Kevin Collison
Publisher
Flatland contributor Kevin Collison is the founder of CityScene KC, an online source for downtown news and issues.
Stories by Kevin Collison
Mayor Stays Close to City Hall with TIF Commission Nominees
In his first important round of appointments, Mayor Quinton Lucas has stayed close to City Hall in nominating members for the city’s most high-profile economic development agency, the Kansas City Tax Increment Financing Commission. Three Kansas City Council members and one former member are among the six appointments the mayor is making to serve on…
Diane Burnette Leaves a Resurgent Main Street for Washington
By Kevin Collison Diane Burnette has one big regret leaving Midtown KC Now, formerly MainCor, for a new job with the Urban Land Institute in Washington D.C. after leading the key Main Street organization 16 years. “The one thing that bums me out,” she said, “I worked hard to get to this point and I’m…
A Year Later, No Sign of Hy-Vee Arena
By Kevin Collison A year after the Hy-Vee Arena amateur sports center opened in the West Bottoms following a $39 million redevelopment, it’s still invisible when it comes to downtown highway signage. Signs continue to refer to Kemper Arena, which essentially went dark with the opening of the Sprint Center in 2007, and that seriously…
NorthPoint Plans $60M Apartment Project by Berkley Riverfront Park
By Kevin Collison NorthPoint Development is planning a $60 million apartment development near Berkley Riverfront Park that could begin accepting what’s anticipated to be up to 500 residents as early as late summer 2021. The 348-unit project is proposed for an eight-acre site just east of the Bar K dog park, restaurant and bar, according…
New Playground Opens at West Terrace Park
By Kevin Collison Downtown boosters like to say it’s becoming a place where people can live, work and play, and last week a couple hundred kids from Crossroads Academy embraced that concept with joy at the opening of a new playground at West Terrace Park. While the 45-degree temps and wind made for a chilly…
Avenue Logistics Relocating Office from Kansas to Crossroads
Avenue Logistics is relocating its 30 employees from Overland Park to a renovated building at 18th and McGee in the East Crossroads. The firm will open its new offices in what’s now called the 18McGee building by the end of the year, according to a press release. “When we were looking for our new offices,…
Platform Ventures Plans 2020 Start for 14-Story Downtown Office Project
Platform Ventures plans to begin work early next year on a 14-story office project at 13th and Wyandotte that’s more than doubled in size since it was proposed 16 months ago. The office tower is now planned to be 152,000 square feet and would be built above a 409-space, six-level garage. The original plan introduced…
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…
MaRKET ASSEMBLY Launch Pad for Unique Women’s Product Ideas
By Kevin Collison To the casual shopper, MaRKET ASSEMBLY appears to be a typical upscale boutique geared toward women looking for unique clothes, home decor and other items. But there’s a lot more going on behind the shop at 110 Southwest Boulevard in the Crossroads. Literally. The products being sold are where the branding and…
Four New Residential Floors Planned Atop Existing Building on Grand
By Kevin Collison A two-story building at 16th and Grand would be transformed into a 20-unit apartment project by adding four floors to the existing structure, according to a development plan submitted to City Hall. Hive Design Collaborative plans to build the addition atop the existing commercial building at 1532 Grand. It currently is occupied…