Building Kansas City's
Urban Core

On Friday, November 15, at the always-elegant American Restaurant in the Crown Center complex, some 30 significant stakeholders in the future of Kansas City participated in an animated City Core Economic Development Forum staged by Ingram's Magazine. The event was co-chaired by Jon Copaken of Copaken White & Blitt and Bill Lucas of Crown Center Redevelopment.

River-Crown-Plaza

City leaders have been gradually refining their view of the city core to include a two mile or so wide corridor stretching from the Missouri River southward about five miles to the Country Club Plaza. In the way of background, Downtown had been the unrivaled center of Kansas City commercial life until the 1920s when legendary developer J.C. Nichols built the Country Club Plaza 35 blocks to the south with Downtown remaining dominant at least through the 1960s.

Front Row (left to right)
Senator Harry Wiggins, Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin
Katheryn Shields, Jackson County
Mayor Kay Barnes, City of Kansas City, Missouri
Vicki Noteis, City of Kansas City, Missouri
Mark Huffer, Kansas City Area Transportation Authority

Second Row
Jack Holland, Fahnestock & Co.
David Frantze, Stinson Morrison Hecker
John Murphy, Shook Hardy & Bacon
Mark Foster, Stinson Morrison Hecker

Third Row
Jim Calcara, CDFM2
Bob Davidson, J.E. Dunn Construction
Mike Rainen, Rainen Companies, Inc.
David Welte, Polsinelli Shalton & Welte

Forth Row
Stephen Block, Block & Company
Crosby Kemper III, UMB Bank
Gib Kerr, Tower Properties
Frank Lenk, Mid America Regional Council

Fifth Row
Sean O'Byrne, Colliers Turley Martin Tucker
Charlie Miller, Lewis Rice & Fingersh
Michelle Sweeney, Ingram's Magazine
Brad Nicholson, Nicholson Group

Back Row
Bill Dietrich, Downtown Council
Jon Copaken, Copaken White & Blitt
Dave Fenley, Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin
Jerry Riffel, Lathrop & Gage
John Laney, Hallmark Cards
Jonathan Kemper, Commerce Bank
Brad Scott, General Services Administration
Joe Sweeney, Ingram's Magazine
Steve Schmitz, Ingram's Magazine
Barry Brady, J.C. Nichols/Highwood Properties
Bill Lucas, Crown Center Redevelopment

KC's Urban Core
Economic Development
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