City Club groundbreaking reinvents Hereford House site

The $76 million City Club Apartments Crossroads mixed-use community broke ground ground Wednesday, signaling new life for the landmark Hereford House site at 20th and Main streets in Downtown Kansas City.

Integrated into the historic Midwest Hotel, the 7-story multifamily building will include 283 apartments and penthouses and feature international design, rooftop dining, an outdoor theater, and 50 floor plans.

"Kansas City is proud to be home to the next exciting development from City Club Apartments," Kansas City Mayor Sly James told attendees at the groundbreaking.

City Club Apartments has retail and restaurant tenants lined up for the project, with announcements pending. City Club has $500 million currently under development in more than a half-dozen U.S. markets.

Bridge Space connects Lee's Summit's past with present coworking trend

Downtown Lee’s Summit officially joins the coworking movement with the Wednesday opening of Bridge Space, a 14,000-square foot redevelopment of the city’s historic U.S. Post Office.

Bridge Space includes 34 private offices, 12 dedicated desks, 6 state-of-the-art conference rooms, and 3,000-square feet of open coworking space, as well as a 2,000-square foot event space with mezzanine and balcony.

Longtime Downtown Lee’s Summit resident and serial entrepreneur Ben Rao led and championed the redevelopment effort, which involved the arduous process of securing a spot on the national historic registry.

“This entire project for me was very personal and very intentional,” Rao said. “I wanted to exploit the walkability of Downtown Lee’s Summit. There’s a real quality of life here.”

Rao envisioned a startup facility that would attract economic development in Lee’s Summit by encouraging companies to incubate businesses in their hometown. It’s a concept that Lee’s Summit Economic Development Council President Rick McDowell agreed is much needed.

“A coworking facility like Bridge Space has been a desire of Lee’s Summit for some time,” McDowell said. “The LSEDC looks forward to helping entrepreneurs who may get started in Bridge Space grow their businesses and increase their capital investment and workforce in Lee’s Summit.”

The Bridge Space redevelopment was made possible through state and national historic tax credits, as well as $200,000 in city incentives granted through the LCRA (Land Clearance Redevelopment Authority.)

“This is really an economic development play- completely- to the point that I’m getting calls from other cities. They want to talk about how we did this in Downtown Lee’s Summit,” Rao said.

Bridge Space amenities include a member lounge, large kitchen, café area with free coffee for members. Conference rooms are loaded with 55-inch 4K TVs and multiple hardwire and internet connections.

More than 500 people registered in advance to attend Bridge Space’s grand opening Wednesday night.

Developer completes Longview Farms stabilization effort

The stabilization of four historic buildings at Lee’s Summit’s Longview Farm has been completed, setting the stage for full restoration of several structures central to the former show farm’s future redevelopment.

“These buildings serve as a historic cornerstone for Lee’s Summit’s New Longview development area and its $80 million in ongoing housing and commercial projects,” said Mark Moberly, Director of Development with Sunflower Development Group.

The stabilization project included structural repairs and weatherization related work to prevent further deterioration of two red-roofed barns, a farm house, a dairy manger house, and the show farm’s signature arch on the north end of the property.

The City of Lee’s Summit, along with Mariner Real Estate Management, now called Platform Ventures, and Sunflower Development Group, used tax-increment financing to cover costs of the stabilization effort. Full restoration projects will be completed with assistance from TIF district revenues to fund the additional improvements.

The City of Lee’s Summit worked with developers to inspect, plan and design the stabilization work, which will help ensure responsible redevelopment of both Longview Farms and the New Longview area, according to Lee’s Summit Mayor Randy Rhoads “Because historic redevelopment can be complicated and costly, the City was mindful of not over-investing in these structures. The goal was to stabilize, weatherize and shore up the buildings in anticipation of future investment,” said Mayor Rhoads.

In December, Sunflower Development Group announced it would complete $3 million in renovations to the 101-year-old Longview Mansion, 1200 SW Longview Park Dr., by late 2018.
Sunflower Development Group is known for historic restorations of several downtown Kansas City properties, including conversions to hotel, housing and other commercial uses.

Sunflower will secure private financing for the restorations, but public financial support is still needed to cover the extraordinary costs associated with stabilizing and rehabilitating the unique structures, according to Moberly.

“Working with the City of Lee’s Summit, State of Missouri and National Parks Service to secure the TIF and historic tax credits is extremely important due to the financial gap that exists with rehabilitating each property,” Moberly said.

While work on the Mansion began in February, the timeline for full rehabilitation of the remaining structures is uncertain due to the need for significant new construction commercial projects in the TIF, like a new theater, to happen first.

Sunflower Development Group maintains ownership of buildings it restores and leases them to tenants.

**Picture provided by Sunflower Development Group

New owners announce 'gentle facelift' for century-old Longview Mansion

An entity of Sunflower Development Group has purchased the historic Longview Mansion in Lee's Summit and plans to begin a historic rehabilitation of the 102-year old property in early 2018. 

Developers call the restoration project a "gentle facelift" that will prepare the historic property at 1200 SW Longview Park Dr. for new life as a regional event venue and destination. 

"After several years working with the City of Lee's Summit and residents of the New Longview area, we were able to create a rehabilitation plan that addresses structural, roof, mechanical, electrical and plumbing issues that have plagued the mansion for years," Sunflower Development Group Director of Development Mark Moberly said. 

Work is expected to be completed in the fall of 2018. Rau Construction Company will serve as general contractor for the project, and Rosemann & Associates, PC will lead architecture and design efforts. 

The rehabilitation will utilize state and federal historic tax credits, proceeds from the area TIF plans, financing from OakStar Bank, and private capital. 

In December, Longview Mansion's longtime operators Jeanne Marshall, Jenny Gale and Hunter Gale, moved from the premises. 

"Their dedication to the Mansion, commitment to the Longview neighborhood, and support of the Lee's Summit community has been unwavering over the many years," Moberly said. "As the new owners of the property, we are thankful for the care they have taken to keep the historical property a hallmark of Kansas City during that time."

All events currently booked at the Mansion will continue as planned, and bookings beyond September 2018 are being accepted. For details, call 816-761-6999 or email info@longviewmansion.com. 

Pendleton Flats lifts housing options for Paseo Gateway

The $4.5 million Pendleton Flats apartment community officially opened on Wednesday, adding 30 modern, amenity-rich apartment units at affordable rent rates in the Paseo Gateway neighborhood on Kansas City's east side.

“The development itself is a gorgeous turnaround for a formerly partially vacant, blighted apartment complex in Pendleton Heights,” said Brinshore Development LLC President David Brint. “Pendleton Flats has excellent access to job centers, transportation, cultural institutions, parks and amazing housing stock within a stone’s throw of downtown.”

The three-building complex at 555 Olive St. replaces the former crime-ridden Brooklyn Heights complex and represents a safe, family-friendly housing option with amenities such as on-site management, bike racks, an intercom entry system, central AC, private balconies, in-unit washer/dryer, dishwasher, secure and off-street parking and Energy Star appliances. 

Chicago-based Brinshore Development served as master developer, with support from local partners including the  Housing Authority of Kansas City; Affordable Housing of Kansas City, Inc.; Kansas City, Missouri; United Way; and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). 4Sight Construction Group served as general contractor, and Rosemann & Associates PC provided consulting services.

Pendleton Flats is the first project associated with a $30M federal housing grant received by the City of Kansas City, Missouri in 2015. Brinshore and HAKC will break ground over the next year on three additional replacement housing projects in the Paseo Gateway neighborhood, which covers almost one-square mile and includes approximately 4,800 residents. 

Local dignitaries such as City Manager Troy Schulte, and Kansas City councilmen Quinton Lucas, Jermaine Reed and Scott Wagner attended the grand opening, as well as Housing Authority Kansas City leaders Donovan Mouton and Ed Lowndes.

The development was designed and constructed to comply with the Enterprise Green Communities Certification standards, which aim to help improve health, economic and environmental benefits to residents.

Developers and local dignitaries celebrated the opening of the Pendleton Flats apartment complex in the Paseo Gateway neighborhood on Oct. 25.