Development
Waddell’s New Owner Makes it Official, No Downtown HQ
By Kevin Collison Waddell & Reed and 900 employees won’t be occupying the office tower designed for the firm at 14th and Baltimore after all, dashing downtown’s hopes for a corporate headquarters but opening the door to a long-sought speculative office project. The company’s new owner, Australia-based global financial firm Macquarie, made it official Tuesday…
Finalists Named in Prestigious ULI East Village Design Competition, Ballpark in Mix
By Kevin Collison Four teams of graduate students from top universities throughout North America are finalists for a prestigious design competition that tasked contestants with proposing concepts to redevelop the East Village area of downtown. Two of the submissions include locating a ballpark on the redevelopment site that’s been frequently mentioned as a top candidate…
Children’s Opens Research Tower, Continuing Hospital Hill Economic Boom
By Kevin Collison Today’s opening of the nine-story building housing the Children’s Mercy Research Institute is the latest in a series of recent major investments galvanizing both the Hospital Hill district and nearby environs, particularly Troost Avenue. The tower will provide space for cutting edge research in diagnosing and treating complex childhood diseases, and joins…
Troost Village Concept Would Transform Heart of Historic Commercial District
By Kevin Collison A $162 million redevelopment concept that would energize the historic commercial heart of Troost Avenue by adding apartments, retail, office and an amphitheater is being pursued by Midtown Development Partners. Tim Bowman, the partnership leader, envisions capitalizing on the art deco character of the historic buildings fronting the east side of Troost…
Freight House Project Adds Residences Along 22nd Street
By Kevin Collison The new developer of the planned Tracks apartment project in the Freight House District has revised its design to bring a much friendlier face to the neighborhood along 22nd Street. The revamped look of the 203-unit apartment development calls for 19 residences to be built on two-levels along the 22nd Street frontage,…
Equity Vs ‘Closed for Business,’ City Tax Incentive Debate Continues
(Updated Feb. 25, 2021: The City Council approved the changes in tax incentive policy proposed by Councilwomen Robinson and Parks-Shaw. It added exemptions for projects that are located in high-frequency transit corridors; projects that meet the city affordable housing set aside ordinance; Projects located in severely-distressed Census tracts; projects that generate at least 100 entry-level…
Historic Attucks School to Become Major Art Center at 18th & Vine
By Kevin Collison The resurrection of the historic Attucks School as a major art center at the 18th & Vine Jazz District is moving forward, three years after the city awarded redevelopment rights to the Zhou brothers, renowned international artists based in Chicago. The planned Zhou B. Art Center of Kansas City is slated for…
Another Key Corner Acquired Along Streetcar Extension Route
By Kevin Collison Another key corner along the planned Main Street streetcar route at 31st street has been acquired by a developer including the 134 year-old Jeserich building and an adjacent building housing Lufti’s Fried Fish. An entity controlled by PriceMgmtCo, 31 Main LLC, has bought the half-dozen properties northeast of 31st and Main where…
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…
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…