The James (formerly the Kirkwood Flats)

Update 08/19/2021

After receiving first reading approval on a 5-2 vote, Altus used up almost all of their year-long window to submit their final plans. That wait is finally over. At tonight’s Planning & Zoning meeting, they will present the fruits of that process, and pending a pro-forma second reading approval by City Council, begin the construction process.

The new renderings largely adhere to the design presented at last November’s hearing, but there are a few difference. Most notable amongst these are the inclusion of balconies that protrude from the building rather than previous iteration’s which were set back inside the building’s envelope. While the aesthetics were arguably cleaner on the previous version, the floor space gained is likely worth the cost.

While the construction of the new 152-unit is the headliner, the first action we’re likely to see will be the construction of a different building two blocks away. UMB, the bank that will anchor the new development, will build a temporary branch at the corner of Washington & Clay to maintain their current services. Demolition of the current branch and construction of The James should then follow. While the building will be temporary and auto-oriented, hopefully even temporary infill of this long vacant surface lot will drive more traffic to and revive development interest in this long under-developed portion of Downtown.

After a long delay with few updates, it’s great to see this project moving forward. If all goes according to plan, by 2023 Kirkwood will have taken a major step towards a more economically vibrant downtown. Exciting stuff.

Update 11/05/2020

Last night The James gained first reading approval on a 5-2 vote and Kirkwood inched closer to realizing its potential. It’s weird to feel moved by the bureaucratic approval of an apartment building that I more than likely will never live in, but as I listened, one by one, to the remarks of the councilors ahead of the vote, and slowly started to realize that a project that I had thought was dead on arrival had a real shot, it was hard not to feel moved. It was clear that the remarks had been carefully planned, written and edited; most sounded more like speeches on morality and duty rather than commentary on any single project. Wallace Ward spoke about what it was like to attend the Pitman school that formerly occupied the site. Kara Wurtz noted that the heart of Kirkwood is its people and that by making room for others we might grow even stronger. Liz Gibbons and Mark Zimmer provided the two votes against the project.

Kirkwood’s City Council might be a lot of things. It might be more conservative than I’d like, and a little less visionary than could be hoped for, but one thing it is not is incompetent. It’s been a long week, thanks for reminding us of why we shouldn’t lose hope at the very end of it.

Update: 10/22/2020

Well, to quote the great Neil Young: tonight’s the night, this time for the last time. After failing to gain a recommendation from the P&Z board on a 4-4 vote, the scope of the project has one again been reduced from 174 units down to 152 units. This reduction in scope comes in the form of a reduced footprint: the height remains the maximum allowable 60 feet while the Washington-oriented arm of the building has been significantly stunted.

As far as its chances of approval, I’ve certainly been more optimistic than I am right now. Two short weeks ago the very same council rejected on a unanimous vote the very similar Commerce Bank mixed-use project that had been proposed for just across the street. With that being said, the one silver lining that can be found was the reason given by the councilors for the seven-zero decision: a desire for active residents in Downtown Kirkwood (rather than those that required assisted living).

So there ya have it. Meeting starts at seven, public comment starts probably around 8:30 but as always I’ll keep you updated on twitter. I plan on speaking about equality; I would love your company. Because all we can do is take our best shot and rest easy knowing that change is the slow boring of hard boards.

Update: 07/28/2020

The Kirkwood Flats, now known as The James, are finished with Planning and Zoning and are ready to go before the city council. Let’s take a look at what the latest iteration of the project looks like. (First though, a quick note on the new name: Named after founder of Kirkwood, James P. Kirkwood, himself an actually very fascinating figure, it’s a much improved moniker than “The Kirkwood Flats”, even if it is a little bougie. Maybe we can just call it “The Jimmy”).

Its Height is Legal.

The most obvious change made to the project is with regards to its height. Reduced from its original 76.5 feet down to 60 and from 6 floors down to 5, the project is now in compliance with the height portion of the code (60ft is the max). Perhaps even more impressively, this is achieved while still maintaining 174 of the project’s 178 original units and all 12,500 of its original retail square-footage.

The project achieves this roughly same number of units while being only 78% as tall as its Kirkwood Flats iteration largely by adopting better urban form. Where the “b” shaped structure’s southern appendage had previously only run as far as Tom’s Service Station, it now extends to Washington, providing street frontage where previously designs only called for a parking lot.

Pedestrian Improvements:

While the James is closer to complete compliance on the zoning code, it’s still not in complete compliance (almost no projects are). The project’s planned public plaza necessitate a few minor variances to be granted (street frontage % and street trees, things that could be added if people really preferred them to amenity that is the plaza), but the biggest hurdle in convincing city council to approve the project will be with regards to its density. . The code stipulates, however, that variances may be granted if a project goes “above and beyond” what is required in other categories. This is often achieved through things like extra bike racks or more expensive landscaping. While sometimes this leads to pretty goofy things like bike racks at gas stations, Altus seems to have offered substantial pedestrian improvements in exchange for a little leeway. First, their plans call for a mid-block pedestrian crosswalk on Kirkwood Road at the Northern end of their property.

Perhaps even more substantially, Altus has also offered to fund significant improvements to the intersection of E. Washington & Taylor. The two western corners of that intersection would receive curb bulb-outs that serve to both slow the speed of cars and shorten the distance that pedestrians are forced to cross. While curb bump-outs like the ones proposed would be great at any intersection, they’re even more appropriate here where the YMCA and Walker Park, two popular pedestrian destinations, sit at the southwest and northwest corners respectively.

Where We’re At in the Process

The James received it’s Planning and Zoning Commission public hearing on Tuesday, July 14. The comments at that public hearing were approximately 4-1 opposed to the project (a bad ratio but not on the scale of the Geyer apartment project from a couple years back, say). The commission members then vote on whether or not to recommend the project to city council. That vote deadlocked at 4-4 (one of the members was absent thus allowing for the tie). By rule, a tie means the motion fails and the commission does not issue a recommendation. That recommendation is non-binding though so the next step is for the project to go before the city council.

The next city council meeting is on Thursday August 6th; it is very likely that the proposal’s public hearing will be on that agenda.

Previous Story:

A new mixed use development marketed as “Kirkwood Flats” is in the works at 426 N. Kirkwood Road. Standing at six stories tall the contemporary development designed by HOK and developed by would include 178 luxury apartments and 12,500 square feet of Class A retail space. One of the tenant slots would be filled by the UMB Bank branch that currently occupies the site.

Apartments would start at $1000, 3 bedroom apartments would be listed at $3000. Additional amenities include a swimming pool in the interior courtyard of the structure and 297 parking spots, 217 of which would be structured.

Community Benefits

Amongst the community benefits listed to aid the case for the planning and zoning variances are the following:

1.The current four curb cuts that service the site would be reduced to two: on along Kirkwood Road and one along E. Washington Ave.

2. A public plaza with a possible connection to the broader Kirk-walk proposal in the northwestern corner of the development.

3. The potential for a mid-block crosswalk across Kirkwood Rd.

4. Improved sidewalks buffered from Kirkwood Rd. via plantings

Next Steps for Kirkwood Flats

The project is slated for a hearing at the next Kirkwood Planning & Zoning committee meeting November 6 at 7:00. If all goes to plan, construction would start Fall of next year and would be wrapped up in Spring of 2022.

Temporary UMB at 136 W. Washington Ave

As per banking regulations the UMB branch would have to remain open during construction. Preliminary discussions have taken place with AT&T to lease their lot for a temporary structure that would fill that requirement. This is an exciting development for what is currently an underutilized surface lot and one that will hopefully spur further development in what may soon be a very hot neighborhood.