Kansas City mayor sees hope for Country Club Plaza after meeting with future owners
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas stepped off an airplane from Dallas on Tuesday evening with an optimistic message for the future of the Country Club Plaza under new ownership.
“It was, frankly, one of the best meetings I’ve had with potential economic development entities during my time as mayor or councilman,” Lucas said during a press briefing at Kansas City International Airport.
“For the last eight and a half years or so, I haven’t seen anybody who has a clearer vision for how they can bring more economic development to the Plaza.”
The Star reported in October that the Plaza, a Kansas City landmark first opened in 1923, was under contract to be sold to Ray Washburne and HP Village Partners, owners of a luxury shopping district in Dallas. The retail company has family ties to H.L. Hunt, the father of Kansas City Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt.
A close of the deal is anticipated by the end of the year.
Lucas, who has been critical of decisions made at Plaza under its current ownership, roughly outlined the visions pitched by developers during his sit-down in Dallas. On the table, he said, are ideas to introduce more affordable housing to the neighborhood, lay the groundwork for expanded development through Midtown and put more Kansas City-centric businesses in the shopping district.
Another takeaway, the mayor said, was a feeling that the new owners intend to be collaborative investors — not “coming here with a hand out.”
“Unlike a lot of folks who come to us all the time and say, ‘We need $50 million, $90 million to build a parking garage and do something or another.’ I have not heard any requests like that,” the mayor said.
“I think they want to work with us on tools that have been around in Kansas City for some time. Improvement districts, for example, looking at, frankly, what other incentives already exist in the area.”
The future of the century-old shopping center has been cause for some debate in Kansas City in the face of economic challenges over recent years.
Several businesses have closed, leaving vacant storefronts, and some of the retailers have expressed frustrations over crime. Many residents have pointed to the once-bustling outdoor mall as being in decline.
Another setback came last year when fashion retailer Nordstrom, Inc. abandoned plans to open a Plaza store that was supposed to anchor its west end. Site preparation was already underway when that plan was nixed, leaving a 3-acre vacant space that has earned unpopular monikers like “pit” and “hole in the ground.”
In May, the current owners of the 15-block shopping district, Macerich and the Taubman Co., defaulted on payment of a $295 million loan to secure the property. That prompted their lender, Nuveen, to look for “a mutually acceptable outcome.”
The Star’s Eric Adler contributed to this report.
This story was originally published December 19, 2023 at 10:31 PM.
