CitySceneKC
Council Approves Affordable Housing Set-Aside, Offers Developers Olive Branch
By Kevin Collison The City Council approved an affordable housing set-aside mandate for projects receiving tax incentives Thursday, but also offered an olive branch to developers who warn it could sabotage further investment in the city. The ordinance by Councilwoman Melissa Robinson will require developers who receive tax incentives such as property tax abatements and…
Historic Ozark Building at Ninth and Grand Slated for Hotel…Eventually
By Kevin Collison A Little Rock hotel developer has bought the historic Ozark building at Ninth and Grand and plans to ultimately redevelop it as a 240-room AC Hotels by Marriott at some point in the post-pandemic future. Beechwood Pinnacle Hotels purchased the buildings at 906-910 Grand and a nearby parking lot at 710 Walnut…
Town Pavilion Freshens Lobby With $5M Renovation
The 38-story Town Pavilion office building is undergoing what’s described as a $5 million renovation of its lobby and retail space to up its game from its 1980s roots. The tower, which opened as the AT&T Town Pavilion in 1987, is 90 percent occupied and owner Copaken Brooks wants to upgrade its common areas and…
Cliff’s Taphouse Taking Former Ollie’s Space at Martini Corner
By Kevin Collison Larry Kime is bullish about Martini Corner and the growing nearby neighborhoods, making him excited about the prospects for his new restaurant and bar opening in the former Ollie’s Local space. “Driving through Union Hill and Beacon Hill, it blew me away the amount of upper-end houses, townhouses and apartments, and the…
Monarchs 21st C Reboot Honors Past and Helps Museum’s Future
By Kevin Collison While the new Kansas City Monarchs reboot is a salute to the Negro Leagues storied past, it also should yield significant revenues for the future of its signature museum at the 18th & Vine Historic District. The announcement the former T-Bones minor league ball club will be called the Kansas City Monarchs…
River Market’s Confluence Acquires Denver Firm, Now in Nine Cities
By Kevin Collison Confluence, a River Market-based firm involved in several big downtown improvement plans, has acquired a Denver firm, expanding its office network to nine cities including Chicago and Minneapolis. The landscape architecture firm headquartered at 417 Delaware has bought studioINSITE of Denver, bringing its total number of employees to more than 70, with…
West Bottoms Flats Primed for 90 More Apartments
By Kevin Collison Melissa “Missy” Ferchill hails from Cleveland and while a passionate Browns fan, she thinks the Chiefs should have been penalized for spearing over that controversial end zone fumble, her firm continues to invest here. MCM Company is planning to begin a $24 million second phase of its West Bottoms Flats development this…
River Market Project Proceeds Amid Concerns Over Affordable Housing Proposal
By Kevin Collison The developer of a planned 250-unit apartment project in the River Market is worried an affordable housing proposal now before the City Council could harm its prospects for success. “We’re concerned about the implications of that ordinance in terms of meeting the demands of the market and the impact on the economics…
Downtown Resident Survey Seeks Ideas to Improve Quality of Life
Downtown residents have their first opportunity since 2013 to voice their opinions on what they like and dislike about downtown living, and what they want to see in the future in a new online survey underway. The Downtown Council is seeking answers about everything from the quality of sidewalks and landscaping to what is missing…
East Village Chosen for ULI International Student Design Competition
By Kevin Collison The East Village, the biggest undeveloped tract inside the Downtown Loop, is the testing ground for hundreds of graduate students from around the world competing in this year’s ULI/Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition. The Urban Land Institute, the nation’s premier land planning and development association, selected Kansas City for the…