DowntownKC.net

KCPowercat posted a nice list on the KCRag forums of new businesses applying for liquor licenses that will hopefully be opening in the near future.

Chipotle - 1370 Main (I know this is in P&L but this is the first “in district” liquor license I’ve seen so thought I’d list it)
Cheeseheads - 1616 Grand
Cupini’s - 25 E 12th
G Spot Rock Bar - 423 Southwest Blvd.
Jam Central Station - 1522 McGee
Jayhawk Bar & Grill - 1915 Main
Madrigall - 1627 Oak
Paddy O’Quigley’s - 100 E. 20th
Studio - 1118 McGee
The Friend of the River - 1100 Walnut

Also mentioned in that thread. John’s Big Deck has applied for a 3am application, and Bo Ling’s is opening in the City Market. Speaking of the City Market, The Buzz is going to announce the next “Buzz under the stars” concert Tuesday at 8am, pre-sale on Wednesday, and public sale on Saturday. They talk of this show like it will blow away the other two shows this summer (The Killers and Incubus). So get ready!

Yet another pizza place was announced for the crossroads area.

Pizza in the Crossroads (KC Star)

Pizza in the Crossroads

Rob Dalzell, founder of 1924 Main and Souperman, is about to open a third concept in the Crossroads Arts District.

Pizza Bella, a neighborhood Neapolitan pizza place, will use all Italian ingredients and a wood-fueled oven to get certified by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana in Naples, Italy. The dine-in and carry-out operation at 1810 Baltimore Ave. is scheduled to open by early September. It is named after Dalzell’s 14-month-old daughter, Isabella.

“It’s always been a dream for a pizza place,” Dalzell said. “I know I can make a killer pizza, and I wanted to have a place dedicated to it.”

This makes three pizza places in the same block.
Pizza Bella (1810 Baltimore)
SPIN! (opposite 1810 Baltimore)
Art of Pizza (1800 Baltimore)

Hey! There’s no such thin as too much pizza. Even if one of those fails, there’s still two left, which is two more than the area has right now. I ate at Spin! out in Overland Park a few years back and thought the food and the concept was great. It’s the kind of place you can bring a bottle of wine to and they have a corking fee.

Now… if we could only get an Original Pizza somewhere north of Johnson County.

KC developer fined (KC Star)

A Kansas City developer will pay $200,000 in penalties and fines for removing asbestos illegally while rehabbing a tower of condominiums.

Matt Abbott, 34, pleaded guilty Monday to criminal charges in connection with the improper removal of asbestos from a building in Kansas City. Abbott is the owner of The Manhattan condominiums, also known as University Tower apartments.

Interestingly, in 2005, the developers for The View (which is next door to The Manhattan) were charged for improper asbestos removal.

The View will pay fine for asbestos removal

The DNR said it had received a complaint about renovations at the former Vista Del Rio building, at 600 Admiral Blvd., and sent an investigator to the site on Dec. 15, 17 and 19, 2003.

The department concluded that the company hadn’t notified the proper authorities about the asbestos-abatement project and that it had used untrained, uncertified workers who improperly removed materials that contained asbestos.

The workers were spraying the material with a high-powered pressure washer and improperly packaging and containing it for disposal, the DNR said.

The settlement alleges that the company violated the state’s Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants law and the Missouri Air Conservation law.

I gotta imagine if The View was only charged $20k, and Abbott was charged $100k as well as settling a civil suit for another $100k, that criminal charges, if not imminent, are seriously being considered.

Abbott told Judge Scott O. Wright that he was guilty of violating the Toxic Substances Control Act and that his corporation, Manhattan K.C. LLC, was guilty of violating the Clean Air Act. The charge against Abbott is a misdemeanor and carries a penalty of up to one year in jail. The charge against the corporation is a felony.

It will be interesting to see how this impacts the rest of the project. Last I heard, only a few units were left, and with this news, I must say they might be a hard sell at this point for any knowledgeable buyers. What really irritates me is when I was looking at buying at the Manhattan, I spoke with Matt about how the Asbestos removal process went, and he flat out lied to me and my family by saying it went fine. I also feel sorry for the prior residents, who were already poor, they then had to be subjected to improper asbestos removal while they resided on the floors below.