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
Boutique Hotel Proposed for Historic Workhouse Castle on Vine
(Editor’s note: This article was originally published Feb. 1) By Kevin Collison The ruined former City Workhouse Castle built in 1897 to incarcerate petty criminals and vagrants would accommodate a far more upscale clientele as a boutique hotel in a new redevelopment proposal. The massive limestone curiosity at 2001 Vine St. near the 18th &…
Liberty Street Green Space Completes First Year in West Bottoms
(Editor’s note: This article originally appeared Dec. 29, 2021) By Kevin Collison One of greater downtown’s newer “parks” recently celebrated a quiet first anniversary, except for the rumbling trucks overhead. It’s called the Liberty Street Green Space and it replaces a grubby, former no-man’s land beneath the I-670 overpass in the West Bottoms with decorative…
Blue Sushi Making a Splash at Power & Light This Fall
(Editor’s note: This article was originally published Feb. 24) By Kevin Collison Blue Sushi Sake Grill will be splashing at a new location in the Power & Light District this fall, its second operation in the metro since opening in Westwood in 2016. The fast-growing national chain that prides itself on serving sustainable seafood in…
Imagine KC Strategic Plan Seeks More ‘Equitable Downtown’
(Editor’s note: This article was originally published Jan. 26) By Kevin Collison A strategic plan that encompasses neighborhoods more than a mile from the skyscrapers of its central business district and envisions downtown as an economic catalyst for that larger area was rolled out Tuesday by the Downtown Council. The new Imagine Downtown KC 2030…
Nighthawk Lands at Hotel Kansas City
(Editor’s note: This article was originally published Nov. 18, 2021) By Kevin Collison The new Hotel Kansas City, which has picked up great reviews for its design and support for local artists, is serving up more style by opening a music-focused cellar bar called Nighthawk later this month. The space originally had been penciled for…
Kaw Makeover Including New Park, Bike Trails, Opening in October
(Editor’s note: This article was originally published Oct. 29, 2021) By Kevin Collison After decades of being a scraggly backwater, the Kaw River in the West Bottoms will be transformed with a new park and bicycle trail a year from now following action by the Unified Government of Wyandotte County. The UG commissioners approved an…
Barney Allis Plaza Rebuild Proposal Adds 226-Unit Apartment Project
By Kevin Collison The city’s plan for rebuilding a crumbling Barney Allis Plaza has grown into a larger proposal that adds a privately-developed 10-story apartment building that would include affordable housing. The new two-phase approach calls for the estimated $112.5 million reconstruction of the city-owned plaza and underground garage to be paid for publicly, and…
Barney Allis Plaza Rebuild Proposal Includes Apartment Tower
Kansas City's plan for rebuilding a crumbling Barney Allis Plaza now includes a privately developed 10-story apartment building that would offer some affordable housing.
River Market Apartment Project May Begin in Early 2023 After ‘Good’ FAA Meeting
By Kevin Collison A planned 13-story apartment project in the River Market may begin construction early next year after its developer and city officials had what they described as a good meeting with federal aviation officials this week. At the meeting, Federal Aviation Administration officials agreed to ease height restrictions that had inhibited development in…
Affordable Housing Developer Proposes Project Near 27th and Troost
By Kevin Collison The Vecino Group, a Springfield-based affordable housing firm, has filed plans with the city to build a 57-unit apartment project at 2732 Forest, an area in the Troost corridor experiencing a market-rate apartment boom. The proposed four-story development had been scheduled to be reviewed by the City Plan Commission this week, but…