KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Neighbors and business owners in the 18th and Vine district are hoping to see the neighborhood change and grow to its full potential after the opening of a a new apartment building, One Nine Vine.
The development team behind One Nine Vine, 1900 Vine Street LLC, purchased the land for this project in 2019, broke ground in 2022 and celebrated its grand opening last week.
"This project brings a major private investment to an area which is currently experiencing blighted conditions," said Kelvin Simmons, partner with 1900 Vine Street LLC. "It it likely the single largest private investment in the modern day history of the 18th and Vine area."
One Nine Vine features 80 apartment units, and 14 of those are affordable housing units. Simmons says the final price tag for the project is around $26 million dollars and includes retail space.
"The project has amenities that don't currently exist on the east side of Kansas City, every apartment has a balcony," explained Simmons. "We have some limited underground parking and we have ground floor retail space, which will include a restaurant and other retail opportunities."
Business owners in the 18th and Vine district and stakeholders, like the American Jazz Museum, are applauding the addition of One Nine Vine.
"I grew up four blocks from here on 1621 East 22nd Terrace, which is right between Woodland and Vine Street, so I remember when we had grocery stores, drugstores and clothing stores down here," said Darron Story, director of development for the American Jazz Museum. "So having this new construction, which has probably been at least a generation since we've had this type of new residential construction, is going to be huge for this area."
According to their website, a one bedroom apartment at One Nine Vine starts at $1,098 a month and a two bedroom apartment is around $1,650.
"Kansas City hangs it's hat on a lot of our cultural components, whether it be barbecue, jazz, Negro Leagues Baseball, and this is the center of a lot of that," said James McGee, owner of Black Vine Worldwide Media Group. "We always want to see how it impacts the residents that are already here, if the property taxes go up cost of living different things like that."
Simmons says another project is in the works that could break ground as early as 2024 and will also include a mix of affordable and workforce units.
"This property and the one directly across the street sat vacant for four to five years, adding to the blight of the community," said Simmons. "It's in an area where there are almost no single-family homes and almost no commercial or retail establishments. We did not and will not contribute to pushing anyone out of their housing and the neighborhood."
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