Forget the suburbs and the half hour commutes. Some Kansas City families are looking to call downtown their new home.
"The easiest reason for that is connectivity," explained Michael Knight, a soon-to-be downtown resident. "We can walk out our doorstep to the streetcar, to entertainment, to restaurants, to museums, to the library--which my son loves."
Knight is the vice president of Commerce Tower Group, the developers responsible for rehabbing the latest apartment building downtown. Until his company took over, Commerce Tower sat vacant. Now, he, his wife and their five-year-old son will be among the first residents to move in, once construction is complete.
Tips: Keep you and your vehicle safe on the streetcar route
"If you laid this building on its side, that's what a neighborhood is: education, work, housing, all those things brought together," he said.
The $169 million project at Main and 9th Streets would never have happened if not for the streetcar. The reason: developers want people to be able to enjoy downtown--living, working and playing there--without ever having to move their cars. This project is part of the $1.7 billion in economic impact the city expects the streetcar to bring to the downtown corridor.
"It affords us a new lifestyle," said Bom Berkebile, also of Commerce Tower Group. "It is more connected. It changes the way we live, the way we learn, the way we work, the way we play downtown."
Commerce Tower by Floor
- Basement - Indoor dog park
- 1st Floor - Spectrum Station, an early childhood learning center for 200 kids
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Terra Hall can be reached at terra.hall@kshb.com.
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