OFFICIAL - Lightwell (formerly City Center Square)

Issues concerning Downtown as described by the Downtown Council. River to 31st Street, I-35 to Bruce R. Watkins.
User avatar
Brodees
Ambassador
Posts: 631
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2006 7:10 pm
Location: Crossroads

Re: OFFICIAL - Lightwell (formerly City Center Square)

Post by Brodees »

User avatar
KCMax
Global Moderator
Global Moderator
Posts: 24051
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2004 3:31 pm
Location: The basement of a Ross Dress for Less
Contact:

Re: OFFICIAL - Lightwell (formerly City Center Square)

Post by KCMax »

Major upgrades planned as City Center Square is sold
Upgrades are expected to the building lobby and food court, including updated lighting, flooring and electronic directories, according to CBRE. The elevators will be remodeled with marble flooring, LED lighting, wood panels and LCD televisions with streaming media.

A new conference center is planned with advanced audio-visual equipment. The new owners also are installing energy management and lighting control systems to conserve energy. City Center Square now meets Energy Star rating performance standards.
User avatar
grovester
Oak Tower
Oak Tower
Posts: 4560
Joined: Thu Mar 13, 2008 7:30 pm
Location: KC Metro

Re: OFFICIAL - Lightwell (formerly City Center Square)

Post by grovester »

Sounds like they are banking on the GSA move.
User avatar
chaglang
Bryant Building
Bryant Building
Posts: 4132
Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2012 12:44 pm

Re: OFFICIAL - Lightwell (formerly City Center Square)

Post by chaglang »

They, uh, sure have put a lot of thought into the elevator finishes.
bobbyhawks
Bryant Building
Bryant Building
Posts: 3890
Joined: Mon Dec 04, 2006 1:19 pm

Re: City Center Square for sale

Post by bobbyhawks »

I was too lazy to see if this was posted elsewhere, but I just noticed a scrolling marquee from the Business Journal near the Starbucks entrance. Is this new? I like it a lot and wish the Star did something even more visible than this near the P&L.
User avatar
DaveKCMO
Ambassador
Posts: 20039
Joined: Sun Nov 27, 2005 6:22 pm
Location: Crossroads
Contact:

Re: City Center Square for sale

Post by DaveKCMO »

bobbyhawks wrote:I was too lazy to see if this was posted elsewhere, but I just noticed a scrolling marquee from the Business Journal near the Starbucks entrance. Is this new? I like it a lot and wish the Star did something even more visible than this near the P&L.
i don't believe it's new. they've had a version of that up for years. i think it used to be just red LED, now it's full color.
kboish
Hotel President
Hotel President
Posts: 3258
Joined: Mon Nov 26, 2007 12:25 am
Location: West Plaza

Re: City Center Square for sale

Post by kboish »

DaveKCMO wrote:
bobbyhawks wrote:I was too lazy to see if this was posted elsewhere, but I just noticed a scrolling marquee from the Business Journal near the Starbucks entrance. Is this new? I like it a lot and wish the Star did something even more visible than this near the P&L.
i don't believe it's new. they've had a version of that up for years. i think it used to be just red LED, now it's full color.
I think thats a great idea for the Star building to have some sort of news feed running around the portion of the building facing 670 and wrap around towards Mcgee.
shinatoo
Ambassador
Posts: 7392
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 3:20 pm

Re: City Center Square for sale

Post by shinatoo »

kboish wrote:
DaveKCMO wrote:
bobbyhawks wrote:I was too lazy to see if this was posted elsewhere, but I just noticed a scrolling marquee from the Business Journal near the Starbucks entrance. Is this new? I like it a lot and wish the Star did something even more visible than this near the P&L.
i don't believe it's new. they've had a version of that up for years. i think it used to be just red LED, now it's full color.
I think thats a great idea for the Star building to have some sort of news feed running around the portion of the building facing 670 and wrap around towards Mcgee.
Maybe they should work on putting some news in the paper first.
User avatar
grovester
Oak Tower
Oak Tower
Posts: 4560
Joined: Thu Mar 13, 2008 7:30 pm
Location: KC Metro

Re: City Center Square for sale

Post by grovester »

The feed can post the going rates for Amish heaters and commemorative minting.
User avatar
chaglang
Bryant Building
Bryant Building
Posts: 4132
Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2012 12:44 pm

Re: City Center Square for sale

Post by chaglang »

grovester wrote:The feed can post the going rates for Amish heaters and commemorative minting.
"One moment of your time, please!"
User avatar
KCMax
Global Moderator
Global Moderator
Posts: 24051
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2004 3:31 pm
Location: The basement of a Ross Dress for Less
Contact:

Re: City Center Square for sale

Post by KCMax »

grovester wrote:The feed can post the going rates for Amish heaters and commemorative minting.
T*TALLY N*DE!
kboish
Hotel President
Hotel President
Posts: 3258
Joined: Mon Nov 26, 2007 12:25 am
Location: West Plaza

Re: City Center Square for sale

Post by kboish »

Bizjournal reports that Sungevity will bring its 595 jobs to City Center square.

http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/n ... tions.html

I'm hoping One KC Place had some other tenants they were hoping to land and not this one. If so, it will be a good leasing quarter for downtown.
User avatar
FangKC
City Hall
City Hall
Posts: 18141
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2003 10:02 pm
Location: Old Northeast -- Indian Mound

Re: City Center Square for sale

Post by FangKC »

Yay. This is good news.
ThorsteinVeblen
Strip mall
Strip mall
Posts: 101
Joined: Mon Aug 05, 2013 1:15 pm

Re: City Center Square for sale

Post by ThorsteinVeblen »

Liked reading this...

"Downtown is such a great central hub that we can hire from any area around the city — north, south, east and west," Susan Hollingshead, Sungevity's chief people and corporate services officer, said in an interview Thursday. "We love the Power & Light District. We love the fact that the streetcar is going to go in there. We love that fact that it's probably the cleanest downtown I've seen in years. There's been so much restoration work there.

...."but, but, the streetcar is just mayor Sly James toy train...no one will ever ride it, what we really need is more parking"....as one co-worker who lives in Olathe put it.
User avatar
DaveKCMO
Ambassador
Posts: 20039
Joined: Sun Nov 27, 2005 6:22 pm
Location: Crossroads
Contact:

Re: City Center Square for sale

Post by DaveKCMO »

keep in mind the big fear about CCS was the "lack of parking", even though there are public garages in every direction. the fact that this company chose CCS despite of that and has made overtures about the streetcar tells you something about where things are headed. so, yeah, streetcar lacks utility for longer trips but CCS also sits right between the 11th/12th pair that will host a big chunk of KCATA and JO bus routes very soon.
User avatar
rxlexi
Penntower
Penntower
Posts: 2290
Joined: Sun Dec 14, 2003 10:30 pm
Location: Briarcliff

Re: City Center Square for sale

Post by rxlexi »

Not trying to take away from a fantastic announcement for downtown, but let's keep in mind that the 595 job number is not remotely guaranteed - they may create around that many jobs over the next five years.

I think there will initially be 50 or so positions IIRC, so let's not get too excited about a huge tenant announcement until we see the hiring occur.

Nonetheless, landing an out-of-town company of any size, especially from the west coast, and having them select downtown is a terrific indicator of positive momentum for KC - now let's see 1KCP leased up and start to think about n/c.
pash
Bryant Building
Bryant Building
Posts: 3800
Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2011 2:47 am

Re: City Center Square for sale

Post by pash »

.
Last edited by pash on Fri Feb 10, 2017 10:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
flyingember
Mark Twain Tower
Mark Twain Tower
Posts: 9862
Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2012 7:54 am

Re: City Center Square for sale

Post by flyingember »

Just the required leased space is huge. It takes it off the market which will raise rents

And we all know that KC doesnt have a space issue, it has a lease rate issue.
when a place can't make money by renovating or building new it doesn't happen. And how many companies want to move into old and tired when they can get new in JoCo
User avatar
Unknown JimmyD
Strip mall
Strip mall
Posts: 127
Joined: Fri May 03, 2013 12:38 pm
Location: D17 at Sporting Park

Re: City Center Square for sale

Post by Unknown JimmyD »

rxlexi wrote:Nonetheless, landing an out-of-town company of any size, especially from the west coast, and having them select downtown is a terrific indicator of positive momentum for KC...
adding to this, i think the type of company is a real "get" as well. i'm all for attracting all sorts of companies and different industries, but these sorts of "progressive" industries are even better since their employees and clientele would likely reflect the type that might be more inclined to do the types of things we'd like to see more of downtown.
User avatar
FangKC
City Hall
City Hall
Posts: 18141
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2003 10:02 pm
Location: Old Northeast -- Indian Mound

Re: City Center Square for sale

Post by FangKC »

One of the problems the downtown loop has is the lack of new commercial space in premier buildings with large floor plates, where larger companies can assemble adjacent floors.

There are some newer commercial office buildings--like at Crown Center, but they don't have enough available, adjacent space to accommodate larger companies. However, there just aren't many options inside the loop, or adjacent to the loop.

The cautious nature of local real estate developers, and local investors/financiers, causes them to be reluctant to build with vacancy rates being as high as they are. Even though the downtown vacancy rate is artificially high because the market is mostly a lot of older, obsolete buildings that most firms wouldn't consider any way. Those rates continue to drop though as many are taken off the commercial market and converted into housing (Commerce Tower, Federal Reserve Bank, Mark Twain Tower, Lucas Place, Power & Light Building).

It might take an out-of-town consortium developer/capital lender to construct a new commercial office tower inside the loop.

I would also say that Kansas City is ripe for a bigger commercial lending bank to come in looking for a market in which it could grow and face less competition than in other larger cities. A lot of our projects seem to go outside the metro looking for lenders.

With DST Real Estate seemingly appearing to slowly be going away, there are less of the proactive developers here.

What I'd like to see some developer do is a mixed-use big project that combines and office building with a residential tower or two with the intent of leasing apartments to many of the commercial tenant workers (mostly single, or married without children set). The five vacant blocks in the north loop, controlled by Tower Properties, would be perfect for this type of project.
Last edited by FangKC on Sun Nov 16, 2014 1:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Post Reply