Title
Conceptual Plan for Downtown Farmer's Market and Conservatory
Body
Issue/Request:
The City Council placed the following question on the April 2, 2013 general election ballot for consideration by our community:
Question 1: Cultural Arts - Downtown Cultural Arts Campus and Legacy Park Amphitheater in the amount of $2.9M (results: Yes: 4,100 No: 1,789)
"Shall the City of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, issue its general obligation bonds in the amount of $2,898,000 for the purpose of constructing and rehabilitating public improvements for cultural arts, including improvements to the Legacy Park Amphitheater, rehabilitating the old downtown post office/city hall building, and creating a downtown outdoor performance and festival space?"
The proposed improvements were based on the 2007 Cultural Arts Plan and 2012 Cultural Facilities Master Plan. These projects were also supported by goals in the Quality of Life Key Performance Area of the strategic visioning document LS360: Charting Tomorrow, and the Mayor’s Cultural Facilities Task Force.
Legacy Amphitheater Improvements: Enhancements to the existing permanent performance and entertainment venue for all ages that include:
• Stage
• Backstage support facilities
• Box office
• Restrooms
• Sound and lighting support facilities
• Fencing/sound control
Cultural Arts Campus Downtown: The campus vision is the preservation and rehabilitation of a former post office/city hall at 220 S Main, for use as:
• An interpretive historical center to tell our City’s story
• An open air festival plaza and public performance space behind the historic building
During the community planning processes for the “open air festival plaza and public performance space” several challenges became known regarding this proposal:
a) The property owner of the target site south of the WPA Post Office demanded a sale price that would consume a majority of the $600,000 assigned to this project; and,
b) The proposed location was rather limiting in the type of cultural activities that are attracted to our downtown area; and,
c) There was a desire to combine this amenity with a permanent farmer’s market pavilion by the downtown merchants (Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street and Downtown Community Improvement District). The permanent farmer’s market pavilion is also a recommendation from the 2004 Downtown Master Redevelopment Plan.
We started looking alternate sites to better match a longer-term vision that would combine the performance space and the permanent market pavilion. Through the years the City of Lee’s Summit has sold surplus properties and retained the proceeds for potential funding of a significant downtown venue. In recent years with the support of the Mayor and City Council, we have assembled properties due east of the City Hall Plaza that will allow a combination of private investments and public facilities / space that could meet several goals of the 2004 Downtown Master Plan.
Recent conceptual planning meetings have been held with the Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street and Downtown Community Improvement District leaders to develop a common vision for the proposed site. Conceptually, the plan includes the following proposed uses:
• permanent 3-season market pavilion
• conservatory / meeting flex space that could be used separately or in conjunction with the pavilion
• 30-40 room boutique hotel
• mixed-use commercial building for possible restaurant or office opportunities
• outdoor performance area built upon the availability of Green Street and the City Hall Plaza
• multi-story apartment complex
• gateway / courtyard to welcome public to the market pavilion and conservatory
In conjunction with the above amenities, significant public infrastructure improvements regarding street construction, streetscape, stormwater management, and utilities would need to be a part of the investment.
Attached is a 3-Dimensional Conceptual Plan that illustrates the relationship of spaces and buildings and uses that may be located on the acquired properties. Also, we have attached a conceptual funding plan to provide a sense of potential funding sources and costs. The conceptual plan and potential funding plan has been presented to the Board of Directors of the Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street and Downtown Community Improvement District organizations. In general, both Boards have provided positive responses and support for the conceptual plan.
Mayor Baird and the City Manager will be presenting the conceptual plan and potential funding program for the City Council’s review and consideration. If there is a continued support by the City Council, city staff will prepare a Request for Qualification (RFQ) to solicit private development firms that may have interest in this project. We hope to identify a qualified firm that would be able to “Master Develop” the property, including the creation of both private and public structures / spaces, as well as the construction of public infrastructure and utility improvements.
City Council Action:
Staff will be seeking the City Council’s direction to proceed with a Request for Qualification (RFQ) solicitation process to seek a private / public partnership that may support the conceptual downtown market / performance space as presented. The RFQ process should include representatives from the Downtown Lee’s Summit Community Improvement District and the Downtown Main Street Lee’s Summit organizations.
Presenter
Stephen Arbo, City Manager