Mike Burke the runner up in the Kansas City Mayoral election is leading the charge to develop the $300 million, 800-room downtown convention center hotel. The site is planned for the northeast corner of Wyandotte and 16th Street, across the street from the Kansas City Convention Center and catercorner to the Kauffman Center of Performing Arts.

(Photo Credit KCBJ)

Not only does the city own 75% of the parcel being developed, but “City Manager Troy Schulte said the city’s contribution to the convention hotel will include $35 million to be financed by extending for 25 years the roughly $2 million annual bond payments for debt on Kemper Arena improvements that will be paid off this year.” The American Hereford Association owns the remainder but is “amenable” to selling.

Burke’s development team includes Bob Swerdling (hotel financing expert), JE Dunn Construction, HNTB Architecture, and Kansas City Hospitality Investors LLC.

The hotel will include 75,000 square feet of meeting, banquet and pre-convention space; 15,450 square feet of retail, restaurant and bar space; a 9,913-square-foot recreational facility; and structured parking with 450-500 spaces.

Currently Kansas City has 3,776 hotel rooms within a mile of its convention center. That compares with 7,350 in Austin, Texas; 7,183 in Indianapolis; 7,042 in Minneapolis; and 4,500 in Nashville.

Source KCBJ KCSTAR