Development
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…
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…
Big Development Site Along Planned Streetcar Extension Hits Market
By Kevin Collison A 5.4-acre site that includes the former Conklin Fangman car dealership has hit the market, a huge development opportunity along the planned Main Street extension of the streetcar from downtown to UMKC. “It’s an incredibly valuable piece of property,” said Kevin Klinkenberg, executive director of Midtown KC Now. “For the right developer,…
New Track for Proposed Freight House Apartment Project
By Kevin Collison The Tracks 215 apartment proposal for the Freight House District, first unveiled in early 2019, has picked up a new developer with a track record of bringing residential projects to fruition. Milhaus, the Indianapolis firm behind the recently-opened Artistry KC apartment project, has joined the project planned for a parking lot next…
Streetcar Land Rush Rolling, Apartment Plan Would Keep Iconic Katz Drug
By Kevin Collison The iconic Katz Drug Store at Westport Road and Main would be saved as the centerpiece of a 192-unit apartment project proposed by a St. Louis firm, the latest streetcar-related development announcement on Main. Lux Living wants to build the six-story apartment project on the surface parking lot behind the historic building…
Mac Going Big at Future Streetcar Stop, Mixed-Use Project in Works
By Kevin Collison Mac Properties has acquired most of the high-profile block southwest of Main and Armour where the US Bank building is located and is planning a substantial mixed-use project including apartments and retail. The site, which is at the planned Armour streetcar stop, was purchased by the Chicago-based developer this month and while…
West Plaza Flats Project Importing ‘Co-Living’ Concept to KC
By Kevin Collison Construction has begun on a five-story apartment project at 44th and Belleview that’s introducing a lifestyle imported from Denmark and an imposing tower crane above the West Plaza. The 102-unit West Plaza Flats development is being built on a 1.5-acre site at 4400-4434 Belleview by Price Management. The site originally was approved…
Affordable Townhome Project Proposed in Troost Corridor
By Kevin Collison The developer of the Wonder Shops + Flats project on Troost wants to continue investing in the area by building nine townhomes at 29th and Forest as affordable housing, but there’s one hitch. While the vacant property where the Forest Townhomes project is planned is part of a longtime neighborhood in the…
Bally Submits $61M Upgrade Plan for Former Isle of Capri Casino
By Kevin Collison Bally, the owner of the former Isle of Capri Casino, now Casino KC, has filed a plan with the city that calls for encasing the fake riverboat with a contemporary facade and building 38,400 square feet of commercial space. In a second phase, the plan calls for a seven-story, 150-room hotel to…
Covid Forces Developers to Shift Historic Scarritt, Uptown Plans
By Kevin Collison Covid has forced two developers to check out of their hotel proposals and pivot to welcoming apartment residents instead. The developer of the Scarritt office tower at 818 Grand and its adjoining Arcade now plans to redevelop the historic buildings as a 126-unit apartment project that would include a first level grocery…