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Proposed Crossroads apartment site plagued by fires

Posted at 2:32 PM, Apr 17, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-17 18:53:42-04

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A proposed development site near 19th and Main caught fire Tuesday morning, causing headaches for some commuters.

The streetcar was shut down for about an hour as firefighters worked to put out flames at the abandoned hotel at 1925 Main. 

Unfortunately, it's an all too familiar experience for the Kansas City Streetcar Authority at this site. 

"This is probably the fourth time in the last year that this has happened," Communications Director Donna Mandelbaum explained.

In December, 41 Action News covered a fire at an empty building next door to the hotel. Investigators determined homeless people started the fire inside to stay warm.

Both properties are owned by City Club Apartments, a company based in Detroit. The developer plans to break ground this June on a nearly 300-unit apartment complex spanning eight lots at 19th and Main.

CEO Jonathan Holtzman is just as frustrated about the recurring fires as everyone else.

In a statement to 41 Action News, he wrote:

"City Club Apartments and our contractor have boarded and re-boarded the buildings. We have constructed and fixed fences. And, we check the property regularly to protect the health and safety of the community. Trespassers continue to break into the buildings, especially when it is cold.

We will continue to do the things we are doing to secure the site. We ask for the continued support and vigilance of the building department and police and fire departments to actively remove those individuals trespassing on our private property so that we can maintain a safe pre-development site and protect our historic hotel building."

As we researched the buildings, we discovered an issue with the LLC listed as the registered owner.

In Missouri, all LLCs must list a name and address for the person responsible for a property, but CCA Crossroads Kansas City LLC does not currently have an individual's name on file with the city. The company said it is working to resolve this issue.