CREW MEMBERS GETS AN UPDATE ON DOWNTOWN PLANS
It was time to talk big at the recent CREW luncheon, big as in plans for downtown Kansas City. Members of the city’s planning department with Crew president Diana Ennis of Stewart Title (above with Gerald Williams, Kellie Johnston and Robert Langenkamp) talked about the long-range plan for downtown, a plan that emphasizes a walkable downtown and doubling the downtown population to 34,000 (which still would be less than half of what it was in 1950 – 90,000. ) And as far as land use development is concerned, ”mixed use, and looking at height restrictions to protect views,” Langenkamp said. Below, Heidi Pollman with Confluence, Patty Brehm with The Mission Bank, and Robin Wells of Country Club Bank. They thought one of the plans discussed – connecting the 18th & Vine District to the Crossroads with development – sounded particularly interesting.
ECONOMIST LENDS INSIGHTS TO CCIM MEMBERS
CCIM members were treated to a report by economist Chris Kuehl (below right with Don Gessen) at their recent monthly meeting. Among other issues, Kuehl commented on how banks in Kansas City haven’t taken the hard hits, mostly because they are old-school and traditional when it comes to lending. “They have that funny notion that if you loan to a person, they should be able to pay it back,” he joked. “Now these banks are stronger. They have money to loan, but you still have to prove that you’re loan worthy.” That was good news to hear for Sue Drakeford of Hillcrest Bank and Lisa Provence with Alpha Title (also below). 
Kuehl then moved on to what many in the crowd wanted to hear about – the commercial real estate outlook. “These are not fun times in KC,” he said. “But if you compare across the country … 10 percent of all foreclosures are in Nevada, and half of all foreclosures have been in four states – California, Arizona, Nevada and Florida. He also said the commercial property crisis is very spotty – in one town everything’s fine, and then 10 miles away, it’s all falling apart. “It is so connected with the economy.” Below, Charles Connely, Bucky Brooks and Gib Kerr discuss business after the luncheon.
ULI YOUNG LEADERS DISCUSS GREEN ISSUES 
Our local Urban Land Institute Young Leaders Group (above) has grown by leaps and bounds since it was formed in 2004. Recently, the group held a luncheon to discuss the green-building industry. Julia Taylor, LEED AP, an attorney with Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP, moderated a roundtable discussion among Jenny Bloomfield Sciara, LEED AP with J.E. Dunn Construction, Richard M. Kniss, LEED AP with Gould Evans, Brad Nies, LEED AP with BNIM Architects representing the US Green Building Council Central Plains Chapter – Kansas City, and Eric Bosch, a city architect with Kansas City. The discussion centered around the practical and legal challenges of developing sustainable projects as well as the implications of shifting standards of care for professionals engaged in these projects.