Power and Light District Official Tenant List

[beautyfromashes]

I kind of suspect it's because CBD's do not accommodate drive-thru's all that well and the corporations must not believe there is enough foot traffic to keep a franchise going.

Have to remember that app ordering only really started a couple years ago, birthed out of Covid. The problem with CBD fast food has been the logistics of ordering and pick up. In the past, you’d have to have a line and space for people to wait. I think you’ll start to see digital ordering only (kiosks and apps only) and shelf/locker pickup and zero dining space. This should streamline the wait and footprint needed. Of course, right now, companies are making money hand over fist with suburban drive thrus. They’ll focus on that for awhile until they start to canabalize each other look for new markets like business districts. It will just take one chain to do it and the others will follow.

[FlippantCitizen]

More people living DT and the loop in particular. The market for more services including late night eats will become undeniable at some point. The retail stall issue is also a factor but primarily we just need more people. Clearly the market is not at "undeniable" status right now.

Funny how our CBD has the fast food signature of a town of around 2500 people. Subway and Pizza Hut (minus the Dairy Queen). I was wondering how unique this was and noticed Cincinnati only has a couple of Subway's in their CBD too. No Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, McDonald's, Wendy's (although there is a Wahlburger). St Louis lacks a McDonald's DT too although there is one much closer to DT than KC. Have to wonder if this is a trend for the CBD's of many midwestern cities? I kind of suspect it's because CBD's do not accommodate drive-thru's all that well and the corporations must not believe there is enough foot traffic to keep a franchise going.

Yeah I mean the threshold for a drive through reliant fast food franchise that is 100% optimized for a suburban area or along the side of an interstate is going to require a higher threshold in order to break their model and do a location that relies on foot traffic, there really aren't very many McDonalds or Taco Bells at least on a per capita basis in any urban area I've spent a lot of time in. DT counter eats are going to be made up of a different set of brands than might first come to mind when thinking "fast food." Wendy's and McDonald's just aren't downtown brands. Within the DT loop there is, in addition to what you listed, Pickleman's, Jason's Deli, Planet Sub, Jimmy Johns, Protein House, Chipotle. All of those plus the local options service the office lunch crowd. Note how many of those are basically sandwich places.

And regarding the other comments desiring later night quick eats... Downtown KC has a very limited late night culture and basically no street culture either. When I lived in Lower Manhattan it would be common to get out of a show or a bar or whatever, hit a little falafel place and walk down the street eating as we walked to where ever we were going next. That's just not much a thing in KC. There might be some big nights here and there with events or First Friday but most of the time it's basically dead. And it's hard to build a business off a couple nights a month. If there were more people cruising around at various hours looking for a cheap taco, or slice, or falafel, or a burger at various hours then there would be more places to service them. The office lunch crowd has their bases pretty well covered and there's just enough late night quick eats in the market for the fairly modest late night crowd in Downtown KC. Afterall our greatest concentration of late night bars is not located DT and incidentally between 39th Street and Westport I can think of more fast casual places food serving food till at least midnight Fridays and Saturdays than I can in DT. I think DT deserves a Taco Bell Cantina but if there's only one in KC it's in Westport, and frankly that just makes sense

[FangKC]

Downtown used to have multiple window service-type hamburger restaurants. The footprint of these places was very small.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1050612 ... 384!8i8192

https://jchs.odyssey.historyit.com/item ... erfaceId=0

[beautyfromashes]

When I lived in Lower Manhattan it would be common to get out of a show or a bar or whatever, hit a little falafel place and walk down the street eating as we walked to where ever we were going next. That's just not much a thing in KC.

I wonder if we'll get more of this with the streetcar expansion. Students from UMKC ride DT and grab food at a stop, or bar hopping between P&L and Westport.

[WoodDraw]

I think power and light is the worst at this. They should have a pizza window that's not pizza house or whatever it's called. They just do an awful job at leasing that place.

Biased because it's right next to me but I love sauced as well. But it's not exactly what we're talking about.

A good gyro window would work too. Tacos. Coffee.

KC just has a shockingly low amount of foot traffic.

[beautyfromashes]

I think power and light is the worst at this. They should have a pizza window that's not pizza house or whatever it's called.

Can't sell alcohol at a window.

[WoodDraw]

I think power and light is the worst at this. They should have a pizza window that's not pizza house or whatever it's called.

Can't sell alcohol at a window.

You can sell it with a cap on it cant you? I've lived downtown awhile and never seen a cop on patrol let alone give a fuck about open containers.

Plus people that want alcohol aren't going to be like damn. I'm not going to drink today. They're always going to go some place they can drink.

[beautyfromashes]

I think power and light is the worst at this. They should have a pizza window that's not pizza house or whatever it's called.

Can't sell alcohol at a window.

You can sell it with a cap on it cant you? I've lived downtown awhile and never seen a cop on patrol let alone give a fuck about open containers.

Plus people that want alcohol aren't going to be like damn. I'm not going to drink today. They're always going to go some place they can drink.

Just reiterating that Cordish sees this as a bar district first. Drinks are high profit, so that's what they'll focus on. How about fast food? Nope! How about quick casual? Nope. How about retail? Nope. Push to sell a high margin $5 beer vs a $3 slice of pizza will happen every time with them. The city should massively raise the tax rate for alcohol sales. It would push different types of businesses in districts (Westport included), might limit late night violence due to overconsumption and generate more money for the city.

[Highlander]

More people living DT and the loop in particular. The market for more services including late night eats will become undeniable at some point. The retail stall issue is also a factor but primarily we just need more people. Clearly the market is not at "undeniable" status right now.

Funny how our CBD has the fast food signature of a town of around 2500 people. Subway and Pizza Hut (minus the Dairy Queen). I was wondering how unique this was and noticed Cincinnati only has a couple of Subway's in their CBD too. No Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, McDonald's, Wendy's (although there is a Wahlburger). St Louis lacks a McDonald's DT too although there is one much closer to DT than KC. Have to wonder if this is a trend for the CBD's of many midwestern cities? I kind of suspect it's because CBD's do not accommodate drive-thru's all that well and the corporations must not believe there is enough foot traffic to keep a franchise going.

there really aren't very many McDonalds or Taco Bells at least on a per capita basis in any urban area I've spent a lot of time in.

And regarding the other comments desiring later night quick eats... Downtown KC has a very limited late night culture and basically no street culture either.

Ironic that these American-made franchises like McDonalds thrive in urban Europe. Wenceslas Square in downtown Prague had three McDonald's last time I visited (it's a BIG square). They are ubiquitous in most European cities.

I don't get the lack of street traffic and culture in KC. Every other building between the River Market and Crown Center is an apartment nowadays. What do these people do? Just sit at home and read? I wonder about this every time I am downtown. Where are all the people that live in the apartments? Lately, the East Crossroads has seemed kind of busy when I've been down there but that's about it. Not much traffic at all inside the loop.

[FlippantCitizen]

Funny how our CBD has the fast food signature of a town of around 2500 people. Subway and Pizza Hut (minus the Dairy Queen). I was wondering how unique this was and noticed Cincinnati only has a couple of Subway's in their CBD too. No Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, McDonald's, Wendy's (although there is a Wahlburger). St Louis lacks a McDonald's DT too although there is one much closer to DT than KC. Have to wonder if this is a trend for the CBD's of many midwestern cities? I kind of suspect it's because CBD's do not accommodate drive-thru's all that well and the corporations must not believe there is enough foot traffic to keep a franchise going.

there really aren't very many McDonalds or Taco Bells at least on a per capita basis in any urban area I've spent a lot of time in.

And regarding the other comments desiring later night quick eats... Downtown KC has a very limited late night culture and basically no street culture either.

Ironic that these American-made franchises like McDonalds thrive in urban Europe. Wenceslas Square in downtown Prague had three McDonald's last time I visited (it's a BIG square). They are ubiquitous in most European cities.

I don't get the lack of street traffic and culture in KC. Every other building between the River Market and Crown Center is an apartment nowadays. What do these people do? Just sit at home and read? I wonder about this every time I am downtown. Where are all the people that live in the apartments? Lately, the East Crossroads has seemed kind of busy when I've been down there but that's about it. Not much traffic at all inside the loop.

Wenceslas Square is different though, that's like saying Red Lobster thrives in NYC because there is one in Times Square. Besides, Europe is a different market with different patterns and the rationale on store placement is likely totally different. And as for the street life thing, even people who live in DT KC drive everywhere. Not all the people living DT but a lot of them. If more downtowners were taking the bus to meet their friends in Westport, then there'd be better street life. As it stands they drive or take Uber. The streetcar extension will help, but it's only one street.

[Metro]

Funny how our CBD has the fast food signature of a town of around 2500 people. Subway and Pizza Hut (minus the Dairy Queen). I was wondering how unique this was and noticed Cincinnati only has a couple of Subway's in their CBD too. No Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, McDonald's, Wendy's (although there is a Wahlburger). St Louis lacks a McDonald's DT too although there is one much closer to DT than KC. Have to wonder if this is a trend for the CBD's of many midwestern cities? I kind of suspect it's because CBD's do not accommodate drive-thru's all that well and the corporations must not believe there is enough foot traffic to keep a franchise going.

there really aren't very many McDonalds or Taco Bells at least on a per capita basis in any urban area I've spent a lot of time in.

And regarding the other comments desiring later night quick eats... Downtown KC has a very limited late night culture and basically no street culture either.

Ironic that these American-made franchises like McDonalds thrive in urban Europe. Wenceslas Square in downtown Prague had three McDonald's last time I visited (it's a BIG square). They are ubiquitous in most European cities.

I don't get the lack of street traffic and culture in KC. Every other building between the River Market and Crown Center is an apartment nowadays. What do these people do? Just sit at home and read? I wonder about this every time I am downtown. Where are all the people that live in the apartments? Lately, the East Crossroads has seemed kind of busy when I've been down there but that's about it. Not much traffic at all inside the loop.

Downtown needs more infill

[DColeKC]

Can't sell alcohol at a window.

You can sell it with a cap on it cant you? I've lived downtown awhile and never seen a cop on patrol let alone give a fuck about open containers.

Plus people that want alcohol aren't going to be like damn. I'm not going to drink today. They're always going to go some place they can drink.

Just reiterating that Cordish sees this as a bar district first. Drinks are high profit, so that's what they'll focus on. How about fast food? Nope! How about quick casual? Nope. How about retail? Nope. Push to sell a high margin $5 beer vs a $3 slice of pizza will happen every time with them. The city should massively raise the tax rate for alcohol sales. It would push different types of businesses in districts (Westport included), might limit late night violence due to overconsumption and generate more money for the city.

What a great recipe to ruin downtown.

Cordish sees it has a neighborhood first. They have far too much money invested to just let it be a bar district. What you don't see is the work done behind the scenes and all the effort they do in order to try and curate a well rounded neighborhood.

Fast food has been tried and it failed. Fast food operators want a drive thru. Fast Casual has been worked on with no major new commitments. Retail has been tried and failed, specifically clothing retail. Should they not learn from what has and has not worked?

And no, you can't sell booze out of window unless you can prevent those guests from taking the drinks off the cordish owned property. This is why it's only done when they have festivals and purchase a festival license. It's not about the Missouri laws, it's about the liability.

[beautyfromashes]

Cordish sees it has a neighborhood first.

I think I’ve decided in your many months absence that I don’t really want to engage about Cordish anymore. I know you’ve said, or at least implied, that you have connection with those in that organization, but you’ve also said that Soooo much stuff was come down the pike. We’ve seen nothing with new businesses in the district. I just don’t think they have the chops to pull it off. If they had the connections and will, it would be happening. So, I’ve really moved on from frustration to just plain pity. They’re spinning their wheels and not much they can do.

[DColeKC]

Cordish sees it has a neighborhood first.

I think I’ve decided in your many months absence that I don’t really want to engage about Cordish anymore. I know you’ve said, or at least implied, that you have connection with those in that organization, but you’ve also said that Soooo much stuff was come down the pike. We’ve seen nothing with new businesses in the district. I just don’t think they have the chops to pull it off. If they had the connections and will, it would be happening. So, I’ve really moved on from frustration to just plain pity. They’re spinning their wheels and not much they can do.

Yeah, I didn’t expect you to change because I’ve been off this forum. What you don’t know is the several LOI’s they have signed that take months to work through. The district is mostly leased and it gets much harder when you’re down to a few spaces. Blue Sushi went nearly 9 months under extended LOI’s as they worked through drawings and the financials.

I’ve been involved or around that district for it’s entire history and the push to lease it up has never been higher than now. I know of 3 spaces with LOI’s, one large corner space that’s very close and that’s not counting the awesome tenant going into three light. There’s not many spaces available. There are also two fully signed deals, one being an expansion of an existing tenant.

Have you ever looked at the portfolio Cordish manages? Saying they don’t have the chops to pull it off may be the most ignorant statement from you yet.

[beautyfromashes]

Have you ever looked at the portfolio Cordish manages? Saying they don’t have the chops to pull it off may be the most ignorant statement from you yet.

The proof is in the details. Spaces that have NEVER been leased, rapid turnover of places that don’t take hold, zero retail. But, I’ll X out of your marketing promotion now.

[Chris Stritzel]

Walked through the district today and paid attention to the vacant retail spaces and then cross-referenced to the Cordish leasing website (assumed the former T-Mobile space is 4500sf). 82,361sf of retail and restaurant space is vacant. There are no active listings for the space on LoopNet or any online CRE website beyond Cordish's own and whether that is super recent is debate (as T-Mobile is still listed as a tenant).

Walking through the area, the pedestrian alley between Main and Baltimore has enough smaller spaces that would be great incubator spaces for local businesses that otherwise would be forced to a less-trafficked area of town and where rent is cheaper (in other words, these spaces should be subsidized to give local business owners the shot at making it big). The vacant retail spaces on 14th between Blue Sushi and Yard House would make great "flagship" retail spots due to activity on the street while the former Drunken Fish space would be a good "flagship" restaurant (they might be chains, but I was thinking a Maggiano's or Cheesecake Factory).

The spaces fronting PNC Plaza could make good incubator spaces for local businesses as well with the small central bar becoming a themed bar during summer months (think a Tiki bar).

But having 82,000+ square feet of vacant retail and restaurant space in Downtown's most active area hinders street activity far more than it should. It also pulls the rest of the neighborhood down from achieving something more walkable and more impressive. More and more residents can continue to be added downtown, and at the P&L District, but additional retail and restaurant concepts are needed to draw an even wider-range of clientele and key streets busy for longer periods (retail during the day and evenings and bars/restaurants into the evenings and late nights).

Regardless of LOIs (which only mean so much until an official lease is signed), we can always debate whether or not leasing activity is taking place behind the scenes, but I'll point out that Ballpark Village doesn't have this problem as they've handed leasing activity off to a third party company and have just four retail spaces vacant of 20 total. It might be time to do the same here.

Give it a spin and see what happens.

[KCKev]

Well, I'd start with BBQ from Arthur Bryants! The smoke aroma would draw people in and the Bbq top notch KC.

[Cratedigger]

Thanks for doing this Chris. I’ve thought that about the small spaces on Main & Baltimore too actually.

Was that the idea of the Garment House? I wasn’t here when it was open

[Anthony_Hugo98]

Thanks for doing this Chris. I’ve thought that about the small spaces on Main & Baltimore too actually.

Was that the idea of the Garment House? I wasn’t here when it was open

Seemed to be, prices were fairly avg there for what was offered (albeit I just looked at men’s apparel) so I’m assuming lease rates are what killed it. That or Cordish didn’t renew. This is why I don’t believe a word about Cordish doing what they can to fill these spaces. Realistically, what incentive do they have? The city has got them covered.

[KCPowercat]

Garment district was a cordish ran thing that was pretty popular. It was reported those spaces were emptied due to the forthcoming building going on top and those spots were going to be used as the lobby and other things for the building. That doesn't account for those spaces on the south side of the alley where the jewelry store was. The space on the corner of 14th and main has never had a tenant.