In first step to redevelopment, council approves purchase of Linwood Shopping Center
The Kansas City Council on Thursday agreed to purchase the Linwood Shopping Center, the first step to restoring that long-struggling strip mall.
“This is an early Christmas gift,” said 3rd District Councilman Jermaine Reed, who has worked for months to bring the redevelopment project at Linwood Boulevard and Prospect Avenue to fruition.
The city has agreed to purchase the strip mall for $950,000 from a company established by Don Maxwell, a longtime developer in the area. The city is now putting together the financing pieces for a project that eventually is expected to cost an additional $11 million.
“This is city money,” Mayor Sly James said, noting that no private investor was waiting in the wings to help redevelop this blighted corner of the urban core. He called it an example of the city’s commitment to reviving depressed neighborhoods east of Troost Avenue.
Plans call for demolishing the existing grocery store, vacant since 2007, and replacing it with a new Sun Fresh market.
Lynn Horsley: 816-226-2058, @LynnHorsley
This story was originally published December 17, 2015 at 4:49 PM with the headline "In first step to redevelopment, council approves purchase of Linwood Shopping Center."