Kansas City convention group is moving to the Power & Light District

The Kansas City Power & Light District has landed a long-term tenant to fill one of the largest remaining vacancies in the downtown development.

Visit KC, which this week shed its old name as the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association, plans to move its office from City Center Square to 1321 Baltimore Ave. It has signed an 11-year lease for the 15,000-square-foot street-level space next to the Hilton President hotel, according to an announcement Thursday.

The convention and tourism organization should be moved in by February, said Nick Benjamin, executive director of the Power & Light District. Visit KC has a staff of 40.

When the office opens next year, the lobby will include a full-service visitor information center. A mezzanine level is being built to provide additional space, Benjamin said. KEM Studio is the lead architect.

Visit KC estimates that the local convention and tourism business annually generates more than $4.6 billion in economic benefits to the area. The nonprofit organization has been based in the City Center Square building at 1100 Main St. since 1978.

Benjamin said Visit KC is the first tenant to occupy the Baltimore Avenue space since the development opened in 2007.

That leaves about 30,000 square feet available to rent out of a total of 475,000 square feet in the entertainment, restaurant and shopping district, Benjamin said.

The openings include about 8,500 square feet across from the Sprint Center on Grand Boulevard and 14th Street and about 10,500 square feet on the corner of 13th and Main streets across from H&R Block’s headquarters, Benjamin said.

This story was originally published September 11, 2014 at 3:34 PM with the headline "Kansas City convention group is moving to the Power & Light District."