I’ve often said that adventuring down the Troost Corridor (particularly the northern part) reminds me of some kind of post-apocalyptic movie scene. This has largely been the case because of a non-existent population, and windowless industrial buildings set far away from the street, surrounded by barbed wire fences. More recently we saw another section of Troost that isn’t plagued by far-flung buildings (the density feels better on the street), but an area that becomes even more desolate. In fact, the only living contact we had the entire time was with a few guard dogs, seen below.
And while the buildings themselves snuggled up right next to the street, most if not all facades, were boarded up. It seems that while the density in this area feels nicer and more appropriate, there isn’t ever actually anyone around to notice.
The big take away for this stretch of the Troost Corridor? It seems that the current land owners primarily use their spaces for trash heaps and random collections. We found all kinds of things from fleets of 18-wheelers, to metal scraps and ancient Kansas City buses. Something post-apocalyptic meets hoarders.
And by the way – each week we seem to find another version of “the worlds ugliest and most unfriendly building” as seen below. If there were an apocalypse, I would probably be hiding in this building.
The big take away for this stretch of Troost? It seems that the current land owners primarily use their spaces for trash heaps. We found all kinds of things from fleets of 18-wheelers, to metal scraps and ancient Kansas City buses. Something post-apocalyptic meets hoarders. As much as I found myself wanting to scream at each of the buildings for their role in a crummy street, something more pressing kept getting in the way: how in the world do you actually fix this place? Considering that there aren’t really occupants, aside from a couple of businesses and a lot of fossilized infrastructure, where do you begin
My gut says that a good “starting point” for the area would be to contact some of the property owners, to see if they’d ever be interested in selling. I hesitate about that because, well, GUD doesn’t actually have any ability to purchase property (yet). So, back to the drawing board for now.
Ultimately, this stretch of the Troost Corridor feels ripe for some kind of large project. The density is nice, there are some decent buildings with character, and the chance of displacing residents seems low (considering that the housing is almost nonexistent here). It’s close to downtown, could be used as some sort of anchor for the area and future development, and it’s within proximity to transportation. But who’s brave enough for this kind of undertaking? When we get around to the next phase of analyzing these blocks, I’d really, really like to come up with a proposal for a 4 block redevelopment here – just for fun.
Deep pockets, please contact us.
