41st & Harvard - Christmas Tree Lot

[cannon_fodder]

I have also recently reported the problem.

[jne]

I've reported it.  Glad to see there is more activity on the site, but still they neglect the out of control weeds - hasn't been touched all summer.

[Townsend]

Heavy equipment and dirt is moved.  So something's happening.

[FOTD]

Huge underground drainage structures there lately.

Is the city participating in order to solve that intersections continual subsoil issues?

Mr. Manley will do land leases on that property. He seems to be preparing his part of any future deal.

CVS site planning kicked into action an overall first phase development (fence and all!)

Would you be surprised to see the CVS up by Thanksgiving and a Christmas tree lot surrounding it on the rear acreage?

[cannon_fodder]

Weeds were hacked down.  Concrete fence is being painted to be rock-like.

[FOTD]

Way to go code enforcement. It only took you half the summer on the assumption the dirt movers did not take the law into their own hands.

[PonderInc]

Would you be surprised to see the CVS up by Thanksgiving and a Christmas tree lot surrounding it on the rear acreage?

Well, that would be one way to get some trees on the development.

As is, they won't do the landscaping around the perimeter until future lots are developed.  (God knows when THAT will be!)  And since they already chopped down every big tree in the vicinity...

As for the drainage, didn't there used to be a creek back there someplace?  Seems like it was buried many moons ago, but where is it?  (All that beautiful loam soil that's being torn up had to come from somewhere.)

[YoungTulsan]

Well, that would be one way to get some trees on the development.

As is, they won't do the landscaping around the perimeter until future lots are developed.  (God knows when THAT will be!)  And since they already chopped down every big tree in the vicinity...

As for the drainage, didn't there used to be a creek back there someplace?  Seems like it was buried many moons ago, but where is it?  (All that beautiful loam soil that's being torn up had to come from somewhere.)

You probably mean Joe Creek.  It runs in the vicinity of Florence from about 51st to 31st.   You are correct that it runs underground.  Driving down 41st street from Edison towards Harvard, you will notice a very low point around Florence followed by a very good sized hill.  The creek obviously used to lie at that low point in the geography.

Google maps shows it in the plain map view:



The CVS development is well up the hill from where the creek was.  Although I'm sure adding a square block of parking lot will not help drainage issues for the area.

[Townsend]

Drove by this weekend and noticed a considerable amount of work done on the corner structure, CVS building.

Was there a re-do on the rest of the structures?  Line of site on the rest of the stores will be obscured considerably by the drug store.

[FOTD]

It will be many years before you see full development on that site...seems perfect for QT along Harvard...but they don't do land leases...

Don't complain. The site is a reflection of Big Pharma, our health care system, and greedy doctors.

[PonderInc]

We should take bets on when the next lot will actually be developed.  

The PUD was approved with just one of four lots under contract (CVS).  All the others fall into the imaginary/cross your fingers and hope that something will happen some day category.  (You know, the "grocery store," the "coffee shop and/or donut shop with drive thru," the "office/retail," etc, etc, etc.)  

Ah, yes, this "Utica Square-style" development is really shaping up!  Remember: PUDs give developers greater "flexibility" in return for greater "quality" (Heck, one outta two ain't bad.)

Of course, the owner doesn't care.  He just wants to own it, while others sign long-term contracts for the privilege of developing it.  

So if/when we get anything, it will be more national chains.  With enormous setbacks, and 75% of surface area dedicated to parking.  As per usual.

[SXSW]

We should take bets on when the next lot will actually be developed.  

The PUD was approved with just one of four lots under contract (CVS).  All the others fall into the imaginary/cross your fingers and hope that something will happen some day category.  (You know, the "grocery store," the "coffee shop and/or donut shop with drive thru," the "office/retail," etc, etc, etc.)  

Ah, yes, this "Utica Square-style" development is really shaping up!  Remember: PUDs give developers greater "flexibility" in return for greater "quality" (Heck, one outta two ain't bad.)

Of course, the owner doesn't care.  He just wants to own it, while others sign long-term contracts for the priviledge of developing it.  

So if/when we get anything, it will be more national chains.  With enormous setbacks, and 75% of surface area dedicated to parking.  As per usual.

Another reason the comprehensive plan needs to be updated and implemented as quickly as possible to prevent this type of development from happening in the future.

[cannon_fodder]

I'll never understand what site owners don't realize that putting restrictions on the development can actually INCREASE their desirability.    If he required fronted properties, landscaped parking, and some building congruity it could be a mini-utica square.  Which would certainly give him a competitive advantage over other empty-lot site pads.

Alas, Ponder hit the nail on this one.