For our final project we were asked to envision what the area of North Valentine could look like in the next 20 years. This site has had nearly all of its structures torn down within the last few months so there is a lot of vacant land being under utilized in this area. My two main goals for this area are focused on housing and creating a commercial node. I propose a variety of housing types to be developed providing affordable and market rate housing options for students, families, and first-time home buyers. Second, I propose a commercial node at this location south of MCC for students and neighbors to go shopping, grab a bite to eat, and just generally spend time in. I took inspiration from similar areas in KC such as 39th street next to KU Medical Center, and 51st street next to UMKC. This commercial node would similarly be anchored by a major institution, and supported by the surrounding neighborhood of Valentine.

For my full site plan, I focused on designing from the street perspective rather than the block perspective. This provides a quiet cozy street for all the single-family homes, protected from the busy street of Southwest Trafficway to the west, and the large proposed apartment complex to the east by the medium density housing units in the middle. This creates a calmer transition from high density and fast speeds to the smaller density housing. At the northeast corner there already exists Browne’s Irish Deli and their outdoor event space, and I’m proposing to not only preserve that but to utilize the surrounding parking lots to build up more shops and store fronts that would complement the existing deli and create the larger commercial node.

My goal for housing in this area is to focus on young people and first-time home buyers. The median age of homebuyers in America is around 40 years old, and it’s not because young people don’t want to buy their own homes, but that the homes are just not affordable. There is an abundance of assets that would attract young people to this area with the music, art, and LGBTIQ spaces in midtown, there just isn’t enough affordable housing. My plan proposes 30% of the housing in my development to be affordable, and 70% of units to be market rate. I also propose the affordable units to be dispersed throughout the site, as to avoid concentrating low-income residents together. 

To take a closer look at my commercial node specifically, I first propose that we implement traffic calming measures on the Southwest Trafficway. I’ve proposed to reduce it from a 6-lane road down to two lanes, with a turn lane in the middle. This will help slow down the traffic driving though this area and make it safer for residents living in my new housing. I’ve also proposed to add in on-street parking on the north side of 33rd street, but I want to keep the existing trees as they are, since they would be a great asset to pedestrians for shade. This means that I would have the sidewalks and new building structures moved back behind the trees. On the south side of 33rd, I have plans for planting new trees as well as adding light structures for pedestrians walking through at night. Finally at the middle of 33rd, at the ground level of the mixed-use development, there will be outdoor seating for the commercial space.

For the implementation of this plan, I propose 3 phases that get gradually more intense. Phase one would be quickest and cheapest, adding in all the new single-family homes for $7.4 million. Then for $29.8 million I would add in all the multi-unit structures filing out the bulk of this area. Finally, as this neighborhood grows, it would set a precedent for the commercial and mixed-use structures to be developed in conjunction with MCC for $68 million.  Along the way, but not included in my cost plan, is the redevelopment of Southwest Trafficway, and the development of the apartment complex to the east. Overall, this will secure over 300 new housing units and 6 new commercial spaces for the community in Valentine as it continues to grow.