. toward Dublin Blvd.

21) The pedestrian crossing here could have been done a bit better, pushing it back away from the curb a bit. This would have reduced the width a pedestrian has to cross.

22) Crossing the entrance we see a sign indicating that recycled (gray) water is used for the landscaping irrigation. This is a very effective way of using non-sewer water, such as rain water. This lessons the load on the sewer system.

23) OK, we’ve crossed the entrance/exit heading South along Tassajara Rd. This is an out building yet it doesn’t give a blank wall to the sidewalk, Stacey’s restaurant has their patio along the sidewalk. A bit of trivia, Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams is the owner of Stacey’s.

24) From the same spot we can look back into the project, we see more bike racks and additional outdoor seating for Stacey’s restaurant. Through the system of walkways we could get to Safetway from here without having to cross through a parking lot.

25) And for context we look back at the apartments.

26) Further down the sidewalk we turn back again to see Stacey’s patio and the condos across the entrance.

27) Back on track heading South along Tassajara Rd. toward Dublin Blvd. we see on the right the out building that contained the Stacey’s restaurant. At the opposite end we see a Blockbuster Video. This is actually the back of the store but it has windows to break up anotherwise empty facade. The sidewalk, while not the urban ideal that I prefer, is about as pleasant as it can be along a 6-lane arterial roadway.

28) In the background is the corner out building which, like the one we just saw, has windows and other features to make it interesting from the main streets but entrances face the parking lot. This is a great way to design for both pedestrians and autos.

29) I didn’t head down to the corner, instead let’s walk back into the development next to the Blockbusters. We will see how these out buildings relate to each other and to the rest of the development.

30) Above we are looking North back toward the apartments. The entrance to the Blockbuster is on the right, the Safeway is to the left across the parking.

31) As we walk back North toward the apartments we can see this area actually has two separate out buildings, the Stacey’s/Blockbuster on the right and another on the left.

32) At the opposite end of this walkway we look back to the South. The Stacey’s is on
our left.

33) Looking back to the East (Tassajara Rd.) we see the opposite view of #24 above.

34) Above is the view looking East toward the main strip center.

35) Continuing on the same path heading back to the main center we see the opposite side of the walkway shown in #11 above.

36) Turning to the North we look back at the apartments and the walkway shown in image #18. Throughout the entire project generous walkways guide the pedestrian from store to restaurant and either back to their car or their residence.

I rejoined my father and brother who had finished their shopping while I was taking pictures. Once back in the car, we headed around back to check out the loading dock area for the Safeway.

37) Here we can see the back of the store, not great but I’ve seen considerably worse.

37) Safeway’s loading dock, above left, is well screened. The sidewalk is likely not used much due to better access that I will show you shortly. This “attached” sidewalk is minimum width with little for the pedestrian. For drivers the view is not bad for the back of a major grocery store.

38) Townhouses across Glynn’s Rose Drive back up to the road, just as the Safeway store does.

39) Above, at the intersection of Glynn’s Rose Drive and Roscommon Way we can see the wide walkway into the corner of the shopping center shown in image #15. The apartments at the corner here have a view down the street but also the loading dock area at right.

40) Turning to the East we can look down Roscommon Way toward the new single-family houses. Again, I’m not a fan of attached sidewalks but it does get the job done. Clearly, the families living in these houses have a pretty easy walk to the store.

From a 2003 Business Journal article:

Shea Properties, the Orange County-based investment real estate division of J.F. Shea Co., which designs, develops and manages commercial and residential developments in California and Colorado, was eager to spearhead the development because it tries to specialize in unique projects.

“This project is a first for our company and groundbreaking as well for suburbia – having a vertical, mixed-use development in a place like Dublin,” said Bob Burke, Shea’s general manager of Northern California operations.

“We have 47 (residential) units per acre, which is twice the average in Dublin,” Burke said. “The apartment complex consists of four-story buildings surrounding a parking structure, which is a novel approach to achieve higher density in the suburbs. Doing something like this in suburbia is unique.”

The master planning and some architecture was done by SPGA. A BART station (Dublin/Pleasanton) is a couple of miles away from this project, a bit too far to walk but not bad for a short bike ride.
As I indicated at the opening, this development is not even close to being urban enough to entice me to live there, but that is OK. As suburban development goes, it does not get much better than this project. People from the surrounding municipalities can arrive easily by car while those that live in the immediate area have only a short walk. All can easily walk throughout the project.

In the City of St. Louis I think we need to be more urban than this project, with true urban buildings facing streets with on-street parking. However, in more auto-centric areas such as near our highways or highly abandonded areas this might be a good model. Couldn’t Loughborough Commons have had such a well-designed relationship? Shopping on North Grand could have had such a connection to the new Hope VI housing.

Nearly every other place in the St. Louis region, especially those developed in the last 50 years, could benefit from such a well-designed project. The question is, do we have the will to demand quality developments such as this that are accessible by foot, bike or car?

For additional photos of this project click here.