Eating in | The addition of a major grocery presence in Cosentino's has altered the dynamic for Downtown living, giving residents inside the core access to the kinds of amenities long available to those living in the suburbs.
From the River Market and Columbus Park to Crown Center, unique neighborhoods and districts offer something that can’t be found anywhere else in Greater Kansas City—or even a large swath of the Midwest. And while cynics may point to real and imagined negatives, Kansas City is once again taking a position among the nation’s great cities with a vibrant, attractive urban environment.
Down by the River
One of the area’s oldest districts is a good example. When one walks beneath the trees of River Market’s Delaware Street or enjoys the crowds in the City Market, the district often has the feel of one of those Chicago or New York enclaves that earn high rents and draw upscale residents. Like other Downtown districts, the Market still reflects Kansas City’s overall affordability, with reasonably priced apartments or lofts and business rents that are even more reasonable.
What’s especially notable is the area’s level of activity. From one end to the other, Downtown projects a feeling of being alive in ways it hasn’t for decades. In a few areas, empty lots or un-redeveloped buildings remain, but overall, the area shows a solid health.
“You see traffic; you see people,” noted Christina Boveri of Boveri Realty Group. “It’s like the television programs Seinfield or Friends. The younger people, especially, they get that. That’s a lifestyle they relate to.”
Nor is that ideal limited to one district. Crown Center, with its incorporated condos and apartment units, predates the loft surge not by years, but by several decades. Quality Hill still boasts enviable vacancy rates. What is different now is the sheer scale of the movement, with new hubs of activity from the Kansas City Library, to Crossroads and on the Westside. More than 17,000 people are estimated to live in these areas and, increasingly, the goal of Downtown boosters to double that sounds reasonable.
The scene also involves unique charms that are often envied by other cities. Downtown’s one-time abundance of dilapidated buildings and state historic tax credits brought restoration of a rich architecture that now gives several districts their own distinct feel.
“It’s not just economic sense to bring those empty, historic buildings back to life,” noted Matt Meier, development project manager for the Alexander Company of Madison, Wis. “There’s something really unique that’s especially evident in Kansas City that makes for a special area.”
Services, Too
These trends also bring more businesses and services. In the River Market, the growing population spurred opening of a grocery store. Though not a major economic trend in itself, Market 3 joins the larger Cosentino’s Downtown Market as notable landmarks in Downtown’s evolution. Opening in response to growing demand, they fill a basic need. But just as important, they help spur further growth, not just with additional residents, but with the service business that those residents demand.
“The Downtown population has almost doubled in the last five years and that brought services that people want and need,” noted Brenda Tinnen, general manager and senior vice president of Sprint Center. “You can get your hair done Downtown now. There are places to shop and socialize. That’s really important. It’s becoming a complete city.”
Nowhere is that more evident than the Crossroads Arts District, which still boasts rents low enough that an entrepreneur with vision and less than Donald Trump’s bank account can get a toehold. And it’s true, as well, in districts such as the West Bottoms or the 18th and Vine Jazz District, which boasted notable additions in the past year.
“There’s a large demand for mom and pop space,” noted Adam Blake, a Fort Worth developer but a Kansas City native who is now doing deals in his hometown, as well. “This market has a lot of potential.”
Though not new, the region’s restaurant and nightclub scene deserves special mention. Good eateries never left the area, but Downtown’s eating and drinking establishments are a major reason to visit today. While the Power and Light District is an obvious reason, the rest of Downtown has draws of its own: Mexican food on Southwest Boulevard? Steak on Broadway? Italian or barbecue in the Freighthouse District or Cajun in the Jazz District? Life is so short!
Some developments are a surprise. Navigating Downtown can be different, especially for suburbanites weaned on strip malls. But John McMeel, of Andrews McMeel Universal, is seeing important changes: “People are now using the bus,” he said. “They realize it’s part of the ambiance down here. You have all of these shops and restaurants you can walk to or you just hop on a bus.”
More to Come
What is the lifestyle in Downtown Kansas City? Frankly, a broad definition remains a work in progress. But a number of developments are adding new flavors to that stew. The Crossroads District is examining creation of a Community Improvement District, the kind of self-taxing entity that helped clean up blight and other problems within the Downtown Loop and River Market.
“People see and hear the difference,” noted Manager Brandi Smith at the Market Station Apartments. “It just helps make for a positive environment that people really appreciate.”
The next biggest thing will easily be the 2011 opening of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. It is likely to be a game-changing event, not just for Downtown, but the entire region.
“The Kauffman Center is going to be really dramatic,” McMeel noted. “But I don’t know if everyone understands yet just how special it’s going to be. It’s going to have a really big impact.”
Literally a world-class venue, the Kauffman Center is expected to bring a significant increase in arts tourism and related business, which already includes the Nelson-Atkins gallery, the Jazz District and, increasingly, the Crossroads Arts District. Although critics may still await a basketball or hockey franchise, the Sprint Center is also a leader, managing to achieve a jaw-dropping event and performance schedule that is among the busiest not just in the nation, but among the busiest 10 facilities in the world. Galleries, theaters (both live and cinema) and other venues are widespread downtown.
“There’s a bright future for this area and Downtown Kansas City,” noted Steve Dunn, chairman of J.E. Dunn Construction Co.’s board of directors. “I think we’ve passed the critical point, but we’re still moving forward. That’s significant.”