Development
New Chapter Planned for Historic River Market Water Building
By Kevin Collison The historic Water Building in the River Market is slated for another round of renovation after a previous revival went bust in 2013. Developer Chris Sally has a contract to purchase the brick building at the corner of Second and Main streets. It was built in 1905 to house the stable, warehouse…
Proposed Freight House District Apartment Project Backtracks Size
(Updated May 7: The developer of the planned Tracks 215 apartment deal lost his national partner this week but did obtain local tax incentives in his quest to build the $52.4 million project in the Freight House District. Vince Bryant of 3-D development told the Planned Industrial Expansion Authority board today that Greystar, a major…
City Council Narrowly Approves Waddell HQ Design Despite Objections by Neighborhood, City Planners
(Updated: Citing the late Kenny Rogers tune “The Gambler,” Mayor Quinton Lucas cast the deciding vote in a 7-6 City Council decision to approve the design and development plan of the Waddell & Reed headquarters project late Thursday afternoon. With several Council members expressing disapproval of the controversial design during deliberations and seeking to send…
Developers Leave the Light On for Downtown Hotel Projects
(Editor’s note May 15: The City Council unanimously approved revisions to the incentive package for the redevelopment of the historic KC Federal Reserve Bank building into a 301-room Embassy Suites hotel at its meeting Thursday.) By Kevin Collison Even though the local and national hospitality industry is being hammered by the Covid-19 pandemic, developers pursuing…
Key East Crossroads Corner Paved for Brewery Parking, Other Uses
By Kevin Collison After decades of scraggly existence, the northwest corner of 18th and Locust has been transformed into a 225-space controlled and paved public parking lot in the heart of the burgeoning food and microbrewery scene in the East Crossroads. What’s being called Brewers Alley Parking opened about a month ago, but its arrival…
East Crossroads Corner Being Rebuilt, Deli and Bar Planned
By Kevin Collison A building that collapsed at the corner of 18th and Locust in the East Crossroads in October 2018 is being replaced with a new structure that is expected to house a bar and delicatessen. It’s being built by Matt Abbott, a developer and entrepreneur with extensive property holdings in the Crossroads. Abbott…
Potential River Market Apartment Deal Would Include Affordable Units
(Updated Aug. 12: The city and Port KC have prepared an updated request for proposals for the City Market property where an apartment development is contemplated: By Kevin Collison An approximately 250-unit apartment project that would include affordable housing is being contemplated for a public parking lot northwest of Fifth and Main next to the…
Revised Waddell & Reed HQ Design Gets Thumbs Down from Neighborhood
By Kevin Collison The designer of the Waddell & Reed headquarters project has returned to the city with a revised plan that adds a small commercial space to the southeast corner of the building in the works for 1400 Baltimore. But it’s not enough for critics who note the project, as previously designed, offered only…
Opus Scraps Crossroads Apartment Plan, Faultless Building Back on Market
By Kevin Collison Plans have been scrapped for a $52 million apartment project first proposed three years ago by Opus Development that would have replaced the long-vacant Faultless Linen building at 1923 Broadway. Opus won approval from the city for the 228-unit apartment project in 2017, but never moved forward with the plan. A company…
Guest Commentary: Turning Toward Greatness, Before We Get to Detroit
(Editor’s note: This presentation that’s been making the rounds of local civic groups recently offers a strong public policy and economic case for continuing to reinvest in our urban core, the so-called River-Crown-Plaza corridor, and nearby neighborhoods.) By Dennis Strait, managing principal, Gould Evans Communities across the country face a fundamental problem: we’ve built cities…