News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
Riding the Rails Into 2021
By Kevin Collison What a difference a year makes. One year ago, anticipation was high that greater downtown was poised for a major influx of office development including the Strata and Platform Venture projects, and the new Waddell & Reed headquarters. The Loews Convention Hotel was only a few months from opening, new restaurants and…
Streetcar Land Rush Rolling, Apartment Plan Would Keep Iconic Katz Drug
By Kevin Collison The iconic Katz Drug Store at Westport Road and Main would be saved as the centerpiece of a 192-unit apartment project proposed by a St. Louis firm, the latest streetcar-related development announcement on Main. Lux Living wants to build the six-story apartment project on the surface parking lot behind the historic building…
Streetcar Land Rush: Apartment Plan Would Keep Iconic Katz Drug
The iconic Katz Drug Store at Westport Road and Main Street would be saved as the centerpiece of a 192-unit apartment project proposed by a St. Louis firm, the latest streetcar-related development announcement.
Mac Going Big at Future Streetcar Stop, Mixed-Use Project in Works
By Kevin Collison Mac Properties has acquired most of the high-profile block southwest of Main and Armour where the US Bank building is located and is planning a substantial mixed-use project including apartments and retail. The site, which is at the planned Armour streetcar stop, was purchased by the Chicago-based developer this month and while…
Streetcar-Inspired Main Street Land Rush Continues With Mac Properties Deal
Mac Properties has acquired a high-profile site at Main Street and Armour Boulevard and is planning a substantial mixed-use project including apartments and retail.
West Plaza Flats Project Importing ‘Co-Living’ Concept to KC
By Kevin Collison Construction has begun on a five-story apartment project at 44th and Belleview that’s introducing a lifestyle imported from Denmark and an imposing tower crane above the West Plaza. The 102-unit West Plaza Flats development is being built on a 1.5-acre site at 4400-4434 Belleview by Price Management. The site originally was approved…
Affordable Townhome Project Proposed in Troost Corridor
By Kevin Collison The developer of the Wonder Shops + Flats project on Troost wants to continue investing in the area by building nine townhomes at 29th and Forest as affordable housing, but there’s one hitch. While the vacant property where the Forest Townhomes project is planned is part of a longtime neighborhood in the…
Bally Submits $61M Upgrade Plan for Former Isle of Capri Casino
By Kevin Collison Bally, the owner of the former Isle of Capri Casino, now Casino KC, has filed a plan with the city that calls for encasing the fake riverboat with a contemporary facade and building 38,400 square feet of commercial space. In a second phase, the plan calls for a seven-story, 150-room hotel to…
In South Kansas City, Death of Newspapers is Greatly Exaggerated
The Martin City Telegraph is an anomaly in the newspaper business – startup print publication that is growing.
St. Joe Brewer Opening Pub in River Market
By Kevin Collison River Bluff Brewing, a St. Joseph microbrewery, is opening a location in the River Market in the historic City Water Department building this spring at 201 Second St. “Kansas City has such a great beer scene,” said Chris Lanman, founder of River Bluff. “There are so many great brewers and we always…