Jul

31

TIF for more symphony parking moves forward

July 31, 2008 | 4 Comments

This spring we mentioned that suburbanite Shirley Helzberg asked for millions of dollars of KCMO tax money for a new project in the Crossroads Arts District.  While the project was a noble one to rehab a building with offices for the Kansas City Symphony, the catch was that she wanted KCMO taxpayers to subsidize a [...]

Jul

27

Orange Alert on Monday

July 27, 2008 | 2 Comments

No, it’s not for Homeland Security, it’s for Air Quality.  Monday is the region’s first Orange Alert of the air.  That means sensitive groups like kids, elderly, and asthma sufferers should avoid prolonged outdoor exposure.  The rest of us should refrain from pumping gas, mowing the lawn, or driving.  Bus fares on the Metro and [...]

Jul

24

Westport vs. P&L

July 24, 2008 | 2 Comments

The feature in this week’s Pitch is a big comparison of nightlife in Westport and Downtown’s new Power & Light District. The gist of is that the big hordes have moved Downtown and Westport is still going strong with a tamer, more local crowd.
The Pitch: Power & Light vs. Westport
Westport feels like a neighborhood again, [...]

Jul

23

Light rail picking up steam

July 23, 2008 | Comments Off

Tomorrow the City Council’s Transportation Committee holds a public hearing on the starter line proposal, which will be on the November ballot in KCMO.  That line will run north/south between Vivion Road and the Plaza, then east along Brush Creek to Prospect Avenue.
Meanwhile, negotiations continue for a bigger regional system that would extend the KCMO [...]

Jul

21

KC Star hit piece on school district

July 21, 2008 | 6 Comments

Sunday’s KC Star featured a big front pace “exposé” on the KCMO School District, detailing all the ways it spends more money than its suburban neighbors on busing, administration, lawyers, etc. While there is certainly a lot of wasted money, the Star’s comparison with the suburbs isn’t really very useful.  Unfortunately they offered very little [...]

Jul

18

Starbucks closures

July 18, 2008 | 4 Comments

For those of you who care about chain coffee… Starbucks’ downsizing will result in the closure of several hundred stores.  In the KC area those will be..
13th & Main in the H&R Block tower, just a block from the 12th & Main Starbucks
US 50 and M-291 in Lee’s Summit
College & Pflumm in Johnson County, KS
95th [...]

Jul

18

Walkable KC?

July 18, 2008 | 3 Comments

Let’s Go KC explains that while in general Kansas City ranks low for being a walkable city, several popular urban neighborhoods are just as walkable as the big guys like Greenwich Village in New York or Lincoln Park in Chicago.
Could you live in your neighborhood without a car?  Will your next home be more walkable?? [...]

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