‘Now’s the time’: Kansas City moves a step closer to overhauling Barney Allis garage
The Barney Allis Plaza garage is set to be reconstructed months after $1.5 million was spent on a “Band-Aid” fix for the dated infrastructure.
The City Council’s Finance, Governance and Public Safety Committee approved the plan on Wednesday, sending it for the full council’s OK on Thursday.
The ordinance, which has been held in the committee for months, would authorize $537,000 for CBC Real Estate Group to plan for the reconstruction of the garage, as well as the plaza event space above it.
The total cost of the project would be announced in six months. Previous estimates have put the cost at about $60 million.
Demand for parking is low because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which makes now the best time to begin the work, city architect Jim Freed told the committee.
The garage, while currently safe to use, has been on “life support,” Freed said.
“It’s not a question of if Barney Allis needs to be replaced,” Freed said, “it’s a question of when.”
The plaza, which is lofted above street level and isn’t noticeable from two sides, has been underused.
Crews have had to make structural repairs to keep debris from falling in the 65-year-old garage. The garage also had poor ventilation, which means that carbon monoxide could build up as hundreds of drivers idle in the garage after leaving an event.
After a report deemed the garage a safety threat in April, the city spent $1.5 million as a temporary fix.
That money is being spent to restore sprinkler systems, ventilation systems, fire alarm panels and lighting.
The pandemic means conventions and large events are not using the garage, but Kansas City will need it when those gatherings resume and more commuters return to downtown.
Bill Crandall, a managing partner with CBC Real Estate Group, told the committee they would plan for the project to be finished by the spring of 2023 — in time for the NFL Draft.
“Now’s the time to do this,” Sean O’Byrne, president of the Downtown Council, told the committee. “This is the perfect opportunity. It gives us the opportunity to be ready when the convention business comes back.”
This story was originally published August 26, 2020 at 3:06 PM.
