The buzz around downtown

By KEVIN COLLISON

The Kansas City Star

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Five years ago, the South Loop area of downtown was a deserted stretch of tired parking lots and a few battered buildings, including a couple of haunted houses.

Last Friday, the same district was bustling with lunchtime activity.

New restaurants at the Power & Light District were filled with patrons, many of them from an event at the Sprint Center. Roadies were setting up for a free concert that evening at the Kansas City Live block.

Earlier this month, The Kansas City Star invited a group to discuss what needs to be done next downtown to continue the momentum. Major topics included the need for more housing, the proper use of tax incentives, prospects for a proposed 1,000-room convention hotel, light rail, beautifying downtown with additional streetscape improvements, and marketing new attractions to the community and beyond.

The transcript of the discussion, moderated by reporters Jeffrey Spivak and Kevin Collison, has been edited for length and clarity.

To read the discussion, click here.

Posted on Mon, May. 19, 2008 10:15 PM

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