CitySceneKC
Urban Cafe Opening New Location at Armour and Troost
By Kevin Collison The Urban Cafe is relocating 20 blocks farther north on Troost and will be a tenant in one of the new apartment buildings developed at the intersection of Armour by Mac Properties. Fresh off opening an Urban Cafe at the new Kansas City International Airport terminal, owner Justin Clark wants to build…
Streetcar Riverfront Extension Cost Jumps 75 Percent
By Kevin Collison The cost of extending the streetcar line to the riverfront has jumped 75 percent to $61.1 million, forcing local funders to bump up their contributions and also seek private donations. As recently as May, the projected cost of the seven-tenths mile extension from the River Market to the midpoint of Berkley Riverfront…
Redesigned Main Street Will Include Dedicated Streetcar Lanes, Landscaping
By Kevin Collison The new streetcar extension from Union Station to UMKC set to open in 2025 is being designed to have dedicated lanes each way the entire route, according to officials. Acting on a request from the Kansas City Council, the authority is including dedicated lanes as part of an overall plan intended to…
Riverfront Beer Garden Gets Names, Opening Date
By Kevin Collison The new beer garden and permanent building planned for Berkley Riverfront Park has two names and an expected opening date. The upstairs of the 8,200 square-foot building will be an upscale bar overlooking the river called “Moonstone.” The lower level contemporary beer and wine place will be “Two Birds, One Stone.” The…
Likely Plaza Owner Envisions ‘European Village’ Experience
By Kevin Collison The new Plaza District Council hosted its public debut last week, and Kate Marshall, one of its founders, saved the most illuminating news for last. For the first time, Ray Washburne, the prospective owner of the Country Club Plaza, outlined some of his ideas for reinvigorating the 100-year old civic landmark via…
Streetcar, More Housing, May Offer Better Future for Country Club Plaza
By Kevin Collison More people coming to the Country Club Plaza, whether arriving on the new streetcar extension or walking from big apartment projects in the works, are considered critical to the district’s success moving forward. “We think we’ll be driving thousands of people to that district on a daily basis and someday maybe tens…
Bo’s Kitchen Opens in River Market
By Kevin Collison Bo Lings has returned to the City Market, opening a smaller version called Bo’s Kitchen with an emphasis on takeout and offering limited seating. The new operation at 108 E. Fifth St. is about one block east of the former location of its full-service restaurant at the Market which is now occupied…
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…
Clock Ticking for Potential Steamboat Arabia Departure
By Kevin Collison The City Market is looking for proposals for the space now occupied by the Steamboat Arabia Museum, but its skipper says he’s not ready to shove off yet. “We have three years to figure it out, we don’t have a Plan B,” said David Hawley, the owner of the museum chock-full of…
Paris Postcard: Rue Cler Shows the Way to a Better Plaza
By Kevin Collison Rue Cler is one of the many bustling market streets in Paris. Flower stalls spill out onto the sidewalk, cafés offer front row seats for people watching and merchants busy themselves arranging their shop window displays to catch the eyes of passersby. And the busy cobblestone street is shared by pedestrians and…