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
Building at 17th and Washington Slated to Become Foodie Destination
(Editor’s note: CityScene is taking some time off for a vacation, this article originally appeared on July 28.) By Kevin Collison The former Screenland property at 17th and Washington is about to become a foodie oasis, its parking lot replaced with a landscaped courtyard and stage, and the surrounding level hosting a restaurant, bar and…
Chartreuse Saloon Swings Open in East Crossroads
By Kevin Collison For a small town Nebraska native, Jill Cockson has a gift for creating sophisticated city watering holes, her latest being the Chartreuse Saloon at the corner of 17th and Oak in the East Crossroads. “My inspiration is drawn from the history of the saloon culture,” she said. “The old saloon culture brought…
City Affordable Housing Policy Criticized at Industry Apartment Summit
By Kevin Collison The affordable housing mandate approved by the City Council earlier this year has slowed project applications to a trickle despite robust growth in the overall metropolitan apartment industry, real estate professionals said Thursday. “In Kansas City, there are headwinds,” Jeff Stingley of CBRE told the audience attending the 2021 Kansas City Apartment…
Revised Jamestown Square Plan Spares Building Tied to Truman
By Kevin Collison Harry Truman can relax, a small residential building in the Volker neighborhood he invested in briefly 100 years ago is safe now that developers of the proposed Jamestown Square apartment project have found a way to work around it. At a recent virtual briefing to the Volker Neighborhood Association, a representative of…
Gillham Bike Path Nears Completion from Cleaver to Crossroads
By Kevin Collison After years of coasting when it comes to shielding cyclists, the city is racing to finish its longest protected bike path to date, a 3 1/2 mile, north-south route along Gillham Road from near Cleaver Boulevard to the East Crossroads. The completion of the Gillham route, already the city’s longest protected bike…
Historic Boone Theater Renovation Progresses in 18th & Vine District
By Kevin Collison The renovation of the historic Boone Theater as an entertainment and media center in the heart of the 18th and Vine District took a big step forward recently with the approval a development agreement by the City Council. The Council approved an agreement that gives the Vine St. Collaborative 60 days to…
Conversion of Historic Ozark Building to Hotel Begins at Ninth and Grand
By Kevin Collison Preliminary demolition work has begun on converting the historic Ozark building at Ninth and Grand into a 249-room AC Hotels by Marriott with completion anticipated in about two years. “In terms of historic buildings, I think it’s in exceptional condition,” said Derek Alley, CEO of VCC construction, the contractor doing the project….
Cornucopia Brings Carnival, Fall Festivities This Weekend to Downtown
Grand Boulevard by the T-Mobile Center will become a carnival midway this weekend with a Ferris wheel and other rides as part of the Cornucopia festival being put on by the Power & Light District from today through Sunday. What the P&L District is describing as its signature fall festival was held for the first…
New Fidelity Security HQ Project Seeking $9M Tax Break
By Kevin Collison The developer of a proposed office tower at 27th and Main anticipates its request for a $9 million incentive package for the new headquarters of Fidelity Security Life Insurance will be in front of the City Council in mid-November. Attorney David Frantze said VanTrust Real estate, the developer, will be seeking a…
St. Louis Developer Pursuing $55 Million Riverfront Apartment Plan
A mid-rise apartment project is being pursued for the downtown riverfront by Lux Living, the St. Louis developer that’s also doing big residential projects in the Crossroads and Midtown areas.