Gillham Road, the old automobile capital of Kansas City, is shifting gears to become the center of a resurgent neighborhood on the southeast edge of downtown.
Two housing developments planned for Gillham around 29th and 30th streets will bring 380 new residences to an area already benefiting from fresh interest in the historic Longfellow Dutch Hill neighborhood.
Toss in a new $11 million Ronald McDonald House at 25th and Cherry streets, a retail project at 31st and Gillham, the completion of the nearby Union Hill development and the new office tower at Crown Center that will house the Shook Hardy law firm and you have an area hitting its stride.
"It has taken longer than anyone would have anticipated, but it's exciting to see the synergy coming together," said Bill Lucas, president of Crown Center Redevelopment.
Crown Center is next door to the burgeoning district, and the sale of its surplus parking lot on Gillham at 29th Street cleared the way for the latest residential development called Gillham Row.
Urban Coeur Development plans to break ground soon on a $10 million project that will erect 40 townhouses on the lot. Nearby, at 30th Street, an old car battery shop will be renovated into 12 apartments called Battery Lofts.
"We plan to brand the neighborhood to take advantage of its auto heritage," said John Hoffman. He and partners Vincent Gauthier and Larry Maxfield are the project developers.
During the 1920s, that stretch of Gillham became the first concentration of auto dealerships and auto-related businesses in Kansas City, Hoffman said. By the 1960s, most of the commerce had moved out.
When Hoffman and Gauthier came across the area a year ago while scouting opportunities for urban infill projects, the old commercial district had run out of gas.
However, its proximity to Union Hill, Crown Center and the Longfellow neighborhood, along with its views of the downtown skyline, made it attractive, Gauthier said.
"I like to look for the worst area of a good neighborhood," he said.
The properties singled out for Gillham Row belonged to 10 owners, most of them for at least a generation. The biggest to win over was Crown Center.
"We had to convince them we were for real," Gauthier said.
Crown Center had set aside the area in its master plan 30 years ago for residential development, Lucas said, but the original idea for high-rise apartments never panned out.
About 18 months ago, the company dropped that idea and looked toward townhouses and low-rise apartments similar to Union Hill.
"Urban Couer came to us," Lucas said. "They had a good track record and had heard of our desire to use the back lots."
Ultimately, Gillham Row will include 80 townhouses and condominiums. The developer already has persuaded the city to provide $52,000 to help develop a small triangular park at 30th and Gillham.
An old car-repair shop occupies one corner of the proposed park, and plans call for it to be converted into a deli and coffee shop.
The developers want to keep the price range of their one- and two-bedroom condos and townhouses under $200,000. The units will have off-street parking and a garage. Prudential Lofts & Condos is the leasing agent.
"We want to appeal to people who work in the urban core -- Crown Center, midtown and the central business district," Hoffman said.
Another developer with a solid relationship with Crown Center Redevelopment is Robert Frye. Frye got to know officials there when he took over development of Union Hill in 1988. That project has had the active support of Crown Center.
The last 16 Union Hill townhouses were sold recently, Frye said. The final Union Hill tally is 120 apartments, 120 townhouses, 70 older homes restored, 212 hotel rooms and 60,000 square feet of commercial development.
Now Frye wants to extend Union Hill redevelopment and build an additional 300 residences on the west side of Gillham Road along with 17,000 square feet of retail space. The development is valued at $25 million.
Like the Urban Couer project, Frye plans to incorporate some of the area's automotive history. In his case, the project includes the renovation of the old Greenlease Cadillac building into apartments.
Frye is still completing his plan, the bulk of which involves construction of new residences, and said it would complement the Urban Couer project.
"We're very excited about Vincent's deal," he said. "We've talked to them and met them and I think it's fabulous. Any time you have more activity, it lends credibility to everyone's efforts.
"Our goal is ultimately to have a great place that's convenient to live -- a great neighborhood that's both fiscally safe and physically safe."
Frye also praised a retail project at 31st and Gillham being developed by Chris Seferyn, the owner of the Velvet Dog bar. Two one-story buildings, one 4,400 square feet, the other 6,200 square feet, are nearing completion.
One building will house a new upscale liquor store, the other a salon. The project includes a 40-space parking lot, according to plans filed with the city. Seferyn could not be reached for comment.
A few blocks away from the new residential developments, officials for the Ronald McDonald House organization are planning a third facility at 25th and Cherry. The 41-bed residence will double the capacity of the agency.
The three-story, 30,000-square-foot building will be across the street from another Ronald McDonald House and will provide a place to stay for parents of patients at nearby Children's Mercy Hospital.
The hospital itself is in the middle of a $32.7 million addition that will add beds and research space.
Ann Jerome, executive director of Ronald McDonald House, said her agency had a 50-year lease with the city to put part of the building in Longfellow Park. The rest of the park will become a healing garden.
A fund-raising effort is expected to begin soon. Construction is scheduled to start in June 2004 with completion a year later.
"The neighborhood has been energized by Vincent's bold vision," Jerome said. "Life is coming back to the neighborhood, and it's very exciting. Within three years, that whole strip will be vibrant."
Lucas said Crown Center was closely monitoring the residential projects planned for Gillham. The company still has 14 acres available for development, and its master plan calls for an additional 700 residences.
"If these developments lease up to 85-90 percent, it would be careful and considerate of us to do more," he said.
Parris Johnson, president of the Longfellow Neighborhood Association, said residents of the area, which dates to the 1880s, were thrilled at the new activity.
Some of the property for Gillham Row was sold to the developers by the neighborhood association. Though residents have been good caretakers, the project represents new investment, Johnson said.
"We've got Gillham Row on one end and Ronald McDonald House on the other," she said. "We're trying to put a positive face on it."
Johnson also is looking forward to the planned Internal Revenue Service project at the old Main Post Office. The consolidation is expected to bring 6,000 new full- and part-time workers into the area, some of whom may be looking for housing.
Another big fish may be the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.
The bank has an option to buy part of the nearby former Trinity Lutheran Hospital property at 29th and Main Streets. Though far from a done deal, if the bank does relocate there, it will bring an additional 1,100 employees into the area.
Johnson said there had been an influx of newcomers in recent years, many of them younger adults buying their first house after living in a downtown loft.
"There are a lot of good people who are interested in our area because it's so close to everything," she said.
Some houses previously used by drug dealers have now been bought and renovated by responsible new owners, she said. Though petty crime remains a problem, Johnson said it was no worse than in other city neighborhoods.
"Property values have gone up because people are taking care of houses and see it's a viable neighborhood," she said. "There's lots of rehab work going on.
"We're a neighborhood
on the rise. It's been a long time."
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To reach Kevin Collison, development reporter, call (816) 234-4289 or
send e-mail to kcollison@kcstar.com.