CitySceneKC
Newly-Renamed Hy-Vee Arena on Track for September Completion
By Kevin Collison It’s naming time–again–for the former Kemper Arena, and this time Hy-Vee supermarkets is stamping its brand on the $39 million redevelopment project. The Iowa-based chain, which operates 20 stores in metro Kansas City, is replacing Mosaic Life Care, which had to drop its naming rights agreement for the arena last December after…
Building Housing Crossroad’s Favorites YJ’s, Birdies Sold
By Kevin Collison The red-brick building at the corner of the Crossroad Arts District‘s funkiest retail scene has been sold, leaving unclear the future of its creative collection of tenants including Birdies. But for artist David Ford, whose run YJ’s Snack Bar for 20 years, the sale means good-bye to the whimsical, bohemian Crossroad scene…
Major Redevelopment Plan Includes Historic KC Club, Muehlebach Hotel Buildings
By Kevin Collison A $114 million redevelopment proposal in the heart of downtown that includes renovating the historic former Kansas City Club and Hotel Muehlebach buildings, and erecting a new office and garage project is coming before a city development agency. Platform Ventures is proposing the redevelopment plan, which would involve much of the city…
MAC Properties Plans $78M Project to Revive Troost/Armour Intersection
By Kevin Collison A bold redevelopment plan that would transform the forlorn intersection of Armour and Troost into a vibrant hub with hundreds of new apartments and small businesses won approval for tax incentives Thursday. The $78 million Armour Corners Project planned by MAC Properties calls for five new buildings that will add 450 apartments…
Kansas City Jazz Swings Across Downtown
By Kim Mueller Lonnie McFadden stood smiling beside the piano inspecting his trumpet before beginning his regular gig at The Phoenix where he entertains the Friday night crowd by playing his horn, tap dancing on the bar or singing a variety of songs. “What you have here is a music venue,” McFadden said before beginning…
Proposed River Market Office Project Drops Plan for Separate Garage
By Kevin Collison The developer of a proposed River Market office project at Third and Grand has scrapped the idea of a separate garage and is now paying the KCATA for the option to develop the site. Briarcliff Development is pursuing the 200,000 square-foot office project on the 1.8-acre parking lot owned by the Kansas…
New Downtown Bus Shelters to Offer More Amenities, Relieve Congestion
(Updated Aug. 24 with work schedule: Work is expected to begin Monday, Aug. 27 at 12th and Grand, and on Monday, Sept. 10 at Petticoat and Main. Construction at both locations is scheduled to be complete by the end of the year. Downtown bus stops will be temporarily relocated during construction: -Eastbound 12th at Grand…
Latest River Market Apartment Project Filling Fast
By Kevin Collison Only six months after its opening, the River Market’s latest apartment development, 531 Grand, is already 72 percent leased with its studio units completely gone. The 185-unit development is the first to be built in downtown by Omaha-based Cornerstone Associates. CEO Larry Mazzotta is so pleased, his firm is considering doing another…
Downtown UMKC Arts Campus Idea Revived, Barney Allis Plaza in the Mix
By Kevin Collison The possibility of a UMKC arts campus in downtown Kansas City is being floated again and this time Barney Allis Plaza is the apparent preferred candidate. University of Missouri-Kansas City officials announced Thursday they will seek proposals, described as a “request for interest (RFI),” for a new arts facility that would house…
Downtown Central Library Hosts National Poet Laureate
Tracy K. Smith, the poet laureate of the United States, will discuss her life and poetry, and read from her works at the Downtown Central Library Friday evening. “I feel like a poem draws us, draws me, into a quieter space, a decibel level that sits below the register of the media that we live…