Civic Affairs
Police Official: Downtown ‘Relatively Safe’ Despite Recent Murders
By Kevin Collison Despite three murders in August, including a young woman struck by a stray bullet last First Friday, downtown Kansas City remains a “relatively safe” place, a top police commander assured business leaders Thursday. “The main crime problem we have downtown has been pretty much the same over the past 30 years, property…
East Village Developer Ready to Play Ball on Potential Downtown Stadium
(Updated Nov. 26 with new Royals owner John Sherman’s first comments during a press conference at Kauffman Stadium about the potential for a downtown ballpark: “There is a lot left on the lease. When you look out the window there’s a beautiful place to play baseball…. “That said, there’s a lot of interest in, in…
First Friday Reset Planned Following Murder at August Event
By Kevin Collison In the wake of last First Friday’s tragic shooting, organizers want to calm the event closer to its roots as a celebration of the Crossroads art scene, not the loud, crowded street party it’s become in recent years. The Crossroads Community Association announced Friday that next week’s First Friday temporarily will ban…
School of Economics Opens Downtown Program for City Kids
By Kevin Collison A program that’s been educating tens of thousands of suburban fifth and sixth graders about the business world for 25 years has opened a new downtown space to serve city kids. The School of Economics, a program launched in Blue Springs in 1994, is now open for class in a 4,000 square-foot…
Streetcar-Linked Affordable Housing Incentive Plan On Track for City Hall
By Kevin Collison A proactive approach to encourage making affordable housing part of the redevelopment boom anticipated along the planned streetcar extension route is on track for City Hall. The proposed Midtown Affordable Housing PIEA Plan was endorsed recently by the board of that development agency and is expected to be reviewed by the City…