Attaboy, Leawood! (slow clap) (Lee's Summit, Blue Springs: transfer, tenants, college)

[denverian]

Originally Posted by TabulaRasa

As evidenced by the art deco towers of downtown somehow outlasting such glorious architectural masterworks as, say, the Metcalf South Mall.

They should probably just put a wrecking ball through the Liberty Memorial and Union Station today, since we now have clearly superior showcase architecture like Park Place instead.

There's probably mice in the Liberty Memorial. Plus, it's dirty and you'll get killed if you go there. Tear it down!

[denverian]

Originally Posted by TabulaRasa

I hear T-111 siding is popular...

lol! Yeah, most of Athens could use a good "re-siding" with T-111. Those fools over in Europe don't even have strip malls, believe it or not

[TabulaRasa]

Is it really outside the box, though?

I guess I just don't see it. It's fine, as retail goes, if bland. But outside the box? It's kind of the very definition of "the box." I just have a really hard time seeing places like these being particularly revolutionary concepts.

I mean, let's call a spade a spade. Park Place is a nice mall, as that sort of thing goes. But is it truly a remarkable feat of...well...anything?

[denverian]

Originally Posted by kcmo

When possible, big cities out here put the big box stores where they belong. In industrial districts. Less disruption to the urban fabric and walkability of cities and more room for parking.

That's how they did it in Germany. I remember going to a Home Depot type store and an Ikea type store and both were in industrial areas. Never really thought much about it, but it does make more sense than trying to plop them in the middle of residential areas.

[rwiksell]

Originally Posted by kcmo

But at least it's about 500 times more dense and walkable than 99.9% of the rest of the county. But couldn't they at least be a little more creative with the architecture? It looks like it was printed on a 3d printer. Other than a few changes in color, their are almost no real architectural details and it just looks like fake windows on a parking garage. That's all I'm saying.

It's like your uncoordinated kid just hit a home run on a full count, and you're badgering him about those two strikes. You may be right, but it's not worth griping about.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by TabulaRasa

Is it really outside the box, though?

I guess I just don't see it. It's fine, as retail goes, if bland. But outside the box? It's kind of the very definition of "the box." I just have a really hard time seeing places like these being particularly revolutionary concepts.

I think this type of development is the new national trend. It's all over Denver... some are not really done well, others are. The more they integrate the new "main street" shopping districts into surrounding neighborhoods, the better. But when they're surrounded by a sea of parking lots, it's really no different from a mall.

[TabulaRasa]

I'm REALLY not their target demographic, as somebody who truly does not give a crap about shopping as entertainment, but to me, a mall is a mall is a mall, essentially, however it's gussied up. So while I can objectively look at it and think, "Yeah, nice suburban mall," I don't know...it's hard for me to find it to be some sort of pinnacle of achievement and stellar atmosphere.

[rwiksell]

Originally Posted by TabulaRasa

I'm REALLY not their target demographic, as somebody who truly does not give a crap about shopping as entertainment, but to me, a mall is a mall is a mall, essentially, however it's gussied up. So while I can objectively look at it and think, "Yeah, nice suburban mall," I don't know...it's hard for me to find it to be some sort of pinnacle of achievement and stellar atmosphere.

I think there is a significant distinction here. Two, actually.

1) Mixed-use. A mall doesn't have residential and office space. Park Place, and other developments like it, do. And that makes it more like a community than a shopping center. (Maybe not very much like a community, but still.)

2) The Destination Factor. These places are designed as much to be enjoyable destinations as shopping centers. Most malls don't really want people to come just to experience the mall, and maybe buy something while you're at it. (The only people who do this are teenagers, which can be problematic.) However, Park Place really seems to care that people enjoy it there, and are fine with people just walking around and soaking it up. Naturally, they prefer that people buy things, but there's nothing about it that discourages you from enjoying it for free.

[TabulaRasa]

Originally Posted by rwiksell

I think there is a significant distinction here. Two, actually.

1) Mixed-use. A mall doesn't have residential and office space. Park Place, and other developments like it, do. And that makes it more like a community than a shopping center. (Maybe not very much like a community, but still.)

Maybe it's just the fact that you have to manufacture a faux "downtown community" wholesale, because you don't actually have a real, organically occurring one. This is what gives it the movie set vibe. PP is far from the only place that fits this description, obviously, so I'm not necessarily targeting them, specifically, it's just the one we're discussing, now.

[kcmo]

Originally Posted by denverian

I think this type of development is the new national trend. It's all over Denver... some are not really done well, others are. The more they integrate the new "main street" shopping districts into surrounding neighborhoods, the better. But when they're surrounded by a sea of parking lots, it's really no different from a mall.

In a nutshell.