Development
Lux Downtown Tower Deal Nixed, New Buyer Sought for Land
By Kevin Collison Lux Living’s proposed high-rise hotel and apartment proposal at 14th and Wyandotte has collapsed after the property’s California owner stopped extending its development agreement in order to seek a new buyer. The almost $200 million development proposed by the St. Louis developer next door to the historic Power & Light Building had…
Mayor: Likely Plaza Owners Want Housing, Better Security and Diverse Retail
By Kevin Collison The prospective new owners of the Country Club Plaza envision adding housing, an upscale hotel, diverse retailers and better security as part of their formula for returning the area to its glory days, according to Mayor Quinton Lucas. Lucas and top city officials traveled to Dallas Tuesday to meet with Ray Washburne…
Big Third and Grand Apartment Project On Track for Late Winter Start
By Kevin Collison Work is expected to begin by late winter on a 246-unit apartment project located on a public parking lot at Third and Grand, a site that’s been targeted by the KCATA for development since 2015. Bill Crandall of CBC Real Estate Group, a partner in the $60 million venture, described the project…
Development Humming at 18th & Vine with New Apartments, Other Projects
By Kevin Collison The 18th and Vine Jazz District has received a double dose of good news recently with the opening of the $25 million One Nine Vine apartment project and the award of tax credits critical to another project that would revitalize a strategic block. The 80-unit One Nine Vine is located at the…
Historic ‘Castle’ Back on Market Near 18th and Vine
By Kevin Collison A plan to renovate the historic City Workhouse Castle into a boutique hotel has fallen through and it’s now part of a 20-acre group of properties that’s on the market near the 18th & Vine Jazz District. “There are few sites that close to downtown with that kind of land assembly, it’s…
Concern Chiefs May Bolt to Kansas Prompts County Town Hall Meeting
By Kevin Collison Alarmed that the glacial pace of pro sports negotiations may prompt the Chiefs to pursue a suburban Kansas option, Jackson County Legislator Manny Abarca is hosting a community meeting next week to heat things up. “As chair of the budget committee, if no one is going to do this, the one member…
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…
Plan for 12th and Broadway Calls for Apartments, HQ Expansion
(Editor’s note: This article originally was published April 13, 2023) By Kevin Collison The developer of city-owned property at 12th and Broadway wants to build a 13-story apartment building and ultimately expand the former Kansas City Southern headquarters, but the timing relies on the proposed reconstruction of Barney Allis Plaza. The proposal by what’s now…
Boutique Hotel Plan Returns for Historic Building on Grand
(Editor’s note: This article originally was posted May 15, 2023) By Kevin Collison A proposal to restore the historic Mason Building at 1110 Grand and reopen it as a 35-room boutique hotel has returned, led by a developer with a similar hotel venture in Lincoln, Neb. Nicholas Castaneda, a principal with the 49-room Kindler Hotel…
Main Street Buildings at Center of Landmark Controversy for Sale
By Kevin Collison A group of buildings at 31st and Main that were declared historic over the owner’s objection last year are back in play, and preservation advocates are hopeful about their prospects to be saved from destruction. “This is the opportunity provided by listing them as a local landmark,” said Lisa Briscoe of Historic…