A redevelopment project in downtown Kansas City, Kansas, moved ahead on Monday night with a committee approval of an agreement concerning the Reardon Center.
The Unified Government Economic Development and Finance Committee voted to advance the agreement to pay Brancato’s Catering $51,000, which would end the company’s agreement to manage the Reardon Center at 5th and Minnesota on May 31, a year early. The funds are to cover the costs associated with early termination of the existing agreement, according to UG officials.
The company had a five-year agreement, expiring in 2021, to manage the Reardon Center, according to UG officials. The Reardon Center will be demolished and a smaller one built.
Under the proposed agreement, Brancato’s would stay as a vendor available to serve Memorial Hall at 600 N. 7th St., but it would not be the only vendor there.
Any planned events at the Reardon Center will be canceled after June of this year, and with the stay-at-home order currently in effect, no events are anticipated to be held at the Reardon Center until then, according to UG officials.
This agreement next would go to the full UG Commission meeting for approval.
Lanier United, a development group led by Willie Lanier Jr., has received UG approval to redevelop the Reardon Center area, building a smaller meeting center, an athletic facility, apartments and some small retail space at the site.
According to UG officials, demolition is scheduled to start this summer on the project.
The EDF Committee and Neighborhood and Community Development Committee met in a Zoom internet and telephone participation meeting.
In other action, the UG NCD Committee approved the transfer of several properties from the Land Bank to the Unified Government for the Wolcott water treatment plant.
The UG EDG Committee also heard a report on motor vehicle registration in the county treasurer’s office.
According to the presentation, Wyandotte County residents have expressed interest in improving wait times in surveys.
A shortage of staff in the office, with many vacancies, has affected its performance, according to the presentation. Some improvements have been made, and they discussed pay increases for those on the front lines.
Currently, UG offices are closed to walk-in customers because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
To view the meeting, visit https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=unified+government+of+wyandotte+county
To see an earlier story, visit https://wyandotteonline.com/downtown-campus-redevelopment-center-sales-tax-renewal-small-business-grants-on-thursdays-ug-agenda/