Hotel and apartment concept challenged for Plaza neighborhood

Angular glass walls are the predominant architectural feature of a 252-room hotel and 168-unit apartment project on the drawing board for just north of the Country Club Plaza.

The concept, according to an urban redevelopment plan submitted to the Kansas City Planning and Development Department, would rise in two 13-story buildings on an L-shaped site bounded by West 46th Street on the north, Wornall Road on the east, West 46th Terrace on the south and Broadway on the west.

The plan submitted by Plaza Hotels LLC, an entity represented by the Polsinelli law firm, is for a 1.5-acre site currently occupied by a parking lot and vacant property owned by Commerce Bank. The proposed development would wrap around the Marriott Residence Inn that fronts West 46th Terrace.

According to the rendering by Hufft Architects, the proposed tall buildings would house apartments in one and a hotel in the other. The development would include a “retail village,” a bank, a pocket park, and 519 parking spaces in a garage on the sloped property.

Some neighbors say they are concerned about the increased density and traffic the development would bring to the hill north of the Plaza that has fairly narrow streets. Meetings were scheduled with the nearby Parkway Towers board and the Plaza Westport Association.

The city’s Development Management Division said the plan doesn’t appear to comply with Plaza Urban Design and Development Plan, which addresses building height in the “bowl” surrounding the shopping district. Lead planner Joseph Rexwinkle outlined in a letter to Polsinelli lawyers Chase Simmons and Samantha Ponte several non-compliant issues that needed to be addressed.

The Plaza Hotel proposal isn’t technically on the Plaza, but its considerations are similar to plans that have generated years of controversy concerning architecture style and height of buildings in and around the Plaza. The bowl plan would limit buildings to 10 stories, and a Midtown Plaza Area Plan, now in progress, recommends even lower height for the neighborhood.

City staff also asked for a traffic impact study before considering the rezoning request. The project is scheduled to be reviewed by the City Plan Commission on Dec. 1.

This story was originally published November 17, 2015 at 12:13 AM with the headline "Hotel and apartment concept challenged for Plaza neighborhood."