2021 Downtown + Core Predictions

[langosta]

Post your predictions for the year!

Infrastructure:
1. Barney Plaza redevelopment stalls again
2. Broadway Bridge replacement starts. Highway 9 to grade gets a boost from the Feds
3. KC Streetcar breaks ground early. Feds approve a stimulus grant to cover some of the local match.

Development & Jobs:
4. IRS renews their lease in Kansas City (expires in 2022).
5. WR announces plans to leave KC early in the year. If they decide to leave, their building will be under contract by 2022.
6. Americo's Plaza project is announced but is torn apart for requesting incentives. The project is the final straw that allows activists to get restrictions put in place on incentives.
7. RM sees 2 projects break ground.
8. New City Manager uses his connections to get firms looking at KC.

[earthling]

2021 will probably be the year of Midtown but hopefully Xroads surface lots will see more infill. The N End of Loop also prime for something to happen. Midtown has more available low hanging fruit so likely a lot more announcements, thanks to streetcar expansion essentially firmed up. Downtown might get a few bigger ticket projects mixed in while Midtown will probably get dozens of mid-sized/smaller projects. And hopefully E Side continues to see the momentum of last couple years.

[flyingember]

Post your predictions for the year!

Infrastructure:
1. Barney Plaza redevelopment stalls again
2. Broadway Bridge replacement starts. Highway 9 to grade gets a boost from the Feds
3. KC Streetcar breaks ground early. Feds approve a stimulus grant to cover some of the local match.

Development & Jobs:
4. IRS renews their lease in Kansas City (expires in 2022).
5. WR announces plans to leave KC early in the year. If they decide to leave, their building will be under contract by 2022.
6. Americo's Plaza project is announced but is torn apart for requesting incentives. The project is the final straw that allows activists to get restrictions put in place on incentives.
7. RM sees 2 projects break ground.
8. New City Manager uses his connections to get firms looking at KC.

#3 seems unlikely unless the water project moves along much faster, and i don’t see that with the general demands to not impact businesses
Any stimulus grant would go to the bus as the goal is to reduce the impact of fares

#6 the first half perhaps, the second half is unlikely

#8 not in the first year, the focus will be on core city services with a dramatically reduced budget

[langosta]

Post your predictions for the year!

Infrastructure:
1. Barney Plaza redevelopment stalls again
2. Broadway Bridge replacement starts. Highway 9 to grade gets a boost from the Feds
3. KC Streetcar breaks ground early. Feds approve a stimulus grant to cover some of the local match.

Development & Jobs:
4. IRS renews their lease in Kansas City (expires in 2022).
5. WR announces plans to leave KC early in the year. If they decide to leave, their building will be under contract by 2022.
6. Americo's Plaza project is announced but is torn apart for requesting incentives. The project is the final straw that allows activists to get restrictions put in place on incentives.
7. RM sees 2 projects break ground.
8. New City Manager uses his connections to get firms looking at KC.

#3 seems unlikely unless the water project moves along much faster, and i don’t see that with the general demands to not impact businesses
Any stimulus grant would go to the bus as the goal is to reduce the impact of fares

#6 the first half perhaps, the second half is unlikely

#8 not in the first year, the focus will be on core city services with a dramatically reduced budget

In regards to #3, part 1 I had heard a rumor about from some people in the know. For part 2, the House had proposed covering a piece of the local match to help local governments during this down turn. I expect something like that to pass at some point.

[normalthings]

The Good:

1. Lux Living's Crossroads project starts construction and 1 other 200+ unit Crossroads project gets going.
2. Riverfront and Rivermarket see a ton of activity. 3rd and Grand starts, another Berkley project will be announced, 4th and Broadway gets going
3. KC ADC announces at least 1 corporate relocation at their annual meeting (a norm in past years)

The Bad:

4. 1650 Broadway, Federal Reserve, Hyatt House die off.
5. Hotel Bravo has some sort of update but nothing really happens.

The Ugly:
6. World Cup 2026 visits KC but we are not selected. Nashville and/or Cincinnati are.
7. Incentive "reform" sneaks through slowing progress in our city.
8. KCMO's population drops dramatically (bust almost all cities do) because of corona virus's impact on the Census

[Chris Stritzel]

1. We see movement on the “Freight House Village” project.
2. LuxLiving in the Crossroads advances with a late 2021 start.
3. More projects pop up along the Streetcar route as developers seek to capitalize off of the connectivity.
4. 2 more infill projects announced in the River Market area.
5. Riverfront Park office and hotel components officially announced.
6. Muehlebach Hotel redevelopment begins.
7. The rollout of a vaccine gives Copaken and others the confidence to begin Strata.
8. Cordish begins the Midland Redevelopment.
9. Plaza area sees formerly dead projects (Dylan, 47Madison) make a return while Americo’s project is unveiled and begins that process.
10. Additional developments announced in the West Bottoms that will bring more lofts and creative office space.
11. As a result of the new airport, an announcement is made, or eluded to, that the airport will get an international flight to mainland Europe that would launch the summer the airport is completed.
12. Hyatt House on Broadway project is scrapped and replaced with an apartment development with micro-studios, studios, and one-bedroom units.

[TheLastGentleman]

I could see something serious finally get announced for land adjacent to the Kauffman and the land formerly owned by DST in the north end of the loop.

The future of the downtown ballpark (or lack thereof) may become known.

13th and Wyandotte may return from nowhere

[earthling]

3. More projects pop up along the Streetcar route as developers seek to capitalize off of the connectivity.
4. 2 more infill projects announced in the River Market area.

3: And single family homes near line through Midtown to UMKC may see many house flippers buy/rehab/sell. There's going to be mega bucks pumped into Midtown next several years, maybe not many big ticket projects but might hit a $B+ in small/mid-sized rehab and new development by the time streetcar is up and running. Downtown may lead in $/year if it can continue drawing big ticket projects but Midtown might have larger number of projects for several years going forward.

4: Not many empty lots left in RM, which is a good thing. Each have a plan that hopefully see light next year. Xroads still has too many surface lots, especially along the line. Hope to see some action.

[earthling]

8. KCMO's population drops dramatically (bust almost all cities do) because of corona virus's impact on the Census

As long as KCMO's % drop is on avg or better than US it shouldn't impact % of Fed aid and market decisions that factor those numbers. And the following years, there will be the American Community Surveys each year that will probably offset any drop shown from census.

[KCPowercat]

I really hope and expect we hear more about the downtown ballpark and World Cup. I don't expect to hear much about Bridging Park & Market.

KCI continues on track and we finally see some pretty pictures and exciting details.

Going to continue to see pretty substantial housing projects pop up. Feel like something will finally happen at 19th & Grand surface lot.

[FangKC]

8. KCMO's population drops dramatically (bust almost all cities do) because of corona virus's impact on the Census

As long as KCMO's % drop is on avg or better than US it shouldn't impact % of Fed aid and market decisions that factor those numbers. And the following years, there will be the American Community Surveys each year that will probably offset any drop shown from census.

I have a feeling that there are going to be a lot of states and cities that will sue the Federal government over the census under count.

[dukuboy1]

Perhaps KC will be seen national as a new "beacon: of sorts in terms of economic opportunity and development. Attracting more attention from start up businesses and perhaps offshoots from larger corporate companies. These positive items running parallel to other regions suffering during 2020 might benefit KC. Suddenly we become more of a "flavor of the month" akin to Austin and Nashville, etc. and as those markets are becoming more expensive the "johnny come lately's" to these ideas might see KC a gem waiting to be polished and profited from. My hope is we keep the accelerator pushed and we keep moving forward to capitalize on the momentum we've built over the past few years and not let 2020 be an anchor that us back 10 years from where we were in 2018/2019

[earthling]

^There are many 'hot markets' but KC seems to have more momentum than nearly all Midwest markets. And becoming too hot has its issues, see Austin. Not a place I'd want to live at this point. Lower cost Sacramento is getting a lot of SF Bay Area migrations/spillover, especially now with the work from anywhere trend. KC might be getting a piece of that from pricier cities.

[normalthings]

Perhaps KC will be seen national as a new "beacon: of sorts in terms of economic opportunity and development. Attracting more attention from start up businesses and perhaps offshoots from larger corporate companies. These positive items running parallel to other regions suffering during 2020 might benefit KC. Suddenly we become more of a "flavor of the month" akin to Austin and Nashville, etc. and as those markets are becoming more expensive the "johnny come lately's" to these ideas might see KC a gem waiting to be polished and profited from. My hope is we keep the accelerator pushed and we keep moving forward to capitalize on the momentum we've built over the past few years and not let 2020 be an anchor that us back 10 years from where we were in 2018/2019

There is a need to attract national developers and employers. Big cutbacks at EDC and restrictions on incentives make it harder for us to compete against regions that are prioritizing growth.

[ToDactivist]

2021 - nothing changes

[KCPowercat]

2021 - nothing changes

Nothing turns negative...I'll take it!

[dukuboy1]

^There are many 'hot markets' but KC seems to have more momentum than nearly all Midwest markets. And becoming too hot has its issues, see Austin. Not a place I'd want to live at this point. Lower cost Sacramento is getting a lot of SF Bay Area migrations/spillover, especially now with the work from anywhere trend. KC might be getting a piece of that from pricier cities.

If it's a positive opportunity to grow the city and make and impact, let's go for it. I'm hoping we have had a lot of enthusiastic leaders, and business developers who have been forced to sit on the bench for a bit while the pandemic raged and the US held a hotly contested Presidential election. Now that we can see the light at the end of the COVID tunnel and we have a new President and administration, I hope these folks who have been sidelined more than they like take that saved energy and are turned loose on the Nation and overseas creating networks and brokering deals to keep KC moving forward and fuel this fire

[normalthings]

It would be great to see some of these projects ideas get advanced in 2021. I think street parking cafes should be made permanent.

[earthling]

2021 - nothing changes

With your projects on the table? Hope that's not the case and you can find a way to move forward with Delaware St. projects.