This Week in KC

🏘️ PRICE BROTHERS WANTS 465 HOMES AND TWO BIG-BOX STORES ON 100 ACRES SOUTH OF BLUHAWK​
Price Brothers, the developer behind Bluhawk, is asking Overland Park to rezone roughly 100 acres on the south side of 167th Street between U.S. 69 and Antioch Road. The plan packs in 122 small-lot single-family homes, eight apartment buildings totaling 343 units, a gas station, four pad sites, and two big-box buildings at 171,000 and 54,000 square feet. Neither big-box tenant has been named publicly. The Planning Commission voted 8-0 on Aug. 10 to continue the application at staff recommendation, and it could return to the commission as soon as Sept. 14.

⚽ MISSOURI YOUTH SOCCER CLUBS SAY THE WORLD CUP DROVE THEIR BIGGEST GROWTH YEAR YET​
Clubs across Missouri are reporting record signups after the 2026 World Cup brought matches to Arrowhead Stadium. 573 Elite Soccer in Jefferson City called 2026 "our biggest year where we've had the most amount of growth, the most amount of kids join or come try out." The bump reached clubs more than 340 miles from Arrowhead, and directors credit players who attended matches in person with pulling more kids onto the field. KCUR published the report Aug. 15.

🏆 KCPS TEACHER WINS TWO YEARS OF RENT-FREE LIVING DOWNTOWN IN FRONT OF 2,000 COLLEAGUES​
Joevenn Neo, an ESL teacher at Lincoln Prep, was handed a two-year rent-free lease at the historic Midland Lofts during the KCPS back-to-school convocation at Hy-Vee Arena on Aug. 18. Roughly 2,000 district staff watched the reveal. The giveaway is in its eighth year and runs through a partnership between the Kansas City Power & Light District, The Cordish Companies, and the KCPS Education Foundation. Neo does not drive and said he picked the downtown building for the bus access.

🏎️ KANSAS SPEEDWAY LOCKS IN TWO NASCAR WEEKENDS FOR 2027 — AND ONE IS A PLAYOFF RACE​
The 1.5-mile Wyandotte County track announced Aug. 19 that it keeps both of its dates next year. The spring weekend runs May 8–9, 2027, with a Craftsman Truck Series and ARCA Menards doubleheader Saturday and the Cup Series race Sunday. The fall weekend runs Oct. 1–3 with all four series across three days, headlined by Race No. 4 of the Cup Series Chase on Sunday, Oct. 3. "Fan demand for NASCAR continues to grow in the Midwest," said Kansas Speedway President Pat Warren. Kansas Speedway is the metro's biggest single-event draw outside Arrowhead, and the weekends pull hotel and dining spend into the Legends district. Ticket on-sale dates haven't been announced.

🌽 A KCK TORTILLA FACTORY THAT MILLS 30,000 POUNDS OF CORN A WEEK JUST LANDED IN 53 WHOLE FOODS​
Marissa and Mark Gencarelli — the James Beard-winning couple behind Yoli Tortilleria — quietly bought 65-year-old Art's Mexican Products in 2022, and they've now rebranded it Art's Molino & Market, with new packaging by KC graphic artist Frank Norton. The original 1961 factory and its public retail outlet stay put at 615 Kansas Ave. in KCK. Founder's daughter Rachael Gutierrez Kelley ran the business from the 1980s and, with no family successor, approached the Gencarellis herself; Marissa says it mattered to Kelley that it pass "from a woman to a woman." If you've had the chips at Margarita's or Jalapeños, you've already eaten them.

💰 AN EAST SIDE NONPROFIT IS ASKING FOR $50,000 — AND SKETCHING A PATH TO $2 BILLION​
Quality Day Campus Inc., a 501(c)(3) headquartered at 3943 Paseo Blvd., is launching a community-led War on Poverty Initiative through the American Economic Empowerment Network. President Lamar Mickens points at Prospect from 1st Street to 75th, plus Troost and Linwood, and argues those corridors look much the way they did decades ago. The plan runs in phases: $50,000 now to stabilize operations and secure the Paseo headquarters, $600,000 for staffing and coalition-building across both states, and $25 million for long-term organizational infrastructure. The $2 billion figure is a long-range fundraising aspiration, not money committed or pledged. The group is seeking partners from churches, businesses, schools, labor and civic organizations.

What you might have missed last week

• ​Art Westport is back for its 46th year, September 11 to 13 in the historic Westport District.
• Chiefs Kingdom just got an official snack lineup. Mondelez International, the company behind Oreo, Ritz, Chips Ahoy, Sour Patch Kids and Clif Bar, has been named the Official Snacking Partner of the Kansas City Chiefs. It is the company's first ever pro football team sponsorship.

🏢 DEVELOPMENT SCENE

THE ROYALS BALLPARK DEAL PASSED 11-2

The Kansas City Council approved the Royals stadium ordinance Thursday on an 11-2 vote. Councilmembers Johnathan Duncan (6th District) and Nathan Willett (1st District) voted no.

The vote clears the city manager to sign the lease, development, funding and community impact agreements for a new ballpark, team offices and a downtown baseball district at Crown Center. The stadium carries a $1.9 billion price tag inside a district development valued at an estimated $3 billion. The park is targeted to open in 2030.

The money. The lease sets rent at one dollar a year, plus 5% of the net profit the club keeps on non-baseball events like concerts. The Royals cover all cleaning, maintenance and day-to-day operation of the building, keep the naming and sponsorship revenue, put in $760 million of private cash, and eat any overrun above budget. The public side totals $1.14 billion: Kansas City's $600 million plus about $540 million from the State of Missouri. That's 60% of the stadium covered by taxpayers, in what will be one of the most expensive ballparks ever built.

What fans get. Written straight into the contract: Kansas City residents get at least 25% off single-game tickets for designated regular-season games, the city gets 30 free tickets to every home game, and the city can use the stadium for eight of its own events a year.

The date worth remembering. Every rendering and press release points at a 2030 opening. The lease is written to start Feb. 1, 2031, with a hard completion deadline of March 30, 2031 and $35,000 a day in penalties past it. Builders routinely write cushion into completion dates, so the gap isn't automatically a red flag. But 2031 is the date that's legally enforceable and 2030 is the one being marketed.

What isn't settled. The council committed the $600 million without a public financial analysis showing how it gets repaid. The city's third-party study won't be released until after the agreements are signed. The debt runs through the general fund, the same account that pays for basic city services. Duncan called it "Power & Light on steroids," pointing at the $167 million Kansas City has paid out over 16 years covering that district's debt. And because the city used special obligation bonds to avoid a public vote, it's paying roughly $7 million a year more in interest than it otherwise would.

What's next. Zoning authorization goes to the Council Thursday, Sept. 3. A Tax Increment Financing plan comes before the Council in the weeks ahead. And all Major League Baseball approvals are due on or before Sept. 30, 2026 — the Royals can't sign until MLB signs off.

👉 We read all 165 pages. Where every dollar of the $55 million community package actually goes, what the Royals committed to beyond the building, the rules they have to follow while they build it, and the fight over skipping a public vote.

Business Scene

Now Open / Just Opened

• 🍕 PIZZA TASCIO OPENS ITS FIRST OLATHE STORE​
  ​The Lombardino family's New York-style slice shop opened Monday, Aug. 17 at 1485 E. 151st St., near 151st and Ridgeview, in the old Curry in a Hurry space; two slices and a drink run $10 daily.
• 🧱 LEGO REOPENS IN LEAWOOD AFTER NEARLY 15 YEARS AT OAK PARK MALL​
  ​The store moved to 4411 W. 119th St. in Town Center Crossing, taking the former Tuft & Needle space; open 10 a.m.–8 p.m. Mon–Sat and noon–6 p.m. Sun.
  ​

Coming Soon

• 📚 THE INKED PAGE OPENS SATURDAY IN DOWNTOWN OVERLAND PARK​
  ​Billed as KC's first bookstore dedicated to mystery, thriller and horror, it opens Sat., Aug. 22 at 7942 Santa Fe Drive from first-time owners Courtney Moffitt and Katie Jones, with a back "parlor" room for book clubs.
• 🥐 FRENCH MARKET REOPENS A QUARTER BIGGER ON AUG. 27​
  ​The Prairie Village bakery expands into the old Pride Cleaners space at 6945 Tomahawk Rd. — about 1,500 more square feet, a grab-and-go cheese and prepared-foods counter, and a second checkout so takeout stops queuing behind dine-in.
• 🍕 PIZZA TASCIO'S THIRD JOCO STORE LANDS IN MISSION​
  ​The chain is targeting the end of August for a location off Johnson Drive near Sully's Pub.
• 👜 COACH IS BRINGING KANSAS' FIRST COACH COFFEE SHOP TO LEAWOOD​
  ​The brand is building in the former Rockhill Grille space at Town Center Crossing, a few doors from the new LEGO store; no opening date announced.
• 🌿 THE VINE BRINGS 20 LOCAL VENDORS TO THE OLD ROCK & BREWS​
  ​Boutique Collective's third store and first in Johnson County takes suite B2 at 5701 W. 135th St. in Prairiefire, with a champagne-and-charcuterie café and an event patio; targeting mid-to-late September.
• 🛒 BALLS FOOD STORES LEAVES KCK AFTER 103 YEARS FOR A MISSION HEADQUARTERS​
  ​The company behind Hen House, Price Chopper, Sun Fresh and Payless — founded in Kansas City, Kansas in 1923 — bought a 12,927-square-foot office building at 5830 Woodson Drive to house its corporate HQ. Move-in timeline and employee count weren't disclosed.
• 👔 CHICK-FIL-A WANTS THE OLD ON THE BORDER BUILDING NEAR OAK PARK MALL​
  ​The chain filed plans in May to move from 9707 Quivira Rd., where it's been since 2008, into 11855 W. 95th St. — the restaurant that closed in early 2025 and later served as a World Cup welcome center. Early plans show a 5,157-square-foot building with a double drive-thru and 53 parking spaces, next to Cheddar's and Houlihan's.
• 🛍️ ANTHROPOLOGIE IS COMING TO BLUHAWK, ITS THIRD STORE IN THE METRO​
  ​Price Brothers announced Aug. 20 that the brand will open at the 277-acre Bluhawk development at Highway 69 and 159th Street, targeting summer 2027. It joins recently announced tenants L.L.Bean, Barnes & Noble and J.Crew Factory.

Closing / Closed

• 👜 LAST WEEKEND FOR NICKEL & SUEDE'S CURRENT STORE — CLOSES SUNDAY, AUG. 23​
  ​The KC accessories brand shuts its current shop Sunday ahead of moving its store and headquarters to 19 N. Water St. on Liberty Square in September.
• 🍽️ PARLOR CLOSES SATURDAY AFTER EIGHT YEARS IN THE CROSSROADS​
  ​KC's first chef collective, at 19th and Locust, serves its last plate at 10 p.m. Sat., Aug. 22; $5 draft beers and $7 draft cocktails all week. The sudden announcement caught its seven vendors off guard.

🎨 ART SCENE

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR OPENS AT MUSIC THEATER HERITAGE

The rock opera that made Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice famous before either of them was famous just opened in Crown Center. Jesus Christ Superstar covers the last seven days of Jesus's life, the entry into Jerusalem, the crowds, Judas's betrayal, the trial in front of Pontius Pilate, the crucifixion, and it tells the whole thing through sung-through rock music, with no spoken dialogue at all. It premiered in 1971 as a concept album before it was ever staged, which is why it still sounds more like a record than a musical.

What makes this one worth the trip is the room. MTH's Grand Theater sits on the third floor of Crown Center and seats a fraction of what the Music Hall does, so you're close enough to watch the performances rather than squint at them. It's a different experience from a touring production downtown, and at $59 to $69, it's roughly half what a Broadway tour runs.

This weekend:

• Friday, Aug. 21, 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, Aug. 22, 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, Aug. 23, 2:00 p.m. matinee

The details:

• Runs: Aug. 20 through Sept. 13, a full four weeks, so there's no rush if this weekend is booked
• Regular schedule: Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m., Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Two exceptions worth noting, a 2 p.m. matinee added Saturday, Sept. 5, and a Wednesday performance Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m.
• Tickets: $69 (Tier 1), $63 (Tier 2), $59 (Tier 3), standard pricing
• Venue: MTH Grand Theater, 2450 Grand Blvd., Suite 301 (Crown Center), Kansas City, MO 64108
• Box office: 816-221-6987, Tuesday–Saturday noon–6 p.m. and until performance time on show days · musictheaterheritage.com​

🏐 SPORTS SCENE

🏈 THE PLAYERS VOTED. MAHOMES CAME IN 18TH.

The NFL's Top 100 is ranked by the players themselves, which is what makes this one sting. Patrick Mahomes landed at No. 18 on the 2026 list, down 13 spots from No. 5 a year ago, and the lowest ranking of his career. His previous floor was No. 8, back in 2022.

The reasoning isn't mysterious. The Chiefs went 6-11 and missed the playoffs, and Mahomes tore his ACL and LCL in Week 15 against the Chargers. He's the fourth Chiefs player to turn up on the countdown so far.

How much you read into it is up to you. A players' poll is a snapshot of one bad year, not a career verdict, and Mahomes has spent most of a decade making people who wrote him off look foolish. But this is the first time the league's own locker rooms have put him outside the top 15.

You can start forming your own opinion Saturday, the Chiefs are at Tampa Bay for preseason week two, with the Arrowhead finale against Seattle on Friday, Aug. 28.

Source: NFL.com, Top 100 Players of 2026​

💼 TRAVIS KELCE JUST LAUNCHED A COMPANY THAT SELLS ACCESS TO 45,000 COLLEGE ATHLETES

Kelce announced Tuesday he's starting Tekta, a venture with Publicis Sports, the sports arm of one of the biggest advertising groups in the world, built to help brands find, structure and measure name-image-likeness deals with college athletes. 3 Arts Sports, the firm that represents Kelce, comes in as a strategic operating partner. Kelce takes an advisory role.

The pitch to advertisers is scale: a network reaching roughly 45,000 Division I athletes across 68 Power Four schools. The pitch to the athletes is the more interesting half: financial literacy training, national brand opportunities, and long-term career and brand development, aimed at a generation of college players who suddenly have real money and almost no infrastructure around it.

Five years into NIL, that market is still largely chaos: booster collectives, handshake deals, and 19-year-olds negotiating five-figure contracts with nobody in their corner. A tight end from Cleveland Heights quietly building the plumbing for it is an unexpected second act.

Source: Variety (8/19) · Quartz (8/18) · MediaPost (8/19)​

⚽ SPORTING KC JUST SPENT MORE THAN DOUBLE ITS OLD RECORD ON ONE PLAYER

Sporting announced Tuesday it acquired 24-year-old Brazilian forward Andre Luiz from Olympiacos in Greece for a reported $18 million, rising to as much as $22 million on performance metrics. The club's previous transfer record was $7.5 million for Alan Pulido. Luiz signed a five-year deal as a Designated Player through 2030-31.

The résumé travels: Flamengo academy, then a breakout half-season at Rio Ave in Portugal with seven goals and six assists in 19 appearances, including a late equalizer away at Mourinho's Benfica. Olympiacos bought him in January, and he won a 106th-minute penalty on his derby debut against AEK Athens. "A dynamic player with pace, directness and technical ability," said David Lee, Sporting's president of soccer operations and general manager. He isn't cleared to play yet, pending a P1 visa and international transfer certificate.

Source: Sporting KC (8/18) · ESPN​

🏟️ AND ABOUT THAT BALLPARK, THE FAN VERSION

The Council approved the Crown Center deal Thursday. The full breakdown is up in Development Scene, but the four things that matter if you buy tickets:

• Kansas City residents get at least 25% off single-game tickets on designated regular-season games.
• The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum goes free every February for Black History Month.
• They're selling a 2030 opening. The contract is written to 2031.

REAL ESTATE SCENE

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