One Light—Kansas City’s New Luxury Apartment High-Rise Opens

By Anca Gagiuc, Associate Editor

One Light Luxury Apartments – Aerial

One Light Luxury Apartments, the result of a public-private partnership between the Cordish Cos. and the Kansas City Power & Light District, has celebrated its grand opening. The Cordish Family, the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, and Mayor Sly James attended the event, which was held on Tuesday, December 8.

“One Light is a shining example of The Cordish Companies’ commitment to quality and delivering best-in-class, public-private developments,” Mayor Sly James said in prepared remarks. “The Cordish Companies’ Power & Light District, and now One Light, have played a pivotal role in the rebirth of downtown Kansas City. With the streetcar, Two Light Luxury Apartments and the convention hotel on the immediate horizon, the future of downtown Kansas City truly is bright.”

Downtown Kansas has attracted national attention since the opening of the eight city block Power & Light District—a transformation that included more than $10 billion in public and private development over the last decade, with more than 3,000 new apartment units, 1,900 hotel keys in development, and a streetcar nearing completion.

“We are incredibly proud to have played a role in the renaissance of downtown Kansas City, and to have partnered with Mayor James and the City,” added Blake Cordish, vice president of The Cordish Companies. “We designed and developed One Light with the goal that it would be on par with the best apartment buildings in the country, whether in New York, Chicago or San Francisco. We believe that is what Kansas City deserves, and we are proud to say that is what we have delivered.”

One Light Luxury Apartments is downtown’s first newly-built high-rise apartment tower in 50 years. Construction on the 307-unit development started in May 2014, and by the time of its completion, 80 percent of the apartments were leased. Due to the unprecedented demand for penthouse units, One Light added a second penthouse floor midway through construction.

One Light Luxury Apartments – South Elevation

Residents can choose from studios, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and penthouse luxury apartments ranging in size from 580 square feet to 1395 square feet. Amenities include a club room, entertainment kitchen with wine display wall, 21,000 square feet outdoor pool deck, theater room, conference room, and fitness center. Furthermore, the property has direct access to the 35,000 square feet Cosentino’s Market Downtown and the 35,000 square feet Onelife Fitness Center.

The new high-rise features a $5 million rooftop with a resort-style pool, natural stone and wood decking, three fireplaces, three outdoor flat screen TV’s, two outdoor kitchens with grilling stations, nine expansive cedar cabanas, and a 60-foot walk-up and swim-bar.

“Our goal in developing One Light was to offer our residents all the luxury and amenities of a resort lifestyle without having to sacrifice the convenience, energy and excitement of a vibrant downtown,” stated Nick Benjamin, executive director of the Kansas City Power & Light District and director of Multifamily Development for The Cordish Cos. “Our residents will have year-round access to a rooftop pool and bar, a resident-sommelier and room service from more than a dozen downtown restaurants while at the same time living steps away from a grocery store, a full service fitness center, downtown’s arenas and performing arts halls, the KC Streetcar, KC Live! and the central business district. We believe this is what the future of urban living looks like—everything for everyone, all in one place.”

One Light is the first of four luxury residential developments the Cordish Cos. has planned for downtown Kansas City. The last two are still on the drawing board, while the location of the upcoming “Two Light” high-rise has been set for Truman and Grand.

Images courtesy of One Light Luxury Apartments