Business
After Seven Years, CityScene KC Bids Adieu
Dear Readers, CityScene KC is shutting down at the end of this week after serving you since November 2016. It’s been a labor of love reporting and writing about the revitalization of greater downtown Kansas City and its urban core, first as a development reporter at The Kansas City Star beginning in 2001, and then…
Bank May Take Crossroads Location Once Slated for Dog Oasis
By Kevin Collison A Wichita bank is considering a full service location in the Crossroads District at 100 E. 20th St., apparently replacing an earlier development concept that had included a dog care business and other retail. Emprise Bank is the potential tenant for the building that had been part of a proposed development called…
Cascade Luxury Hotel and Strang Chef Collective Open at Plaza
By Kevin Collison The Cascade luxury boutique hotel opened Wednesday at the Country Club Plaza, and along with the new Strang Chef Collective inside, it’s considered a $115 million vote of confidence in the district’s future. “We’re excited about the investments being made,” said developer Joe Morrison, president of Capital Management. “This is the most…
Plan for 12th and Broadway Calls for Apartments, HQ Expansion
(Editor’s note: This article originally was published April 13, 2023) By Kevin Collison The developer of city-owned property at 12th and Broadway wants to build a 13-story apartment building and ultimately expand the former Kansas City Southern headquarters, but the timing relies on the proposed reconstruction of Barney Allis Plaza. The proposal by what’s now…
Boutique Hotel Plan Returns for Historic Building on Grand
(Editor’s note: This article originally was posted May 15, 2023) By Kevin Collison A proposal to restore the historic Mason Building at 1110 Grand and reopen it as a 35-room boutique hotel has returned, led by a developer with a similar hotel venture in Lincoln, Neb. Nicholas Castaneda, a principal with the 49-room Kindler Hotel…
Arizona Trading Co. Opening in East Crossroads
(Editor’s note: This article originally was published June 9, 2023) By Kevin Collison Arizona Trading Co. is opening its biggest store in the East Crossroads this summer and for co-owner Venus Nichols, it’s a return to familiar territory. “It’s such a wonderful place,” she said. “I used to perform with a band (Stretchmarks) at The…
Crown Center Lands Office Tenants, Credits Vibrant Environment
By Kevin Collison Crown Center is bucking the sluggish national and local office market trend, adding or renewing leases this year totaling 167,000 square feet with the biggest catch the Kutak Rock law firm. Stacey Paine, president at Crown Center Redevelopment, credits the mixed-use formula that was the foundation of the development more than 50…
Top Dallas Retail Operator Wants to Buy Country Club Plaza
By Kevin Collison A Texas firm that owns the luxury Highland Park Village shopping center in Dallas has a tentative agreement to acquire the Country Club Plaza, according to local real estate sources. Ray Washburne and HP Village Partners, an entity with family ties to the wealthy Hunt Family, is the prospective new owner of…
Local Plaza Backers See Silver Lining in Ownership Default
By Kevin Collison The owners of the Country Club Plaza’s default on their loan has raised the possibility of new management and lifted hopes of Plaza advocates about the future of the venerable shopping district. “For now, I am choosing to be optimistic that a new owner will bring new energy and abundant resources to…
Affordable Apartments in Way of Potential East Village Ballpark
By Kevin Collison In a twist on the story line the East Village sorely needs investment, the only project built there since it was designated a redevelopment zone in 2005 would need to be demolished if the Royals choose it for their ballpark. And Community Builders of Kansas City wants to leverage that affordable apartment…