CitySceneKC
Developer Considering New Apartment Project Across from River Market Streetcar Station
By Kevin Collison (Updated Oct. 19 from previous CityScene article with preliminary rendering of proposed seven-story, 87-unit apartment project. First posted on Next Kansas City) The developers of the recently opened Centropolis on Grand apartment project in the River Market are now considering a second apartment development a block away next to the streetcar station…
ClusterTruck Promises Fresher, Faster Online Downtown Meal Delivery Service from New River Market Location
By Kevin Collison (Editors note: The Kansas City ClusterTruck location opened in late December) ClusterTruck, an online meal delivery service that rolled out in downtown Indianapolis two years ago, is opening a new kitchen in the River Market later this year. The business plans to compete successfully with the likes of other online food delivery…
Downtown’s School, Crossroads Academy, Named Top Charter School in Missouri
Crossroads Academy, founded five years ago to be downtown’s school and a place where students utilize the city as their outside classroom, has been named the best charter school in Missouri for 2017. The Missouri Charter Public School Association named Crossroads its Charter School of the Year. The organization represents 68 charter schools across the…
Kansas City Star Owner Scraps Deal to Sell Massive Press Pavilion Overlooking Downtown—for Now
By Kevin Collison The owner of The Kansas City Star has decided not to sell the newspaper’s massive green-glass production plant overlooking downtown after all. McClatchy announced in its third quarter earnings report that it had “terminated” a sale-leaseback agreement for the 434,000 square-foot Press Pavilion with an entity called R2 Capital LLC. The distinctive…
Sprint Center Celebrates 10 Years as Downtown Anchor, Result of Bold Mayoral Push with Lessons for KCI Campaign
By Kevin Collison It was a huge gamble when it was first proposed, but 10 years later, the Sprint Center has yielded an equally huge payoff for downtown, drawing 11 million visitors and generating an estimated half-billion dollars in economic benefits to the city. Last week, Los Angeles-based Anschutz Entertainment Group, the operator of the…
Tenth and Main Transit Center Closing, Opening Opportunities in Heart of Downtown
By Kevin Collison The congested bus transit center at Tenth and Main is scheduled to be closed within two years, opening up space for a potential pocket park in the heart of downtown. The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority plans to relocate the 1/2-acre transit center, currently a hub for 15 bus routes, to a…
City Picks Renowned Chicago-based Artists to Redevelop Historic School Building in 18th & Vine Jazz District
By Kevin Collison The historic Attucks School building in the 18th & Vine Jazz District won’t be reused as a school afterall. Instead, the city has chosen a proposal by two internationally-renowned artists based in Chicago to convert the old building at 1815 Woodland Ave. into a hub for arts and culture. The Zhou Brothers,…
Construction Underway on $39 Million Mosaic Arena Redevelopment, Grand Opening Expected Next August
By Kevin Collison It takes some deep digging to get through the ancient livestock manure, river silt and other poor soil where the former Kemper Arena was located to build the foundation for its new future. Ninety feet to be exact. That’s how far down the four massive columns required to support the new second…
Roaster’s Block Grand Opening Brews Fond Memories for Former Folger’s Workers
By Kevin Collison Shirley Rinard worked at the former Folger’s plant at Seventh and Broadway for 45 years, from 1952 to 1997, but never had the perks she saw last week touring its new incarnation as the Roaster’s Block apartments. “It’s remarkable,” she said. “They didn’t have a swimming pool when I was here.” Rinard…
City Takes Another Swing at Eventually Wooing Royals Downtown
By Kevin Collison Downtown baseball is back in the game with the city joining the Downtown Council and developer Jon Copaken in funding a $120,000 study intended to lay the groundwork for a full pitch to the Royals down the road. The Kansas City Star reported this week the ongoing study has identified four sites…