Category Archives: Waldo Community News

Modern New Apartments Open on Gregory

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New apartments with modern amenities–difficult to find in our Brookside/Waldo neighborhood.  Waldo’s 222 Flats just east of 75th and Wornall opened in 2021; now a few blocks north we have The Romanelli Reserve at 200 West Gregory, developed by longtime Kansas City resident Marshal Blount. 

Driving along Gregory you probably noticed this project took quite a while to finish–but it’s worth the wait.  The 9 unit building has several special features that show the extra thought and care Blount put into the apartments:  high density insulation for energy efficiency and sound absorption; exterior stone accents and Hardie siding;  high ceilings, dimmer lights, quartz counters, upgraded appliances and balconies for each unit. Blount even got KCMO to sign off on a new outdoor material called aluma board; this product looks like wood but is actually a powder coated aluminum that resists water and other weather elements.  The result is a sleek, modern building with open floor plan apartments in an older, walkable neighborhood. 

Units rent for $2195 per month, plus a $100 monthly fee to cover water and trash service.  The all electric apartments also  feature walk-in pantries, in unit washer and dryer, double closets in bedrooms,  tiled baths and surface parking behind the building.  Each unit is approximately 1100 square feet, with two bedrooms and two baths;   Pets are allowed.

Marshal Blount

Marshal has lived in the Brookside area since he was 7 years old, attending Visitation grade school and Rockhurst high school..  He is a commercial broker with Block and Company–you’ve probably seen their signs in the Waldo area.  Over the years he worked in the restaurant industry, trained as a chef, worked for a wine distributor and eventually got a license in the real estate industry to work for himself.  Marshal is very proud of his apartment baby, and really enjoys getting to know the new tenants.  “Brookside is a friendly place where neighbors like to know each other, support one another and the locally owned businesses here.  It’s exciting to provide such a high quality building in this walkable neighborhood for those that prefer to rent rather than own a home–there’s much less maintenance.”

Most of the building is leased; as of this writing there are a couple of apartments left. For more information and a personal tour, contact The Romanelli Reserve through their website.

Brookside Has It’s Own Bagels Now!

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If you are a bagel lover as I am, you know how challenging it can be to find a bagel like the kind you can buy in New York City.  The situation is similar to  pizza:  so many different kinds and ways to make them; buying  frozen bagels or pre packaged bags at the grocery store – NOT even worth the money in my opinion.  So I was very excited to learn about Brookside Bagels, available at the Brookside Farmers’ Market…and lovingly made nearby at a Brookside home kitchen.

Owner James Holler would visit NYC a few times a year and loved the bagel sandwiches he bought there; however he was discouraged that he could not find a comparable bagel here in KC.  Along with his wife Carley, he started to bake them at home, tinkering with various recipes. His home based CPA job originates in Phoenix, so  due to his later business hours, James spent early mornings watching YouTube videos for inspiration.   He started giving samples to friends, getting good feedback and kept on baking, finally settling on a recipe using only organic flour, yeast, salt, water and barley malt syrup.  In April, James and Carley opened their stand at the market… and now sell  out every week. 

James and Carley Holler started Brookside Bagels

If you’ve ever tried to make bagels  from scratch, you know it is a time consuming process.  James mixes and preps the dough on Friday, and gets up at 4am on Saturday to start baking hundreds of bagels.  He hand rolls and boils  each one and even makes his own “everything” seasoning–the everything bagel is his top seller; he also sells sea salt, sesame seed, poppy seed, blueberry and chocolate chip flavors. Customers can order ahead and pick up at the market; on rare Saturdays Carley can’t operate the booth, she will deliver the bagels to your Brookside area home–that is rare, dedicated customer service!!!

At this time, there are no plans to expand to a commercial bakery operation or retail storefront; James likes controlling the quality and output from his Armour Fields kitchen. “We are relatively new to the Brookside area and really feel the love from our customers.  We are excited to stay here, grow as a family and keep providing high quality bagels to Brookside” says James.  As the website states, the mission is to “craft each bagel with care, using traditional techniques and high quality ingredients” for the customer.  And if you are a bagel lover, you’ll agree these are very high quality bagels!

Find out more about Brookside Bagels at their website or Instagram page (brookside.bagels) –or just stop by their booth on Saturdays at the Brookside Farmers’ Market!

Brookside Sidewalk Sale Begins Today July 11

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It’s the annual Brookside Sidewalk Sale, starting today and running through Saturday. Browse the shops along and around 63rd St and pick up some bargains! Many of our favorite shops will be offering deals, including A STORE NAMED STUFF, Corner Candleshop, Sierra Winter, LADYCO and more.

In addition, the Shred Event is Saturday from 8am-11am, in the parking lot between the tennis courts and Red Door Grill.

Thank you for supporting our locally owned Brookside businesses!!

Brookside PatioFest Tomorrow Evening!

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What a great idea….Brookside does it again! The first PatioFest is tomorrow night and everyone is welcome. Come out and celebrate the Summer Solstice with your neighbors and friends! The shops will be open till 7 as well.

There will be live music at several places in the core area of Brookside-including near Jalepeno’s, the Brooksider, Brookside Toy and Science and Foo’s. Check the website for details on who is performing where and exact showtimes.

Waldo Astoria – Unique New Event & Guest House Venue in Waldo

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The Waldo Astoria…does that name sound familiar? Longtime Waldo residents may remember the dinner playhouse at 73rd and Washington, which originally opened around 1924 as the Waldo Theater. That building is long gone…but the name, Waldo Astoria, now refers to a new event space in Waldo.

The newly opened Waldo Astoria is different: it’s an event space, it’s an overnight guest house; it can be a live music venue; it can be a special private retreat space; there are so many possibilities! So let’s dive in and learn about this new spot you may be visiting sometime soon.

Owners Traci and George Ismert, along with partner Joe Hendrickson, have operated businesses along the short block of W. 80th Terrace for several years. The Ismerts renovate and build homes through their company Old Glory Neighborhood Improvement Company, Inc, and Joe operates Hendrickson Tree Care Company. Formerly a airplane parts business, the building across the street from them came up for sale and the Ismerts decided to purchase it. After a full renovation with Joe’s help, they decided to operate it as a multipurpose venue. Honoring part of Waldo’s history, they named their new venture the Waldo Astoria.

Traci and Joe Ismert, left and Joe Hendrickson

The renovated building is divided into two distinct areas. The front part is similar to a house, with a living room, dining room, full kitchen and sleeping accommodations for up to 16 people. Head downstairs to the back of the property and find a large, open space featuring a long bar, high ceilings, and a double garage door that opens to a fenced yard with a concrete pad for a live band. This space can host up to 100 guests, depending on the room set up. And if you book this space for a private event, you can choose your own licensed caterer and bring in alcohol for serving. There is plenty of free parking outside. You can rent just the guest house or the event area; they will not book two different parties at the same time in the different spaces.

Waldo Astoria would be a perfect spot for a wedding, graduation party, family reunion, corporate retreat, holiday party, seminar — so many possibilities! The Ismerts and and Joe are also hosting events open to the public-the next one is a live music event on June 30, a benefit for the Veterans Community Project.

Be sure to follow their Instagram page for updates. If you would like a tour of Waldo Astoria, contact them through their website.

New Arts Center for Kids Opens in Brookside

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Encouraging children to discover and explore their interest in arts and music is a priority for many parents. Here in Brookside, there is a new locally owned business that can help–HeartBeat Studio.

Christi Coffey

Founder Christi Coffey offers year round classes at her central Brookside space, including special summer camps. There’s a music room for guitar, piano and voice lessons; a large space for dance and theater classes and an art room for working with clay, fiber and print making. All of the summer camps are themed–including one on Taylor Swift, of course! Year round classes are offered for ages 1-18; the six week summer camps are geared toward ages 4-13. In addition, Christi hosts the “Kid’s ARTventure Night” on the first Friday of each month. For $35, you can drop off your youngster at 5:30pm and come back at 9:30 for pick up…and enjoy an evening to yourself! HeartBeat Studio hosts birthday parties too.

Christi has a BFA in musical theater from SE Missouri State and has been teaching in the arts for twelve years. She worked at the Coterie Theater, the Jewish Community Center and KCYA. During the pandemic, she purchased a Tippi Toes franchise which she still owns. “I love teaching” says Christi, ” and childhood is the most important time in life to explore the arts. I love to see a shy kid blossom and gain confidence through classes–art can help a child grow emotionally”. Brookside was her preferred location for the new business as she saw a real need. “There are so many families in the area, wanting this type of service”. I think this is especially true for summer camps as most families have two working parents. Christi doesn’t have much free time but when she can relax, she enjoys her backyard ducks and tending her large vegetable/fruit garden in Hyde Park.

Heartbeat Studio dance room

HeartBeat Studio is located at 6314 Brookside Plaza, next to Jalapeno’s.

Bryant School Proposed for Teacher Housing

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Last month I attending a public meeting at Hale Cook Elementary, hosted by the Kansas City Public Schools.  KCPS is proposing turning the former Bryant School into housing for teachers. Bryant was built 1915-1938 on just over four acres of land at 319 Westover, and has been vacant since 2009.  Whatever happens to this property, it will affect home values and the immediate neighborhood.  As a Realtor, I wanted to find out more about the plans….and share them with you!

Jesse Lang and Shannon Jaxx, who both work in “repurposing” closed schools for the district, moderated the event; Superintendent Dr Jennifer Collier kicked it off by talking about increased enrollment in the district schools and the recent hike in teacher salaries.  When KCPS conducted a survey of first year teachers, one of the questions was about housing. The survey indicated teachers are having trouble finding affordable housing and would prefer rents of $800-$1000 per month close to the schools they work in.  KCPS feels converting Bryant to teacher housing would help some of these staff people. Several school districts around the country have built apartments specifically for teachers; California is “leading the way”, also Chicago and Newark.  Locally, the Guadeloupe Center recently broke ground on a 50 unit apartment complex near their elementary school.

Bryant Elementary School, 319 Westover

In addition to the proposed renovation of Bryant, Dr Collier talked in detail about the $650 million in deferred maintenance of the district’s current schools, which they hope to address via COP Bonds and a spring 2025 General Obligation (GO) Bond, which would require voter approval. These measures would not fund the Bryant project.

Approximately 50 persons were present at the meeting and overall, there didn’t seem to be any strong objections to the teacher housing proposal.  I jotted down several notes and have summarized the information in quick bullet points below.  You can also find slides from the presentation here.

*The land Bryant sits on is divided into four tracks, currently zoned for single family or school use.  KCPS would need to have the neighborhood “restrictive covenants” changed to allow the apartments.  KCPS will also apply to have Bryant on the National Register of Historic Places to qualify for tax credits. 

*Approximately 27-40 units would be built, with the possibility of a few single family homes (at market sale rate) on the eastern track.

*No projected cost was mentioned for the project.  Several for profit and nonprofit developers have expressed interest in submitting a proposal.  Philanthropic support will be needed to keep rents below market value. KCPS needs to decide if the land would be a long term lease or sale to the developer.

*Other alternatives for this property are:  demolish the building and KCPS keeps the site as a vacant lot; or sell it to a developer for new, market rate single family homes.

*It was also mentioned that KCPS is “evaluating” the current Southwest High School building for a third middle school location. It is not being considered for teacher housing.

The next steps are this:  over the next several months, KCPS will solicit feedback from the community, make a recommendation to the school board and in the Fall, “proceed with critical actions”. KCPS promises to “participate in good faith negotiations with the property owners” and will “solicit community feedback prior to choosing a developer” if the teacher housing proposal goes through.

KCPS wants your feedback!  You can complete a survey online by May 17.  I’ll plan on attending other public meetings related to this topic and keep you updated via the blog—thanks for reading!!

Brookside AND Waldo Hosting Festivals This Weekend

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This is the weekend to be out and about in the neighborhood! Soak up the warm weather and charming atmosphere of Brookside and Waldo by spending some time at these free events:

Now in it’s 38th year, the Brookside Art Annual kicks off Friday night at 5pm. Recognized nationally as one of the country’s premier art fair events, you will see so many attractive and yes, some unusual pieces here; and at various prices. Local Brookside vendors will have food and beverages for sale; bring the little ones for some kids’ art activities on Saturday. The Brookside Art Annual continues through Sunday at Brookside Road and 63rd St.

Waldo is also hosting it’s Spring Fling on Saturday May 4 from 10am-5pm, at the northeast corner of Gregory and Wornall. Here you will find some vendor booths with services and various items for sale; food available also for purchase.

Please remember to be extra careful when driving around Brookside and Waldo over the weekend; there will be even more pedestrians and strollers walking to these events.

Celebrate Spring and our neighborhood this weekend by getting out and enjoying art, local food and visiting with neighbors at the Art Annual in Brookside and Waldo’s Spring Fling. Events like these are what make our area special!!

Trolley Run Sunday — Note Street Closures

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The CCVI Trolley Run in Sunday, April 28–this Sunday!

Because of all the construction centered around 75th and Wornall, the starting point for the race is now 73rd Terrace and Wornall at 8am. Expect streets to be blocked for several hours Sunday morning. Here is the updated route for reference: