Northeast News
January 21, 2016

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — The Royale Inn at Independence Boulevard and The Paseo could soon be a thing of the past if City Councilman Scott Wagner’s emergency ordinance passes the full council.

Filed on Jan. 14, the ordinance authorizes the city to allocate $2.7 million for the acquisition and eventual demolition of the aging motel.  One idea to replace the motel — an area where most Northeast residents feel is a maven for drugs, prostitution and other illicit activity — would be adding green space. The acquisition of the motel property is a strategic point in the Paseo Gateway Plan that is set to revitalize the Paseo Boulevard from the I-35 exit ramp all the way down to Truman Road, creating a true gateway to Kansas City’s urban core. Bobbi Baker Hughes, Director of the Independence Avenue CID, was excited about the progress.

“I’m really excited about the opportunity for the further beautification of the Paseo corridor,” Baker Hughes noted. “Definitely a step in the right direction.”

The ordinance advances an option originally signed last March by Brinshore Development LLC., to acquire the property from the current owner, DevRam LLC. Brinshore Development LLC., is a Northbrook, Ill., development company with a history of developing income based senior housing. According to a 2014 Mid America Regional Council presentation, Brinshore has roughly 5,000 residential units spread over 75 communities in eight states valued at over $1 billion.