In another sign of budding urban development, a grocery soon will sprout where a parking lot now sits in the historic Strawberry Hill neighborhood of downtown Kansas City, Kan. The Merc Co+op plans to open a $6 million, 12,000- to 14,000-square-foot grocery at the southwest corner of Fifth Street and Minnesota Avenue by early 2020. Currently, there is no full-service grocery in the vicinity. In addition to providing a much-needed…

One year on, some problems persist, but KC’s Streetcar has boosted business along the line. Lunch customers lined up for ribs, brisket and other barbecue specialties on a recent weekday at Plowboys Barbeque, a new landmark along the streetcar line in downtown Kansas City. Plowboys opened at Main Street and Petticoat Lane in January 2014 and moved into a larger space at 12th and Main in October of last year,…