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Waddell & Reed Coming Downtown, Two Sites Considered HQ Finalists
Editor’s note: The Enhanced Enterprise Zone Board endorsed the property tax abatement recommended for the Waddell & Reed development Wednesday, the recommendation will now go to the Kansas City Council for consideration. During a presentation, attorney David Frantze, who represents the firm, said the total project value is $140 million and 250,000 square feet of…
Platform Ventures Plans Early 2020 Start for 14-Story Office Project
(Editor’s note: Updated May 21. Platform Ventures was approved for a $70 million bond to build its 14-story office project by the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority Thursday. The previously approved incentive package remains unchanged. The firm plans to begin demolition soon on a vacant garage on the development site. A groundbreaking for the tower…
Retiring City Manager Troy Schulte Reflects on Downtown’s Revival and Future
(Editor’s note: City Manager Troy Schulte announced this week he plans to retire in February after serving 10 years in the job. He was given an opportunity to speak to the Downtown Council’s 3rd Annual Office Summit Wednesday. Schulte reflected on what’s been accomplished downtown during his tenure and what he’d like to see moving…
Historic Scarritt Building and Arcade Slated as $50M Luxury Hotel
By Kevin Collison One of downtown’s most historic and architecturally impressive buildings, the Scarritt, has been purchased by a Florida developer who plans to renovate it as a 193-room Wyndham Grand hotel. The 11-story Scarritt office tower at 818 Grand and its adjoining four-level Arcade, which has its entrance at 819 Walnut, were completed in…
Quality Hill Glowing Again Thanks to Public-Private Partnership
By Kevin Collison The Quality Hill neighborhood finally has its old-fashioned street lamps in action again thanks to a partnership between the city and a private fundraising effort led by the Downtown Council. The leafy neighborhood of brick homes and apartments on the west side of downtown had been increasingly in the dark as is…
In Memoriam: Erin Langhofer
Three young men, one with a loaded 9 mm handgun shoved in his sweatpants pocket, came to First Friday to “meet friends and hang out”, according to police. A young woman from Overland Park, a therapist working with victims of domestic violence at the Rose Brooks Center, visited First Friday to enjoy an event that…
Isle of Capri Casino Sale Renews Hope for Streetcar Connection
(Updated July 21, 2020. Twin River Worldwide Holdings completed the acquisition of the Isle of Capri casino on July 2 and has renamed it “Casino KC.” “The company expects to substantially reposition the casino with a transformational redevelopment plan,” according to a release from the Rhode Island-based firm. “Most of the related capital expenditures are…
J. Rieger Rolls Out Top-Shelf Destination Distillery in East Bottoms
By Kevin Collison Andy Rieger is betting big his classy, new distillery and entertainment destination in the historic Heim Brewery Building will be a major East Bottoms draw. Rieger, who along with partner Ryan Maybee revived his family’s 130 year-old distillery Jacob Rieger & Co. five years ago, has converted the 60,000 square-foot former brewery…
National Developer Proposes Big Apartment Project in Crossroads
By Kevin Collison A $95 million development that would replace a Freight House District parking lot with a nine-story apartment tower above a three-level garage is being pursued by Greystar, the nation’s largest apartment operator. The 250-unit “Tracks 215” project is proposed for a 1.1-acre lot west of the historic Freight House building, where Lidia’s…
Bar + Rec Plans Lively Entertainment Center in Old KC Star Building
By Kevin Collison Bar + Rec, the first tenant announced for the ongoing redevelopment of the old Kansas City Star building, has a year-old pile of sand and months of work ahead before its planned opening at year’s end. Partners Mark Musselman and Luke Wade continue to push forward with their ambitious plan to create…