Two Light "groundbreaking" celebrates growth of Downtown
View article on BizJournals.com
It was billed as a groundbreaking ceremony for Two Light, a new apartment complex by the developer of the Kansas City Power & Light District. But construction crews actually had to shut down digging for the building’s foundation so as not to drown out speakers at Monday’s ceremony.
It was just as well. Speakers at the podium just outside the job site at Walnut Avenue and Truman Road dwelt on Downtown’s momentum much more than the specific features of the new project.
Nick Benjamin, executive director of the Power & Light District, noted that the One Light apartment building that opened in December already is 94 percent leased. The Cordish Companies, developer of the Power & Light District, is confident that Two Light will feed off that demand for luxury downtown living, he said.
Indeed, Cordish plans to officially begin leasing Two Light’s 296 units in August, and already has an online registry for those who want to stake an early place in line. The 24-story project- which will include a five-story parking garage, along with office and retail space- is scheduled to be completed in March 2018.
Bill Dietrich, president of the Downtown Council of Kansas City, said the city is seeing a wave of development that hasn’t happened in decades. He noted that more than $1 billion in development has taken place, or is planned along with city’s new streetcar line.
“These assets build on each other, and they continue to build on each other,” Dietrich said.
Kansas City Mayor Sly James also used the occasion to celebrate a string of positive news for the city, including news that the city was one of seven finalists for $50 million in smart transportation technology grants and last month won a $30 million federal transportation grant.
Beyond that, he said, it is encouraging that Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro (HUD has a hand in the Two Light project) and President Barack Obama all have been repeat visitors to Kansas City. James quotes Obama as saying “There’s clearly something going on in Kansas City.”