Up North dispatch: Plaza of the Northland? Inside $2B project
Editor’s note: The following is from this week’s Up North newsletter, published weekly on Mondays. You can sign up here to get them delivered to your inbox.
Good morning, Northland!
Welcome to our very first edition of Up North, where every Monday afternoon, I dive into the biggest Northland stories from the past week. I’m Jenna Ebbers, The Star’s Northland reporter — and I’m excited to have you on this journey with me.
A few quick things about myself:
- I was born and raised in a small town in southwestern Nebraska with a population of just over 1,000 people. It’s a place where everyone knows everyone, and a place I love returning to as often as I can.
- I followed in my family’s footsteps and attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where I studied journalism. I’ve been a proud Husker fan my whole life — from wearing Nebraska gear as a baby to cheering on the Cornhuskers in Memorial Stadium as an alum.
- I moved to the Kansas City area last fall with my fiancé and tabby cat, Marbles.
Now let’s get into our top story this week:
What’s currently an unused 400-acre plot of land owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints could soon be transformed into a vibrant hub for retail, entertainment and housing in the heart of the Northland. Plans for a $2.3 billion development project — dubbed Pioneer Crossing — near the intersection of I-435 and Highway 152 are underway, as a Utah-based development company owned by the church looks to build more than 1,000 residences and over 1 million square feet of retail space in Clay County northeast of Gladstone and west of Liberty.
Kansas City officials envision creating a Plaza-style development north of the river. But what could that look like? Check out my story on the development and the big-name retailers it could attract.
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What’s new in the Northland?
🗳️ Seven Platte County candidates could be disqualified from the election this fall after a “misleading,” county-issued slip. Here’s the latest.
🍦 An uber-popular KC ice cream shop is opening its first location in the Northland, bringing its iconic flavors north of the river for the first time since it opened more than a decade ago.
🛝 To meet a growing demand, a new therapy clinic specially designed for kids with autism opened last month in Liberty. Take a look inside, where every inch was designed with purpose.
🚨 A Clay County massage therapist is facing a sexual assault charge after a client alleged she inappropriately touched him during an appointment.
My favorite reads
🍅 A 15-year-old KC-area boy scout recently set out on a unique mission: To deliver 500 lasagnas to families in need across the KC region. My colleague Noelle Alviz-Gransee has the story.
⚽ The World Cup is only weeks away, when around 650,000 fans are expected to flood the metro. But one KCI stakeholder is “apprehensive” that KC will actually see that level of traffic. My colleague Eric Adler has the scoop.
Looking for more?
- Explore our full newsletter lineup for updates on your favorite topics, including Chiefs news, restaurant happenings and political analysis.
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That’s all for now! See you next week.
