About a year ago on my radio show Door 2 Door with David Van Noy Jr. on Hot Talk 1510 I featured a series of shows outlining the future of downtown Kansas City and all the tenants that the Cordish Group were in talks with and the commitment from the huge developer and the city to bring BILLIONS of dollars worth of construction and development to the once blighted area. About the time the gentrification seemed inevitable to me I bagan to talk about it with local residents and business owners. I am not claiming that I am at all responsible for it...dont get me wrong. I just mean to say that it was a good topic of discussion then and now it is undeniable. EVERYONE is talking about it now and I cant say I blame them.
The Kansas City Power & Light District or Power & Light District is a shopping and entertainment district currently under construction in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, USA, developed by the Cordish Company of Baltimore, Maryland and designed by 360 Architecture. When completed, the district will comprise nine blocks on the south side of the downtown loop. It is is located between Baltimore Avenue to the west, Grand Boulevard to the east, 12th Street to the north, and Interstate 670 to the south. The $850 million mixed-use district is one of the largest development projects in the Midwestern United States. The Power & Light District will be one of only a few places in the United States where possession and consumption of open containers of alcoholic beverages are allowed on the street, although they remain prohibited on the street throughout the rest of Kansas City.
The Power & Light District is immediately to the west of the Sprint Center. It originally was to be named Kansas City Live!, but the Cordish Company decided instead to name the district after the art deco Kansas City Power and Light Building. The present headquarters of the Kansas City Power & Light Company (a subsidiary of Great Plains Energy) is also located on the northern side of the district. A one-block area within the district, however, is called Kansas City Live!, and will contain three floors of bars, restaurants, and nightclubs, as well as a large, partially-enclosed courtyard and concert venue.
some of the MAJOR tenants include:
* Angel's Rock Bar - 4,000 square foot music venue and club† (opened March 7, 2008)
* Bristol Seafood Grill - 8,000 square foot seafood restaurant (opened February 26, 2008)
* Chefburger - 3,300 square foot, locally owned, build your own burger joint (opened March 10, 2008)
* Chipotle Mexican Grill - 2,400 square foot location of the Denver-based Fresh Mex chain (opened on February 27, 2008)
* The Drum Room - restaurant, martini bar, and live entertainment lounge located in the historic President Hotel
* Famous Dave's Legendary Pit Bar-B-Que - 6,300 square foot location of the Minnesota-based barbecue restaurant chain (opened February 22, 2008)
* Gordon Biersch Brewing Company - 8,500 square foot location of the Chattanooga-based chain of brewery/restaurants† (opened March 10, 2008)
* H&R Block world headquarters (opened October, 2006)
* Hilton President Kansas City - 213-room refurbished historic 1926 hotel, featuring the Drum Room (reopened January 5, 2006)
* Howl at the Moon Piano Bar - 4,700 square foot location of the Cincinnati-based chain of "dueling-piano bars"† (opened February 7, 2008)
* Lucky Strike Lanes - 23,000-square-foot, 12-lane upscale Hollywood-based bowling alley, featuring live DJs, food, and drinks† (opened on March 6, 2008)
* McFadden’s Sports Saloon - 6,900 sq ft Irish-themed sports bar† (opened November 9, 2007)
* Raglan Road - Irish pub comprised of pieces transporpted from Ireland† (opened March 4, 2008)
* Sprint Studio - 5,500 square foot store in the district. The interactive, high-tech store will “coach” customers on the latest technology from Sprint Nextel. (opened March 5, 2008)
* Ted's Montana Grill - location of the Atlanta-based chain of restaurants featuring bison on its menu (opened February 12, 2008)
* Tengo Sed Cantina - Mexican-themed bar and nightclub (opened March 7, 2008)
* Vinino - concept Italian restaurant and wine bar† (opened November 16, 2007)
So now I think I can start talking about what a HOT spot it is going to be to LIVE and about a year from now I dont think you will be able to touch a place near GRAND for less than $300 a foot....thats about a 50% increase from todays average prices. Cordish also plans to build four residential towers in the project. As of August, 2007, only one is under construction: a 38-floor 350-unit residential tower, which may include a boutique hotel. The site is just north of the H&R Block headquarters, on a lot once occupied by the Jones Store Company's flagship store. The department store building was demolished during the summer of 2005 and the ground was leveled and dug out beginning in March, 2006.
If you would like to tour some of the residential components or get on the list to be notified when the best deals come available just send me an email or sign up for latest listings at www.davidvannoyjr.com
