Development
Plaza Hotel Proposal Revived, Seven-Story Project at 46th and Wornall
UPDATED May 7, 2019 (Editor’s note: The City Plan Commission unanimously endorsed the Plaza Hotel redevelopment plan Wednesday, which also was supported by Historic KC and neighborhood groups The project will include two separate hotel flags, an Aloft and a Tribute Portfolio, within the Marriott brand. The project previously has been approved for a Community…
Loews Exec Says Unfinished Hotel Bringing Fresh Business to Downtown
By Kevin Collison A top Loews executive attending the topping off of his firm’s 24-story convention hotel project Wednesday said its bringing fresh business to Kansas City, downplaying concerns about filling a surge in new downtown hotel rooms. Alexander Tisch, executive vice president of Loews Hotels & Co., said he was familiar with the recent…
KCAI Launches Liberal Arts Project, Part of $30M Campus Overhaul
By Kevin Collison The Kansas City Art Institute kicked off construction of a new liberal arts building last week, part of a $30 million campus building program that’s creating a new future for the 134 year-old school. “This is a pivotal moment in our college’s history,” said Tony Jones, the Nerman Family President of KCAI….
ARTerra Opening Spurs Call for Continued Downtown Incentives
By Kevin Collison City Manager Troy Schulte used the grand opening of the $40.7 million ARTerra apartment tower in the Crossroads Wednesday to urge continued public support for downtown revitalization, saying it also helps the overall city. “All 475,000 people in Kansas City benefit from a strong downtown,” he told the audience gathered in the…
Keystone Innovation District Seeks to Transform East 18th Street Corridor
(Editor’s note: Updated March 11. The Keystone Innovation District initiative has announced its Governing Board: Doug Girod, Chancellor, University of Kansas; Mauli Agrawal, Chancellor, University of Missouri – Kansas City; Kimberly Beatty, Chancellor, Metropolitan Community College; Elizabeth MacLeod Walls, President, William Jewell College; Denise St. Omer, VP of Grantmaking and Inclusion, Greater Kansas City Community Foundation;…
Super-Green Apartments ‘Leaping Out of Ground’ in River Market
By Kevin Collison Work has resumed on the 276-unit Second and Delaware apartment development after a lengthy shutdown, its energy-efficient, concrete walls rapidly rising beneath a tower crane visible throughout the River Market. Construction on the $71 million project resumed in November following an 16-month shutdown caused by a contractor dispute. Now, Crossland Construction has…
Mac Plans to Renovate Former Red Cross Building Into Apartments
By Kevin Collison Mac Properties plans to renovate the former American Red Cross building at 211 W. Armour Blvd. into 61 apartments, the latest installment in the firm’s ongoing transformation of the Armour corridor in midtown. The proposed $11.7 million project would expand the Chicago-based firm’s apartment portfolio along Armour. Over the past decade, Mac has…
New Owner of City Center Square Seeks Incentives for Major Overhaul
(Updated Feb. 25: The Port KC board unanimously endorsed incentives for the $85 million redevelopment of the former City Square Building. Michael Collins of J.E. Dunn said development cost estimate includes acquisition, renovation and other expenses. Some of the work may be completed by the end of the year.) By Kevin Collison The new owner…
Plan Commission Rejects Plaza Bowl Height Restrictions, City Council Next Stop
Editor’s note: Despite the Plan Commission recommendation, the Kansas City Council voted unanimously to approve the Plaza Bowl mandatory height restrictions at its meeting Thursday, Feb.14.) By Kevin Collison A proposal to mandate height restrictions on development in the core of the Country Club Plaza, the so-called “Plaza Bowl” plan, was rejected unanimously Tuesday by the…
Embassy Suites Project Underway in Former Federal Reserve Building
By Kevin Collison The redevelopment of the historic Kansas City Federal Reserve building into a 301-room Embassy Suites by Hilton hotel is finally on after a decade of false starts with completion expected in May 2020. The project, which is restoring one of downtown’s last remaining landmark buildings, has a new entity coordinating its construction…