Downtown Living
Spokes Serving White Russians and Tacos to ‘Celebrate’ Trump’s Downtown Meltdown
By Kevin Collison Downtown Kansas City is expected to be disrupted mightily by President Trump’s visit to the national VFW Convention today, so the folks at Spokes are making a party out of it. “We’re calling it a “Celebration of America” party,” said owner Dan Walsh. “Our regular business will be significantly slowed down. “Downtown…
West Bottoms Flats Starting Soon, First Major Renovation Project in Historic Warehouse District
By Kevin Collison Construction is expected to begin soon on the $68 million West Bottoms Flats apartment development, the first major renovation project in the downtown warehouse district that fueled Kansas City’s economic growth in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. MCM Company plans to renovate three historic buildings on the north side of…
Historic Norman School Reopens as 61-Unit Apartment Development
By Kevin Collison The historic Norman School, a prominent stone landmark that overlooks Southwest Trafficway as it approaches downtown, has reopened as a 61-unit apartment project following a $14 million renovation. The school started as a two-room wood building in 1901 and was named after the school board president at the time, Joseph Norman. In…
Sequence Climb Bringing ‘Bouldering’ to Crossroads
By Kevin Collison Graham Hess has seen how light rail galvanized Salt Lake City’s downtown, and when Kansas City started its streetcar, he knew downtown was the place to pursue his business dream. He and his wife, Dara, are planning to open Sequence Climb, a “bouldering gym” and cutting-edge fitness center in a West Crossroads…
Union Apartments Celebrates Riverfront Opening, New Projects Planned
By Kevin Collison The Union Berkley Riverfront apartments, the first new project on the downtown riverfront since a push to clean up and redevelop the area began in the 1970s, had its grand opening recently. Mayor Sly James, members of Port KC, formerly the port authority, and dozens of others saluted the culmination of decades…
Crossroads Westside Finds Success in Tight Quarters
By Kevin Collison It may be a site only a developer could love, but the 221-unit Crossroads Westside project is finding success attracting tenants with 40 percent of its apartments already leased before its formal opening. “We are the connection between two great neighborhoods, the Crossroads and the Westside,” developer Jim Thomas of Indianapolis-based Cityscape…
Looking Up in the Crossroads, a Dramatic 14-Story Apartment Proposal
By Kevin Collison Copaken Brooks is proposing a 14-story apartment tower at 18th and Walnut, a striking addition to the skyline that would replace a crumbling Crossroads parking lot with 132 residences. The $40- to $50 million project would be the second residential tower developed by the firm in the Crossroads Arts District, the other…
Downtown CVS Reopens After Street-Friendly Remodeling
The CVS store in downtown Kansas City reopened this week after a three-month remodeling project and its new, more street-friendly look is getting great early reviews. Gone are the shrink-wrap advertisements that covered the windows and made it uninviting to passersby. The storefront is now transparent with a new layout inside as well. “I think…
City Club Apartments Groundbreaking Delayed Until End of Summer
By Kevin Collison A groundbreaking for the $76.8 million City Club Apartment project at 20th and Main has been pushed back to the end of summer although environmental work at the site is expected to begin soon. Work on the 283-unit apartment project had been expected to begin this month, but a spokesman said the…
Affordable Apartment Project Proposed for Downtown Riverfront
By Kevin Collison An Omaha developer is proposing a 60-unit apartment project near Berkley Riverfront Park that’s intended to help meet the demand for affordable housing downtown. Cornerstone Associates, which recently opened the 531 Grand market-rate apartment project in the River Market, is requesting federal tax credits administered by the Missouri Housing Development Commission to…