CitySceneKC
Big Affordable Housing Project Planned Near Downtown on Paseo
By Kevin Collison An ambitious plan to redevelop 11 deteriorated apartment buildings along The Paseo between Ninth and 14th streets into 197 affordable apartments was approved by a city development agency Thursday. The $18.5 million Jazz Hill Apartments project is intended to provide affordable housing and a social service network to support its residents, particularly…
Downtown Library District Gets New Dog Pad
By Kevin Collison Downtown dogs have a new pad to hang out by the Central Library garage, an artificial approach to better accommodate nature’s call. The library in partnership with the Downtown Council Community Improvement District recently installed 6,000 square feet of synthetic lawn in front of the library’s iconic bookend mural. It replaces a…
Downtown Council Steps Up Outreach to Homeless
By Kevin Collison The Downtown Council is continuing its outreach to the homeless population with plans to hire a social worker and find a new social services agency for its community center at Seventh and Paseo. Sean O’Byrne, vice president of the business and property owner group, reported recently the staff of the Downtown Community…
New Del Sol Hotel Shines on Troost by Hospital Hill
By Kevin Collison Troost Avenue has checked in a new $16 million hotel after six years of planning and plenty of persuading to overcome reluctance by lenders to back a project on a street long associated with Kansas City’s racial divide. The 93-room La Quinta Del Sol is at 2321 Troost next to Hospital Hill….
CityScene KC Shifts to Paid Subscription Dec. 2
I hope you’ve enjoyed CityScene KC since it was launched 2 1/2 years ago with the mission to be the community news source for greater downtown. We’ve covered the big stuff such as the new Loews convention hotel, Strata office tower and multiple apartment projects, and street-level reports about new micro-breweries and retail shops, and…
Divided Council Approves Strata Office Plan, Work Starts This Spring
(Updated Nov. 15: The Kansas City Council approved city support for the 25-story Strata office plan at 13th and Main on a 7-4 vote Thursday. Supporters were led by Councilwoman Kathryn Shields who originally opposed a deal that called for significantly more city incentives, and led negotiations as chair of the Finance Committee to ultimately…
‘Rock the Red Kettle’ Kicks Off Downtown Holiday Season
By Kevin Collison The downtown holiday season kicks off Friday at the Power & Light District with the fourth annual Rock the Red Kettle, a concert benefiting the Salvation Army. The free, all-ages concert at the Kansas City Live! stage is part of a series of holiday events at venues throughout downtown including Crown Center,…
ArtsBlock Creating a Cultural Haven on Independence Avenue
By Kevin Collison ArtsBlock, a new project near downtown on Independence Avenue, more than lives up to its name by offering places for artists to live and work, as well as an exhibition gallery and art class space for kids. The 38-unit apartment building is part of what’s called The Paseo Gateway redevelopment area on…
Netherland Nearing Completion in Midtown, Rooftop Bar to Offer Wide City View
By Kevin Collison From what will be the rooftop bar and café at the historic Netherland Hotel project near 39th and Main, you’ll enjoy a panoramic view of Kansas City’s River-Crown-Plaza urban nexus. Right now, there’s scaffolding and the beginnings of a canopy on the roof, but by the end of the year, developer Caleb…
Provocative New Vietnam War Exhibit at WW I Museum Through July
(Editor’s note: The Vietnam War exhibit run at the WWI Museum has been extended to July 26 because of the museum’s temporary closure due to Covid-19 health restrictions) By Kevin Collison An unvarnished account of the Vietnam War, from the Cold War domino theory that hooked the U.S. in the 1950s, to a baby sweater…