Development
Kansas City Star Owner Scraps Deal to Sell Massive Press Pavilion Overlooking Downtown—for Now
By Kevin Collison The owner of The Kansas City Star has decided not to sell the newspaper’s massive green-glass production plant overlooking downtown after all. McClatchy announced in its third quarter earnings report that it had “terminated” a sale-leaseback agreement for the 434,000 square-foot Press Pavilion with an entity called R2 Capital LLC. The distinctive…
Tenth and Main Transit Center Closing, Opening Opportunities in Heart of Downtown
By Kevin Collison The congested bus transit center at Tenth and Main is scheduled to be closed within two years, opening up space for a potential pocket park in the heart of downtown. The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority plans to relocate the 1/2-acre transit center, currently a hub for 15 bus routes, to a…
City Picks Renowned Chicago-based Artists to Redevelop Historic School Building in 18th & Vine Jazz District
By Kevin Collison The historic Attucks School building in the 18th & Vine Jazz District won’t be reused as a school afterall. Instead, the city has chosen a proposal by two internationally-renowned artists based in Chicago to convert the old building at 1815 Woodland Ave. into a hub for arts and culture. The Zhou Brothers,…
Construction Underway on $39 Million Mosaic Arena Redevelopment, Grand Opening Expected Next August
By Kevin Collison It takes some deep digging to get through the ancient livestock manure, river silt and other poor soil where the former Kemper Arena was located to build the foundation for its new future. Ninety feet to be exact. That’s how far down the four massive columns required to support the new second…
City Takes Another Swing at Eventually Wooing Royals Downtown
By Kevin Collison Downtown baseball is back in the game with the city joining the Downtown Council and developer Jon Copaken in funding a $120,000 study intended to lay the groundwork for a full pitch to the Royals down the road. The Kansas City Star reported this week the ongoing study has identified four sites…
Developer Pursuing Two Historic Apartment Projects in ‘Fringe’ Between Downtown and Midtown
By Kevin Collison A pair of historic buildings in what their developer calls the “fringe” area between downtown and midtown are on their way to new life as apartment developments. Caleb Buland and his Denver partner Ilan Salzberg recently took the first step to renovating the long-vacant Acme Cleaning Co. building at 3200 Gillham Rd….
ULI Experts Recommend Holding Off on North Loop, Focus on Improving Highway 9 and Independence Avenue Instead
By Kevin Collison The North Loop freeway that divides the River Market from the rest of downtown won’t be going away anytime soon if the advice of a panel of national urban planning experts is followed. Bottom line, there’s too much easily developable land already available downtown to make it cost effective to redevelop the…
Apartment Development at 27th and Troost Near Hospital Hill Receives Nod for Tax Incentives
By Kevin Collison Construction is expected to begin this fall on a $24 million apartment project that will replace a vacant, decrepit block at 27th and Troost with 182 market-rate residences. The new development is next to the Beacon Hill neighborhood and a major market will be employees and students at the nearby Hospital Hill…
Church of Scientology Expected to Begin Renovation of Historic Downtown Building for New Home in October
By Kevin Collison Ten years after purchasing the historic City Bank Building at 1801 Grand Blvd., the Church of Scientology is expected to begin renovation work on what will become its new metropolitan offices and worship center in early October. Church officials could not be reached for comment, but a source familiar with the project…
Second Phase of Corrigan Station Development in Crossroads Expected to Break Ground Late This Year
By Kevin Collison The developers of Corrigan Station plan to break ground by December on an $11 million office building at 19th and Main streets along the streetcar route. Jon Copaken of Copaken Brooks, co-developer of Corrigan Station, said final plans for the 25,000 square-foot, three-story building have been submitted to the city. It would…