Panel unveils plans to add sparkle to KC’s crown jewel

When it opened in 1923, Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza was the first planned regional shopping center in the United States designed with parking to accommodate shoppers who traveled by car.

For a period from about 1905 to 1919, developer J.C. Nichols was assembling the land for the Country Club District, of which the Plaza was a part, according to Kate Marshall, president and founder of Plaza District Council. Marshall said Nichols was very focused on the Country Club District being trolley-centric.

Marshall was one of the speakers at last week’s luncheon hosted by CREW Kansas City to discuss future plans for the Plaza. Marshall was joined by panelists Aaron Mesmer, chief investment officer of Block Real Estate Services, LLC, and Mark O’Briant, COO of HP Village Partners, LP. Tyler Enders, founder and owner of Made in KC, moderated.

For its first 75 years, the Plaza was owned by J.C. Nichols Company. In 1998, J.C. Nichols Company merged with Highwoods Properties, a North Carolina-based real estate investment trust.

HP Village Partners, a Texas-based company with ties to the Hunt family (owners of the Kansas City Chiefs), recently purchased the Plaza from The Macerich Company and Taubman Centers, Inc., which acquired it in 2016.

The Plaza is often called Kansas City’s “crown jewel,” but as tenants have left and crime has climbed in recent years, the jewel has lost some of its luster. HP Village Partners seeks to polish it up and make it shine again.

O’Briant said HP Village Partners has been working to acquire the Plaza since the summer of 2023 when it was approached by the property’s lender.

“I think they saw us as the right operator. They saw the tenants that we bring, how we manage properties, how we operate properties and said this is really a good marriage, a good fit. . . . The problem is that through the 10 months - 12 months [before closing], the tenants started leaving,” he said.

O’Briant said HP Village Partners are legacy owners with no plans to sell the Plaza.

“So in 10 years, we’re still here. We’re not going to come in and fix it up and sell it off. Everything we do right now is to fortify the asset for the next 15, 20, 30 years,” he said.

O’Briant said no institutional money is involved with its Plaza ownership.

The CREW KC Panelists take questions from attendees regarding the future or the Country Club Plaza. Photo credit: Marcia Charney

“What we saw was something unique to Kansas City that we’re not bringing in a Wall Street firm offering institutional money. We’re teaming up with local people - it’s important that we share things with our neighbors. I don’t think I’ve ever seen as much interest and excitement in buying real estate. This is not like real estate. This is truly like we’re coming into a community that wants to be involved and wants to help morph and transition this into something that’s really unique,” said O’Briant.

O’Briant said the first battle the new owners will fight is security because neither tenants nor customers will come to the Plaza until they feel safe.

He said they meet with the police regularly. There also have been meetings with the prosecutors and judges.

“You’ll start seeing now that we’re relighting the parking garages, restriping the parking garages. We’ve already started working on that. It’s brightening them up, lightening them up. Put more signs out, more cameras out,” he said.

HP Village Partners already has installed Flock Safety cameras, which are license recognition cameras, at some garage locations.

“Police can look for a certain car. If that car pulls in, it automatically notifies the police. They don’t have to look for them. They know they are in this garage,” said O’Briant.

“We need more police officers. Communication is really big. Communication with other owners in the area. . . Why are we not talking to each other, making the tenants more aware? We’ll have people come in and do personal training on how you can store your stuff or show your stuff inside your store so that it creates less of an opportunity for someone who’s just looking for an opportunity. There are little things that we can do, but at the end of the day, we’ve got to get more people to the Plaza,” he said.

O’Briant said it’s important to get more Plaza offices leased, and he has a little more than $2 million slated to create some spec suites.

“We need to get some office leasing going quickly, and that’s kind of a low-hanging fruit. We’ll start bringing in retailers. We’ll start bringing in restaurants,” he said.

With regard to the planned tenant mix, O’Briant said the new owners want local tenants who bring local flair along with a mix of national and luxury tenants. He said they’ve already met with many local chefs.

One of dozens of fountains found throughout the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Mo. Photo credit: Country Club Plaza

“We work with a lot of restaurants that are very unique places that you would drive 20 or 30 minutes to go eat at because it’s unique and different,” he said.

O’Briant said there are plans to reskin some of the buildings that don’t have the Plaza’s signature Spanish motif and to expand the sidewalks.

In addition, HP Village Partners will be tackling some capital improvements that have been neglected.

Although the improvements to the Plaza will take several years to complete, HP Village Partners plans to stick around.

“I think what you’ll see is a cleaner, nicer, healthier market, a more secure market and more vibrant market,” O’Briant said.

With plans to improve the Plaza underway, other investors will be undertaking more development in and around the Plaza.

According to Mesmer, during the last five to 10 years, it’s been harder and harder to make that investment.

“I think that today, though, what we’re seeing is that there’s a much greater level of civic support, whether it’s the mayor’s office, with the city staff helping to break down some of those barriers that make it a little more challenging to do business there than it might be in other municipalities. That’s a big change. But, really, for us, now that the Plaza has returned to someone with a long-term outlook, and someone who is going to be a generational owner of the Plaza, that is very much aligned with how we invest,” he said.

And, harkening back to the Plaza’s early days when trolleys transported people to and from the Plaza, the streetcar soon will be dropping off an estimated 7,000 to 10,000 people a day into the Plaza District.

“The streetcar is going to change everything,” Marshall said.

Header Image: The panelists at the CREW KC luncheon last week from left to right: Tyler Enders (moderator), Mark O'Briant, Kate Marshall and Aaron Mesmer. Photo credit to Elizabeth (Liz) Wampler. 

Shaping Kansas City: Copaken Brooks' century of real estate innovation

In its more than 100-year history as an on-going business, Copaken Brooks has changed and enhanced the commercial real estate landscape throughout the metro area.

The company’s owners and principals, Jon Copaken, Keith Copaken, Bucky Brooks and Bill Crandall, discussed their current projects and future plans as the guest speakers at last week's monthly breakfast hosted by CCIM Kansas City.

Copaken Brooks has developed 20 million SF of properties throughout its history, but they are not just developers.

“We have five million SF currently under management. We have equity interests in most of it, not all of it. We put together partnerships. The partnerships we’re involved in own anywhere from five percent of the asset to 100 percent of the asset. . . . We serve as the developer or the manager. We arrange the financing with banks,” Keith Copaken said.

Twenty years ago, the property located at the corner of 87th Street and Renner Road in Lenexa, Kansas was merely a cornfield. The city of Lenexa acquired the land and engaged Copaken Brooks to help them master plan the development which today is Lenexa City Center.

Keith Copaken said 1.6 million SF of the property has been developed, and Copaken Brooks has been involved in the development, facilitation, brokerage and everything else related to the site. The mixed-use property is zoned for two million SF. The project has public spaces, including the Lenexa Rec Center, Lenexa City Hall, Johnson County Library – Lenexa City Center, Shawnee Mission School District Aquatic Center and Lenexa Public Market. It also boasts residential, retail and office spaces. Kiewit Corporation occupies 650,000 SF.

SmartStorage Lenexa under construction and scheduled to open before the end of the year. Photo Credit: Strickland Construction Company

Also under development from the ground up in Lenexa is SmartStorage Lenexa, a three story climate-controlled 695-unit facility, scheduled to open in December.

Hoping to replicate the success in Lenexa, the City of Independence, Missouri has engaged Copaken Brooks to redevelop its Independence Square area with mixed-use. Crandall said he anticipates the redevelopment plan, which covers approximately eight acres, to be adopted by the end of the summer. There are still several parcels to assemble.

“When we talk to municipalities, my mantra is that you’ve got to control the real estate. I tell municipalities, you’ve got to get the real estate. You’ve got to go buy land. You’ve got to go buy buildings. . . . Until you have control, you don’t have anything. . . . Nothing happens unless you start, and the city has had the will to do this thing. The city is really owning this and trying to be a cooperative partner,” Crandall said.

Copaken Brooks wants to do infill development on the site and repopulate the Square.

“There’s lots of good tenants on the Square now. . . .We want to make it a destination,” said Crandall.

Brooks said there are development opportunities at Cambridge Business Park, another Copaken Brooks property, located along the hillside where I-35 swings west into Kansas traveling from Downtown.

According to Crandall, multifamily is probably the most robust asset class that the company is chasing currently. But, the timeframe to get new projects up and running is long.

One multifamily project under development is Third and Grand, a project that has been in the works since 2018 when the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) issued a request for proposal. Copaken Brooks entered into a development agreement in early 2019, and after 18 amendments to that agreement, it closed on the land in February 2024.

Third and Grand has been in the works since 2018 but is expected to be completed the beginning of 2026. Image credit: Klover Architects

Copaken Brooks broke ground on the 245-unit luxury apartment building with parking in April, with completion scheduled for January 2026

“It’s on probably the best TOD [transit-oriented development] site in the city. The streetcar literally runs right in front of us on Grand Boulevard. Third Street is a major east-west bus route. We’ve got automobiles, we’ve got scooters. We’ll have EV parking inside the building as well as outside the building. . . . It’s really a spectacular location,” Crandall said.

Another planned multifamily project is 1818 Main, the land for which Copaken Brooks put under contract in 2021. It will be a 16-story structure with 147 units on 13 levels atop three levels of structured parking. Jon Copaken said they expect to begin construction in September.

“When all is said and done, it will be about a five or five and one-half year endeavor. . . but that’s about how long these things take,” he said.

Copaken Brooks is an active Downtown player. Among its holdings are 1111 Main (previously known as Town Pavilion) and 1201 Walnut. Jon Copaken said the activity on those properties is “really good” even though tenants are still trying to figure out space needs to get employees back in the office.

The company also controls the two blocks directly north of the T-Mobile Center.

“Controlling two blocks within the center of the city is kind of a rare thing,” said Jon Copaken.

Keith Copaken said Copaken Brooks as a company does placemaking.

“We make places, and we make spots that people want to go to. . . . In order to make great places, you have to have time and you have to have control,” he said.

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Header image features Lenexa City Center. Image credit: Klover Architects

Downtown Kansas City's inspiring comeback story

In 2002, only 60,000 employees worked in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri.

“They were fleeing as quickly as they could, and I think the access on Main Street was one way south to Johnson County. No one wanted to be here. No one wanted to live here. It was really a very difficult kind of situation,” said Bill Dietrich, president and CEO of the Downtown Council of Kansas City.

Dietrich was the featured speaker at the monthly luncheon hosted by the KC Downtowners last week.

Since 2002, Downtown has seen $11 billion in investment. It now boasts 124,000 employees and 32,000 residents.

“We’re the fastest-growing neighborhood. If we were a city, we’d be the 11th largest in the metroplex. That’s kind of cool. We’re also the fastest-growing neighborhood community. We’re adding more residents,” said Dietrich.

The area that Dietrich said he defines as “Greater Downtown” is approximately 2.5-mile square blocks and includes the Missouri River to 31st Street, 18th and Vine to State Line Road.

Dietrich shared publicly for the first time some new independent research data about Downtown’s post-COVID recovery. Like all major communities across the country, Kansas City suffered some economic losses as a result of the pandemic which struck in 2020. But, recovery has been healthy.

In 2019, Downtown had 5.3 million unique visitors. In 2023, Downtown had 6 million unique visitors, which equates to 133 percent of the pre-COVID levels. In addition, Downtown has recovered 95 percent of the number of visits (the visit frequency of unique visitors) from 2019. Kansas City’s recovery rate is surpassed by only Nashville and San Jose, Dietrich said.

“We need to build on that trend. That’s why these events are so important. Not only the FIFA World Cup, which we all know is coming in 2026, but we now have the Big 12 women’s and men’s for the next seven years. Those are huge plusses for our community, and they feed off of each other. The more of these you do, the more you get,” he said.

The employee base has increased by 11 percent since 2020. Thirty-five percent of all Kansas City, Missouri jobs are Downtown. Dietrich said that the employment base is important to support Downtown restaurants and cultural venues which helps spur the economy.

Dietrich said companies are drawn to Downtown because of its exceptional talent pool, vibrant environment and growing residential options. Downtown has 26.5 million SF of office space, making it the largest business district in the region.

According to Dietrich, approximately 76 percent of the Downtown pre-COVID employees are back in their offices at least three days a week, placing Kansas City fourth in the nation for employee recovery.

Bill Dietrich, president and CEO of Downtown Council of Kansas City presented to KC Downtowners earlier this month. Photo Credit: Marcia Charney | MWM KC

Data shows that where employees reside in the metro drives their use of Downtown. Dietrich said that employees who live within two miles of Downtown are 100 percent back in the office. This percentage drops to 80 percent for employees who live two to five miles away and to 70 percent for employees five to 10 miles away. Farther than 10 miles, the percentage drops even lower.

“What does that tell you about what you should be focusing on as a city as policymakers and at City Hall? You should be focusing on an economic development strategy for the city, in my opinion, which prioritizes and really focuses on multi-family residential in Downtown. . . . You can see it borne out in the data. The closer you are to the center, the more likely you are to go to your office, buy that lunch and go to that theater afterward, go to a game or a concert at T-Mobile Center or the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts,” he said.

Although the number of Downtown residents has climbed, Dietrich said there is a need for more residential inventory of all types, not just luxury projects. He said the residential population is projected to be 43,000 by 2035.

“Residents are everything. Residents bring vitality. They demand things. They want streetcars. They want more cultural amenities. They want better jobs. And, it makes a huge difference to have them,” he said.

The demographics of Downtown residents show that 50 percent are men and 50 percent are women, and 51 percent are not majority culture.

So we’re a very diverse downtown. And that’s in pockets and areas that are less diverse and more diverse areas. That’s why we say Downtown is a collection of 22 unique neighborhoods, each with its heritage, history, value and culture,” said Dietrich.

Dietrich said there is $3.5 billion of Downtown investment currently underway, including the redevelopment underway by SomaraRoad Inc. in the West Bottoms, mixed-use development at the riverfront, the UMKC Health Sciences Building, streetcar expansion, Barney Allis Plaza and the Buck O’Neil Bridge. There also is the $225 million South Loop project, a four-block park on 5.5 acres which will be built over I-670 and will reconnect Crossroads to the Central Business District. To date, $125 million of the project’s cost has been raised, and Dietrich said construction should begin next spring.

“Downtown baseball is still a conversation we need to have. It’s the right decision to make. It would add three million more visitors to our marketplace, and absolutely you would see $2 to $3 billion of investment around it,” Dietrich said.

Other needs for Downtown include innovation districts, east-west transit connections and more parks, trees and open spaces.

Dietrich recognized that Downtown crime is escalating, and public safety is a huge issue.

“We’re seeing escalations in crime on property or person, and we are mobilizing our energy and our forces. It is a top priority for us to change that trend,” he said.

Dietrich cautioned that Kansas City must work to retain its progress and avoid what happened in downtown St. Louis, which has beautiful monumental structures and roads, but is empty.

“It’s very affordable Downtown. It’s very diverse Downtown. It is a very welcoming Downtown. None of those are a given. We all had to work really hard to make that happen. And, we can’t take our eye off the prize,” Dietrich said.

The header image shows the completed, under development and proposed mixed-use and multifamily Light Towers within the Kansas City Power & Light District’s nine-city block retail, entertainment, office and residential district, located in the heart of Downtown Kansas City directly adjacent to the T-Mobile Center. Image courtesy of The Cordish Companies.