Kevin Collison, CityScene

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

NFL Draft May Make Next Year Busiest in KC Sports History

By Kevin Collison Next year may be the busiest in Kansas City sports history including up to 350,000 visitors coming downtown next spring for the 2023 NFL Draft, according to a top local sports official. “Four weeks of collegiate basketball, then we roll into our first ever Sports ETA convention, our national association of sports…

Private Cleanup Fixes ‘Horrible’ Trash Problem Beneath Bartle Hall

By Kevin Collison Piles of trash that had accumulated beneath Bartle Hall on MoDOT property along I-670 were removed this week by unique private effort that included eight people working off their community service hours. The day-long effort organized by the Downtown Council Community Improvement District (CID) occurred after futile efforts to persuade the Missouri…

Big Volker Apartment Project by KU Med Wins Committee Support

(Editor’s note: The full City Council approved the Jamestown Square plan at its March 3 meeting) By Kevin Collison The proposed Jamestown Square apartment project, the biggest investment on the Missouri side of the 39th Street corridor by KU Med in a decade, won easy backing Wednesday from a City Council committee. The 223-unit apartment…

Rendering of the Jamestown Square apartment complex

Big Apartment Project at 39th Street and State Line Road Nears Approval

The proposed Jamestown Square apartment project, the biggest investment on the Missouri side of the 39th Street corridor by KU Med in a decade, won easy backing Wednesday from a City Council committee.

Downtown Complete Streets Study Holds Open House

By Kevin Collison A proposed redesign plan that’s intended to introduce bus and bicycle lanes on two major downtown arteries, 11th and 12th streets, will be discussed at an open house today (March 2) from 4- to 6 p.m. The proposed 11th and 12th Complete Streets Connections study has been in the works for more…

Kata Nori Hand Roll Bar Coming to East Crossroads

By Kevin Collison A new sushi place is in the works for the East Crossroads, this one specializing in hand rolls, a newer trend for serving the popular cuisine. Nam Phan and his partners plan to open Kata Nori Hand Roll Bar in the former Ron Rico space at 404 E. 18th St. this June,…

Final Push to Fund $13M Rebuild of Reconciliation Services on Troost

Editor’s note: The following story was originally published by Startland News, an online news source helping readers discover a new Kansas City shaped by entrepreneurs, startups, creatives, makers and risk-takers. Click here to read the latest stories from Startland News. Austin Barnes | Startland News Decades of dreaming are coming to an end, said Father…

19th C Water Main Break Causes 21st C Headache

By Kevin Collison Flooding caused by a burst, 127 year-old water main near 10th and Walnut has forced the Spokes Café|Cyclery to close temporarily and prompted Commerce Bank to protect a side entrance with sand bags. “It’s pretty bad,” Spokes owner Dan Walsh said. “It blew the outlet covers off the wall and our drywall…

Blue Sushi Making a Splash at Power & Light This Fall

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 a vivid, Japanese-themed, contemporary setting plans to open in…

Mercury Room Lifts Downtown Cocktail Scene to New Level

(Editor’s note: This article originally appeared Nov. 19, 2020) By Kevin Collison The Mercury Room cocktail lounge has opened its glamorous perch atop the new 14-story REVERB apartment building in the Crossroads with sky-high views of downtown and lofty drink prices to match. The latest creation from the team that brought The Monarch at the…