Downtown Kansas City Redevelopment
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In recent years, Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, USA, has been undergoing a massive "boom" in renovations and new construction. Since 2000, the estimated cost of these projects has totaled over $4 billion.
See Also: Downtown Kansas City
See Also: Architecture in Kansas City
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[edit] Demographics
In 2005, Downtown had an estimated population of 16,170 people, up by approximately 3,000 four years earlier. In the same study, the Downtown Council estimated the number of employees Downtown was around 100,000. This number is increased by about 7% by the addition of H&R Block and the IRS Regional HQ to Downtown. Recently, GSA announced they have interests in moving it's headquarters to Downtown, potentially bringing 2,000 more employees to the area.
[edit] Projects
[edit] Power and Light District
The Power and Light District is a nine-block area immediately to the south of the Central Business District. Originally to be named "Kansas City Live", the developer - Cordish, Inc. of Baltimore, Maryland - decided to name the district after the historic art deco Power and Light Building. The present headquarters of the Kansas City Power and Light Company, a subsidiary of Great Plains Energy (NYSE: GXP), is also located on the northern side of the district. Instead, a one-block area near the new H&R Block headquarters tower--devoted to live music venues--will be named Kansas City Live.
As of spring 2006, the H&R Block building has been topped out and the exteriors and interiors are being completed. Its prominent oval shape mixed with blue-green reflective glass makes for an architectural transition between the Central Business District's skyscrapers and the south loop's older buildings. If viewed from the south, the downtown skyline will have four glass towers all within a few blocks of the intersection of Twelfth and Main streets.
As well, Cordish plans to build between four and six residential towers in the project. As of spring 2006, however, only one is under construction: a 37-42 story, 224-unit residential tower which may include a boutique hotel. Immediately north of the H&R Block headquarters on a lot once occupied by the flagship store of the Jones Store Company. In March of 2006, the ground was leveled and dug out. section of the new district is estimated to be completed by fall 2007. As of September 2006, discussion had begun about whether to merge the residential tower with a branch of W hotels or to build a separate high rise on the other side of the block.
[edit] Sprint Center
The Sprint Center, an 18,500-seat arena, is a project that was announced shortly after the Power and Light District. In 2004, the proposed arena was effectively passed by the voters of all the affected counties, who voted to fund the arena by means of a tax on car rentals and hotels.
This project has raised some controversy. Enterprise Rent-A-Car, a St. Louis corporation whose majority shareholder is known for supporting an NBA team for St. Louis, lobbied against the tax and tried to sway public opinion against the arena. Some city officials, as well as those who did not desire to pay the increased tax, also fought against the project. One of the most prominent of these individuals was Sandra McFadden-Weaver, a member of the City Council of Kansas City, Missouri. Despite the outcry from these few dissenters, the arena vote passed decidedly.
Construction began late in 2004. Before this, however, and even before the vote, the city sent out a request for local and national architectural firms to bid on the project. Some of these firms included HOK Sports, Ellerbe Beckett, 360 Architecture, Rafael Architects Inc. and the world-renowned Frank Gehry. The first four of those firms, however, collaborated to form the "Downtown Arena Design Team", and won the contract over Gehry's bid. As a reason for their choice, the city stated both that those companies had completed a variety of sports-related projects done many projects related to sports, and that all were local companies.
Since construction has begun, many local minority leaders have protested the construction company and contractors for not putting enough minorities in the construction and contracting teams. The contractors, however, assert that they have complied with state and federal requirements and continue to meet the requests of local citizens.
[edit] Convention center ballroom
Bartle Hall Convention Center, having notably expanded over the past decade, has decided to expand yet again. The current project entails a large ballroom facility, situated over I-670's passage through downtown Kansas City just east of the convention center. The project is estimated to cost about $100 million. As of spring 2006, this project is under construction and the building is well on its way to completion.
[edit] Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
A new Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is under construction south of Bartle Hall Convention Center and its new ballroom. Construction was started on October 6, 2006, and it is scheduled to open in December 2009. Once completed, the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts will be a 316,000 square-foot performing arts center. It will serve the Kansas City Metropolitan Area has host to three resident companies: the Kansas City Symphony, Kansas City Ballet, and Kansas City Lyric Opera.
[edit] Federal Reserve Bank of KC headquarters
The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City decided to move from a 21-story tower in the Downtown Loop to a Penn Valley Park location on the southern edge of Downtown, immediately west of Crown Center on a site formerly occupied by Trinity Lutheran and St. Mary's hospitals. The headquarters will house a 14-story tower surrounded by several smaller two-story and four-story buildings. Construction is underway at the site, and the stonework is already being placed on the facade.
[edit] IRS headquarters
The IRS recently decided to construct a new building downtown, just west of Crown Center, which will house 6,000 employees. Presumably because of the threat of terrorism, the IRS decided on this particular site because it is in a low-lying area and will include low-rise buildings. The plan calls for a $200 million facility with 5,500 parking spaces in its accompanying garage, along with over a million square feet of space for the IRS. Construction began in 2004 and should be ready in time for a scheduled completion in the summer of 2006. The IRS will also occupy the nearby Kansas City Main Post Office building, the Post Office having moved across the street to a building next to Union Station.
[edit] Barkley
Kansas City's second largest advertising & pr firm Barkley Inc., formerly Barkley Evergreen & Partners, moved its 350 plus employees to the former TWA headquarters at the very southern edge of the district in November of 2006. The building has been empty for two decades and cost over 30 million dollars to renovate. Barkley also reconstructed the famous Disney designed three-story rocket ship that had stood atop the building during TWA's tenure.
[edit] Residential Construction
This is a list of all currently under construction, proposed, and envisioned developments for Downtown that include residential units, ranging from lofts, to condos, to studios.
[edit] Under Construction
| Name | Units | Location | |
| Founders at Union Hill | 276 | Crown Center | |
| Metropolitan Condos | 236 | Downtown Loop | |
| Bridgeworks | 224 | River Market | |
| Cold Storage | 223 | River Market | |
| Manhattan Condos | 220 | Downtown Loop | |
| P&L District Condos I | 220 | Downtown Loop | |
| Wallstreet Tower | 144 | Downtown Loop | |
| Professional Building | 132 | Downtown Loop | |
| One Park Place | 106 | Crown Center/Midtown | |
| Power and Light Condos | 95 | Downtown Loop | |
| 309, 509 & 510 Delaware | 80 | River Market | |
| Waltower Lofts | 53 | Downtown Loop | |
| 21 Ten | 52 | Downtown Loop | |
| Liberty Lofts | 44 | Crown Center | |
| Gillham Row | 33 | Crown Center | |
| Gumbel Building | 32 | Downtown Loop | |
| Freighthouse Flats | 23 | Crossroads | |
| 5 Delaware | 12 | River Market | |
| Hotel Monroe | 8 | Crossroads | |
| East Market Row | 8 | River Market | |
| 1800 Baltimore | 6 | Crossroads | |
| Total | 2,175 |
Number of units under construction in each location:
Downtown Loop: 1132 (52%)
River Market: 547 (25%)
Crown Center: 459 (21%)
Crossroads: 37 (2%)
[edit] Proposed
| Name | Units | Location | |
| Riverfront Redevelopment | 1,200 | Riverfront | |
| P&L District | 980 | Downtown Loop | |
| East Village | 800 | Downtown Loop | |
| Crown Center Rowhouses | 300 | Crown Center | |
| The Broadway | 125-145 | Crossroads | |
| Federal Reserve Tower | 120 | Downtown Loop | |
| Wellington Place | 110 | Downtown Loop | |
| HD Lee | 105 | Crown Center | |
| Graphic Arts Building | 58 | Downtown Loop | |
| Republic Paper | 25 | River Market | |
| W Lofts | 17 | Crossroads | |
| SoLo Lofts | 12 | Crossroads | |
| Total | 4,247 |
Number of units proposed in each location:
Downtown Loop: 2,468 (59%)
Riverfront: 1,200 (28%)
Crown Center: 405 (9%)
Crossroads: 149 (3%)
River Market: 25 (1%)
[edit] Envisioned
| Name | Units | Location | |
| East River Market | 1,200 | River Market | |
| Union Hill | 300 | Crown Center | |
| Clubhouse Lofts West | 42 | Downtown Loop | |
| Gate City Building | 20 | Downtown Loop | |
| Total | 1,792 |
