CitySceneKC
Incentives Increased for $91M AT&T Apartment Project
By Kevin Collison The renovation of the 13-story former AT&T building at 500 E. Eighth St. into 263 apartments is back on financial track after a city development agency increased its incentive package last week. The $91 million project, which is near the potential East Village ballpark site, had its property tax abatement hiked from…
Do Good Co. Returns with Fresh Look and Style After Brief Pause
By Kevin Collison Do Good Co. has reopened following a makeover guided by its new manager and if you’re in the market for a lightly-used Christian Dior or Chanel garment, it’s the “vintage sustainable boutique” for you. The shop at 413 E. 18th St. in the East Crossroads was opened a couple years ago by…
Tin Roof Expands to Old Riot Room Space, Site of Westport Tragedy
By Kevin Collison The Westport building heavily damaged in the December 2021 tragedy where three people died in an accident has been rebuilt to house an expanded Tin Roof music club. The new venue opened last weekend and is located where the old Riot Room operated at 4048 Broadway. That well-known music club closed in…
Parks Department Opens One-Acre Dog Park on Downtown’s East Side
(Editor’s note: This article originally was published July 26, 2022) By Kevin Collison The KC Parks and Recreation Department has opened another dog park in the downtown area, this one a one-acre tract where canines can run free at Margaret Kemp Park at 10th and Harrison adjacent to 71 Highway. Parks Director Chris Cotten said…
Incentives Approved for Crossroads Apartment Plan; Affordability Debate Continues
By Kevin Collison A 12-story apartment project planned for the Crossroads dropped 11 affordable units from its original plan after being turned down on its $3 million incentive request from the Kansas City Affordable Housing Trust Fund. The 112-unit project proposed by Copaken Brooks for 1818-22 Main was approved for an 18-year property tax abatement…
Beer Garden to Join Streetcar and Soccer at Downtown Riverfront
By Kevin Collison First it was the streetcar extension, then the new KC Current professional soccer stadium and now a big beer garden is in store for a downtown riverfront that up until the past decade was a pretty sleepy place. The KC Port board approved a development agreement Monday with The Thrash Group of…
KU Med Area Attracts Another Big Apartment Project, The Hudson
The growing KU Med campus at 39th and State Line is attracting another major apartment project, a 228-unit development in the Rosedale neighborhood called The Hudson. The market-rate project at 36th and Rainbow Boulevard is being co-developed by Hunt Midwest and LANE4 Property Group in a partnership with KU Endowment, according to a press release….
City Harvest Apartment Tower on Track After Merchants Get Their Way
By Kevin Collison Responding to merchant pressure, a City Council committee endorsed an apartment tower plan in the City Market that restores its original design and replaces 160 public parking spaces being lost at the development site. The 300-unit City Harvest development is expected to be approved by the full Council today. If so, construction…
City Manager Outlines Big Downtown Agenda at Three Light Event
By Kevin Collison They were topping off the $140 million Three Light project Tuesday, but big downtown investments are far from over, according to City Manager Brian Platt. In a wide-ranging interview following the ceremony for the 26-story apartment project scheduled to open in September, Platt outlined several initiatives that could result in hundreds of…
Café Cà Phê Stirs Vietnamese Flavor into KC Coffee Scene
(Editor’s note: This article originally was published Aug. 16, 2022) By Kevin Collison A Southern California actor marooned in Kansas City after Covid cancelled her Miss Saigon Broadway tour has taken on a new role, creating a coffee shop in Columbus Park that celebrates Asian-American culture. “I always had an idea of opening a coffee…