New apt complex in downtown KCMO caters to those who prefer transit, cycling, walking | The Kansas City Star

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Knight believes the streetcar stop immediately in front of Commerce Tower will add to its appeal. He envisions an increasingly car-less community relying on public transportation, biking and walking to reach necessities and amenities. Plans call for a designated bicycle storage space on every tenant floor.

“The demographic of renters is changing,” noted EPC president Mike McKeen. “We’re seeing more renters by choice, those who are pursuing a lifestyle, who don’t feel like the American dream is owning a home.”

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New apt complex in downtown KCMO caters to those who prefer transit, cycling, walking | The Kansas City Star

MoBikeFed comment: Like the recently announced $212 million Paragon Star development along the Rock Island Trail, this is a development that caters to people who prefer to walk, bicycle, and use transit to reach their destinations.

Research indicates that this demographic is vastly underserved in today's housing market. About 1/3 of the population would prefer to live in a walkable/bikeable/transit-oriented neighborhood, another 1/3 prefers to live in an automobile-oriented neighborhood, and the remaining 1/3 could go either way.

That indicates that somewhere between 1/3 and 2/3 of our housing stock could be oriented towards walkable/bicycleable/transit-oriented neighborhoods.

But in reality, only about 10% of new housing stock caters to this group.

We've got to move that number up in Missouri, and developments like the Commerce Tower and the Paragon Star are a step in the right direction.

More about the Paragon Star:

http://mobikefed.org/2016/08/jackson-county-section-rock-island-trail-mo...
http://mobikefed.org/2016/08/paragon-star-new-premier-sports-complex-jac...