Lux Living in Kansas City: development, delays, and debates

Lux Living’s projects in Kansas City have stirred strong debates and faced persistent problems. The Katz on Main and Wonderland apartments have both been delayed by construction issues, unpaid contractor bills, and a series of mechanics’ liens. Fraud charges against top Lux Living executives — linked to allegations of misusing tax incentives in St. Louis projects like Chelsea and SoHo — have added legal complications but have not halted construction.

Major plans such as the Katz redevelopment and a high-rise proposal at 14th and Wyandotte have won partial support, though both the riverfront apartment project and Freight House Village plan were dropped after public and board opposition citing the firm’s troubled history. Past tenant complaints, incentive disputes, and regulatory concerns continue to shape how public agencies and communities respond to Lux Living’s developments in Kansas City.

NO. 1: KC APARTMENT INCENTIVES OK’D FOR ST. LOUIS FIRM WITH HISTORY OF COMPLAINTS, LAWSUITS

Port KC downplayed reporting about the developer’s problems in St. Louis. | Published May 10, 2022 | Read Full Story by Kevin Hardy

NO. 2: AFTER MORE PUSHBACK, PORT KC SAYS NO TO ST. LOUIS DEVELOPER’S RIVERFRONT APARTMENT PLAN

“It’s shameful and I can’t even believe it at this point,” said one critic of the project. “I would laugh if it weren’t absolutely disgusting.” | Published May 16, 2022 | Read Full Story by Kevin Hardy

NO. 3: 30-STORY APARTMENT TOWER WOULD RANK AMONG TALLEST ADDITIONS TO DOWNTOWN KC IN YEARS

The developer has a history of controversy in both Kansas City and St. Louis. | Published March 8, 2023 | Read Full Story by Kevin Hardy

NO. 4: DEVELOPER DROPS PLAN FOR $55 MILLION APARTMENT COMPLEX AT KANSAS CITY’S RIVERFRONT

Lux Living of St. Louis had planned to build a seven-story complex with 254 apartments. | Published October 19, 2023 | Read Full Story by Eric Adler

NO. 5: TOP LUX LIVING EXECUTIVES CHARGED WITH FRAUD AS HIGH-PROFILE DEVELOPMENTS CONTINUE IN KC

Top executives at Lux Living — the developer in Kansas City of two new high-profile apartment complexes, Wonderland in the Crossroads and Katz on Main at Westport Road — have been indicted in St. Louis. | Published September 20, 2024 | Read Full Story by Eric Adler

Despite a fraud indictment of its top executives, Lux Living insists it’s “full steam ahead” on their Katz on Main luxury apartment complex near Westport. But one subcontractor stopped work five months ago. The roof of the former Katz Drug Store remains open to the weather. By Tammy Ljungblad

NO. 6: BEYOND FRAUD INDICTMENTS, PROBLEMS MOUNT AT TWO KANSAS CITY LUXURY APARTMENT PROJECTS

A company attorney says the Katz on Main and Wonderland projects continue “full steam ahead.” But court actions, interviews and a visit to an open and unsecured Katz work site suggest problems. | Published October 24, 2024 | Read Full Story by Eric Adler

The apartments at Katz on Main, originally slated to be completed in 2024, are being leased, a company attorney says, but the historic drug store remains unfinished and open to the elements. By Eric Adler

NO. 7: IS KANSAS CITY’S ‘KATZ ON MAIN’ PROJECT EVER GOING TO BE FINISHED? SOME GOOD AND BAD NEWS

An attorney says the six-story complex at Main Street and Westport Road has begun to lease apartments. But the entrance to the project, from the old Katz Drug store, remains a hollow shell, open to the air, with no roof. | Published February 28, 2025 | Read Full Story by Eric Adler

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.