CitySceneKC
Downtown is Center for 816 Day Celebration This Thursday
By Kim Mueller Downtown neighbors will celebrate all things Kansas City on Thursday during the second annual 816Day event inspired by the city’s area code. “It’s a great time to show some love for Kansas City with an emphasis on downtown,” said Jared Campbell, president of the Downtown Neighborhood Association. Celebrating a city’s area code…
Betty Rae’s Begins Scooping Ice Cream Late August in River Market
By Kevin Collison The missing ingredient on the Delaware Street food scene menu, a great place for dessert, will be filled the last week of August with the opening of Betty Rae’s Ice Cream at 412 Delaware. Betty Rae’s Founder David Friesen is delighted to open a second helping of the famed Waldo ice cream…
Just in Time for Dog Days, Bar K Opening Soon on Riverfront
By Kevin Collison Brooke Laws and her pal Gatsby had been at a loss since July 22. Their favorite hangout, Bar K, had closed its West Bottoms pilot operation and it wasn’t until this week its new riverfront location was ready for a sneak preview. “During the two weeks without this, we thought ‘what are…
Police Seeking More Eyes for WatchKC Crime Program
By Kim Mueller Kansas City police are asking downtown businesses and residences with surveillance systems to participate in a voluntary, crime-fighting initiative called WatchKC. “If your camera works, we want to get a hold of you, “ said KCPD Sgt. Jacob Becchina who developed WatchKC, a KCPD program that registers surveillance cameras in the city….
Hotel Indigo
2020 Grand Blvd. | 81-room hotel | Cost: $13 million | Opened September 2018
Drury Hotel
1211 McGee St. | 10-story, 242-room hotel | Cost: $50 million | Open early 2021
Drury Wants to Raze Historic Board of Ed Building, Replace with $50M Hotel
(Editor’s note: Updated with image of a proposed 21-story Drury Hotel in downtown Nashville) By Kevin Collison Drury Hotels wants to demolish the vacant Board of Education building at 1211 McGee and replace it with a 242-room hotel and parking garage. The St. Louis-based hotel chain has submitted a proposal to the Kansas City Tax…
Advocates for South Loop Deck to Seek MoDOT Support
By Kevin Collison The South Loop decking proposal continues to evolve as a working committee prepares to discuss the ambitious concept with state transportation officials and a decision already made to drop one block from the plan. The proposal, first reported in CityScene KC last March, calls for reconnecting downtown with the Crossroads by decking…
Crossroads Apologizes for Heartburn Over New First Friday Food Truck Fee
By Kevin Collison The Crossroads Community Association is apologizing for the heartburn it has caused food truck operators by surprising them with a $200 permit fee to operate within the 18th Street corridor at this week’s First Friday. Food truck operators originally were told the new fee would be $125, but the association changed its…
City Voters Consider ‘Healthy Homes’ Apartment Inspection Proposal Next Week
(Editor note: City voters approved the Healthy Homes initiative Aug. 7 with 56 percent supporting the measure.) By Kim Mueller At first glance, the “Healthy Homes” initiative on the August 7 city special election ballot appears straightforward: Are voters in favor of creating a residential rental inspection program. But Question One surprised Ann Mackey when…