development

Since purchasing the Country Club Plaza more than a year ago, the Gillion Property group has increased its security and made cosmetic repairs. Now, the company plans major construction that contrasts with the Plaza’s storybook atmosphere, and asking a Kansas City agency for $1.4 billion in tax breaks.

After residents in St. Charles protested a secretive data center proposal, developer CRG is eyeing Festus, Missouri, as a site for future sites. It's not clear what tax incentives or exemptions the data centers could receive, would would lessen their economic benefit.

The Plaza’s new owner, Gillon Property Group, recently submitted plans to Kansas City outlining its vision for the future of the district. The group wants to make the area more friendly to pedestrians and increase the allowable height of buildings, in a process that will take several years.

Prairie Village is divided on whether to construct a new municipal complex — mirroring a dramatic fight two years ago over housing and zoning. Nowhere is that conflict more apparent than in this year’s city council election.

The new extension through Midtown and the Plaza area also brings transit-only lanes. Drivers can get fined or towed for driving and parking in the lanes, which are meant to help the streetcar move faster.

KC Streetcar hosted a preview ride Wednesday along the Main Street extension, ahead of its opening on Friday, Oct. 24. Here’s what the Union Station to University of Missouri-Kansas City loop was like.

The $4 billion Panasonic plant opened this summer in the Kansas town, but has delayed its goals for full production. But its impact can already be felt in new housing projects and an incoming data center.

The streetcar extension will take passengers from the River Market to the Plaza. Multiple days of celebrations are planned along the route. The extension also means changes along Main Street, like transit-only lanes.

St. Charles officials signed nondisclosure agreements as they considered a proposed data center project in their city. The agreements were with a company with links to Google. Protests from residents stopped the deal, however.

The two-acre site will feature a Bierhalle, working brewery, event space, amphitheater, covered patio, children’s play area and off-leash dog park.

The developer has withdrawn an application for a permit for a St. Charles data center, according to Mayor Dan Borgmeyer. Crowds of residents have turned out to public meetings to oppose the data center over its energy use and effect on water quality.

An unknown company is seeking zoning approvals for a 440-acre data center in St. Charles, Missouri, but it's attracted strong opposition from residents worried about their water safety and energy prices.