Development
Proposed Streetcar Extension Lures New Main Street Investments in Midtown
By Kevin Collison The 11-story former Netherlands Hotel is slated to be redeveloped into 110 apartments, part of a Main Street development surge linked to the planned streetcar extension. The decrepit Netherlands at 3835 Main and its neighbor, the former Monarch Storage building at 3829 Main, are part of a more than $30 million redevelopment…
Hallmark Selling Large Tract in East Crossroads; Once Considered Potential Royals Ballpark Location
By Kevin Collison A big piece of easily developable real estate in the East Crossroads once considered as a potential downtown ballpark site is up for sale by its longtime owner, Hallmark. The two-block property is between Oak and Cherry streets from 19th to 20th streets, and is considered a prime development opportunity because of…
Developer Hopes to Raise Money to Finish Renovating Eyesore Building at 10th and Oak
By Kevin Collison Nicholas Abnos readily acknowledges he’s allowed a vacant five-story building at the prominent corner of 10th and Oak to fester for well over a decade. He feels the same shame for the even longer time it’s taken to complete the redevelopment of the empty former Brandsmart building at 211 W. Gregory Blvd….
Children’s Mercy Hospital Plans Nine-Story Research Tower on Hospital Hill
By Kevin Collison Children’s Mercy Hospital is planning a nine-story research tower at its Hospital Hill campus, continuing a boom of healthcare-related construction in that area. The City Planning Commission is scheduled to review the plan for the 400,000 square-foot building at when it meets Wednesday morning. The building is proposed for a 10-acre site…
Downtown Convention Hotel Expects to Break Ground Jan. 2, Wins Key Approvals from Development Agency
Updated: Kansas City Tax Increment Financing Commission approved redevelopment agreement and other documents for convention hotel project this morning, last public hurdle for the project. By Kevin Collison After seven years of discussion and planning, construction of a 24-story, 800-room downtown convention hotel is expected to begin Jan. 2 following approvals of key documents Wednesday….
Critical Convention Hotel Agreements Before Development Agency, Includes $59.7 Million Private Investment
By Kevin Collison The long-awaited, 800-room downtown convention hotel is poised to begin construction in January if, as expected, the key city development agency handling its financing and property issues approves the deal Wednesday. The Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority board is scheduled to consider the final financing and leasing agreements with KC Hotel Venture…
Downtown YMCA Project Wins Key State Funding Needed to Complete Fundraising
By Kevin Collison After a 36 year absence, a full-service YMCA is returning to downtown Kansas City following approval Tuesday of state tax credits needed to help finance building its new home in the historic Lyric Theater. The Missouri Development Finance Board approved up to $4 million in state tax credits, a move that’s expected…
If Historic Tax Credits Go Away, Local and National Redevelopment Will Come to a Crumbling Halt
GUEST COMMENTARY By Elizabeth Rosin Have you noticed how Kansas City has changed over the past decade, how vibrant our urban core has become? It was a gradual process that happened one property at a time. Most of these buildings were transformed using the historic tax credit (HTC), a tool that helps developers leverage private…
Historic Brookfield Building Reopening Soon as Hotel Indigo and Fairfax Lofts
By Kevin Collison Back in its previous heyday, the historic Fairfax building at 11th and Baltimore, later known as the Brookfield, was the place to buy a train or airplane ticket in Kansas City. When it opened in 1930, the 12-story Art Deco tower was named after the then-new Fairfax airport in Kansas City, Kan….
Transit Agency Pursuing Development in Big Way, Offering Strategic Block on 18th Street Near Crossroads, 18th & Vine
By Kevin Collison An entire city block along the strategic 18th Street corridor between the Crossroads and 18th & Vine Jazz District will be offered soon for development by the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority. The block on the north side of 18th between Troost and Forest is currently a greenfield and is expected to…