Housing
Flatland covers stories about affordable housing, evictions and tenant rights in the Kansas City metro and surrounding area.
Next Kansas City Mayor Needs to Keep the Line Moving Downtown
COMMENTARY After decades of neglect, downtown is relevant again to the metro and that’s vital not only for the well-being of our city as it competes nationally for talent and investment, but for its nearby neighborhoods as well, particularly the East Side. Back in 2002, when The Kansas City Star, did an important series on downtown…
Copaken Brooks Starts Work on Crossroads Apartment Tower
Construction of a 14-story apartment tower called REVERB at 18th and Walnut kicked off Monday, according to a release from Copaken Brooks. The $40 million project, first reported last June by CityScene KC, is expected to be completed in the summer of 2020. Copaken Brooks said local engineering firm Burns & McDonnell will partner to…
City Manager Praises Downtown Development Ripple Effect, Says Potential Ballpark Cost Now $800M
By Kevin Collison City Manager Troy Schulte was unapologetic about reinvestment along Troost and the city’s support for luxury downtown residential projects during a wide-ranging talk Wednesday that also included the latest on a potential new ballpark. In a luncheon speech to the Downtowners group, Schulte said the city’s investment in revitalizing downtown over the…
City Survey Reveals Rising Worries About Affordable Housing
By Kevin Collison The number of Kansas City residents concerned about the availability of affordable housing rose slightly last year, according to new city data, with the greater downtown area reporting the greatest increase. The analysis prepared by KCStat revealed that citywide, 55 percent of the respondents to the latest Resident Survey conducted last spring…
Downtown Rings out 2018 with Surge in Apartments and Hotel Rooms, Promise of New Office
By Kevin Collison Downtown Kansas City ends 2018 on a strong note with new apartment and hotel projects seemingly announced every other week and finally, after much talk, a couple of significant office developments, notably a 25-story project planned for the Power & Light District. It also saw a growing street scene of new retailers,…
Troost Developers Deserve Support, Not Criticism
GUEST COMMENTARY By John Hoffman, principal and co-founder of UC-B Properties The recent editorial in The Kansas City Star entitled “Stop the Denverization of Kansas City. Troost doesn’t need to be hipster-friendly” sparked an interest worth responding to by someone who has been developing along Troost for the last 10 years. Whoever was responsible for…
Downtown Dazzle Urban Homes Tour This Saturday
By Kevin Collison The Downtown Dazzle Urban Homes Tour returns Saturday and this year current and prospective downtown residents should find a robust, competitive market. “Right now, things are running well, but you can see there are a lot of incentives,” said Christina Boveri of Boveri Realty Group. “We have a lot of great product…
Hyatt House Hotel Wins Incentive Approval, Work to Begin This Spring
By Kevin Collison Construction of a 13-story Hyatt House hotel on a parking lot at Ninth and Broadway is expected to begin this spring after its Colorado developer was approved for incentives last week–but not before a two-hour debate by the development agency involved. Boulder-based Pedersen Development won approval for a 15-year property tax break,…
Developer Passes ‘Squint Test’ on New Armour Apartment Project
By Kevin Collison The design of the first apartment building in MAC Properties planned $78 million Armour Corners redevelopment won support from the City Plan Commission Wednesday after its developer noted it had passed the “squint test.” Peter Cassel of Chicago-based MAC said a consultant who assisted in the design of the seven-story building planned…
Uptown Lofts a Transformational ‘Valentine’ to Midtown
Editor’s Note: Sunflower Development Group announced today (July 30) it has closed on its private financing and plans to begin construction next week on the Uptown Lofts mixed-use project with an expected completion in summer 2021. Mutual of Omaha Bank with participation from Capital Federal Savings has provided the financing for the project, according to Sunflower….