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
Streetcar Keeps Rolling Toward Riverfront Without Federal Help
By Kevin Collison A multi-modal plan to extend the streetcar line to the riverfront, including a new concept to build a separate bicycle/pedestrian bridge next to the Grand Boulevard viaduct, continues to roll, but without help from Washington. The KC Streetcar Authority’s application for $25 million for the riverfront extension was rejected recently by the…
Poi-ō Brings Wood-Roasted Chicken to West Side
By Kevin Collison Carlos Mortera comes from a long line of restauranteurs, going back to his childhood days in Querétaro, Mexico. “I’ve been cooking for awhile,” he said. “My dad and grandpa had restaurants in Mexico.” Now, his dad Carlos Sr. is helping him fire up the oven with cherry wood at his new place,…
New 25-Story Office Tower Proposed for Downtown P&L District
By Kevin Collison A 25-story tower that would be the first multi-tenant office building built downtown since 1991 is being proposed for the block southwest of 13th and Main in the Power & Light District. The $132 million project, called Strata, would be located on what’s called Block 124, and would be built above the…
TIF Commission Agrees to Study Luxury Hotel Plan–Reluctantly
By Kevin Collison A $63 million ultra-luxury hotel project proposed next door to the Kauffman Center cleared its first hurdle Wednesday when the Kansas City TIF Commission reluctantly approved a funding agreement to study the plan. The 145-room hotel is being pitched by developers Whitney Kerr Sr. and Eric Holtze for vacant land controlled by…
New Plaza Preservation Battle, Developer Plans to Demolish Prominent Church for Apartments
(Editors’s Note: Plans for this project were first posted online by Next Kansas City) By Kevin Collison A plan to demolish a prominent church in the Country Club Plaza and replace it with a 12-story, mixed-use project is unfolding as the latest historic preservation battle over the soul of the venerable district. Legacy Development wants to redevelop…
New VisitKC Exec Anticipates Filling a ‘Saturated’ Downtown Hotel Market
By Kevin Collison The first time Jason Fulvi visited Kansas City 13 years ago, he flew back to Pittsburgh convinced there was no need to ever return. At that time downtown was in the early stages of its current renaissance, the Power & Light District, Sprint Center and Bartle Hall ballroom expansion just starting or…
KC Pinoy Serves a Taste of the Philippines in the West Bottoms
By Kevin Collison Chrissy Nucum helped her mother, aunt and grandmother prepare meals growing up in Manila, but it took persistence to wrangle the recipes for her new West Bottoms restaurant, KC Pinoy. “My grandmother was the cook in the house and keeper of the recipes,” she said. “In 2013, she visited the States and…
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…
Shared E-Bikes Rolling Into Downtown Soon, KC Among Nation’s First
By Kevin Collison E-bikes are scheduled to begin rolling into greater downtown by Christmas, making Kansas City one of only a handful of North American communities to adopt the latest in “first and last mile” shared transportation technology. “E-bikes are really new, especially for shared use, and Kansas City is in the forefront of this,”…