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
East Crossroads Apartment Wins City Plan Commission Approval
(Updated July 19. The City Plan Commission approved rezoning for the East Crossroads project this week. It will next be considered by the Kansas City Council. Also included are new architectural renderings furnished by Milhaus) By Kevin Collision Construction of a planned East Crossroads project that would replace parking lots with four apartment buildings totaling 350…
McCownGordon Celebrates Start of Downtown Headquarters Project
By Kevin Collison McCownGordon Construction celebrated the start of a $10.5 million renovation project that will convert a three-story building at 850 Main St. into its new headquarters Wednesday. “We wanted a home right in the heart of downtown Kansas City that would position our firm for the next 20 years,” CEO Ramin Cherafat told…
EAST + WEST Men’s Clothing Adds to Retail Options in Crossroads
By Kevin Collison Cameron Niederhauser wants EAST + WEST, his new men’s clothing shop at 1828 Grand, to fuel the Crossroads evolution beyond being known for its art galleries and unique restaurants and bars. “When I was thinking about where to locate the shop, I felt a draw to the Crossroads,” he said. “There wasn’t…
Streetcar Extension ‘Buzz’ Sparks Big Apartment Project at 39th and Main
By Kevin Collison Construction is expected to begin by late spring on a $34 million residential redevelopment project at 39th and Main, the largest private investment to date prompted by the anticipated extension of the streetcar from downtown to UMKC. The redevelopment of the historic Netherland Hotel building and the neighboring Monarch Storage building into…
Parlor KC Introduces Food Hall Concept to East Crossroads
By Kevin Collison The East Crossroads, arguably downtown’s most intriguing emerging neighborhood, is getting another first, this one a national, shared-dining trend called the food hall. Parlor KC is planned for an two-story former industrial building at 1707 Locust. It’s the first rollout of the concept by Atlanta-based Meriwether Companies and it’s the restaurant equivalent…
East Crossroads Proposal Grows to Include 350 Residences, Large Commercial Building
By Kevin Collison More details of a planned big East Crossroads development were disclosed Thursday at a development agency meeting during which the current property owner, Hallmark, was scolded for its stewardship. The proposed project on a two-block site now used mostly for parking is expected to include 350 apartments and possibly townhomes; 15,000 square…
Bottoms’ Stockyards District Takes Off With New Apartment Project
By Kevin Collison The West Bottoms area coined as the Stockyards District was called the potential “next big booming area of Kansas City” by Mayor Sly James at a groundbreaking event for a $41 million apartment project Tuesday. “This place has been transformed,” James told a small audience on hand for the chilly kickoff of…
‘Beyond the Loop’ Seeks to Relieve Downtown Freeway Damage
By Kevin Collison Beyond the Loop, a downtown planning strategy for the future of the North Loop freeway, Buck O’Neil Bridge and Independence Avenue, is holding two public meetings this month to refine potential alternatives. City and state officials have come up with a $200 million, long-term plan to build a new O’Neil (formerly Broadway)…
Repair Project to Liberty Memorial Hillside Closing Part of Main Street
By Kim Mueller The crumbling Liberty Memorial hillside along Main Street and across from Crown Center will be neatly tucked behind a new wall as workers begin a $2.5 million construction project today to solve the erosion problem. During construction, which is expected to last six- to eight months, Main Street’s two west lanes will…
Crossroads’ Favorite Mildred’s Moving Across Street, Quadrupling Size
By Kevin Collison Mildred’s, a cozy Crossroads culinary spot since 2004, is moving up in the world, relocating across the street to 1901 Wyandotte and quadrupling its space. Co-owner Evan Ashby said the family-run operation outgrew its current location at 1821 Wyandotte a couple years ago with lines often stretching out the door for its…