Final round of this year’s PIAC hearings, a vision to reconnect the Westside, and upcoming hearings about changes to the City’s Zoning and Development Code.
- Country Club Plaza
- Marlborough East
- Martin City
- Red Bridge
- South Plaza
- Waldo
- Westside
Westside Community Summit
Saturday, August 2nd at 10am
Public Works, in conjunction with the Westside Neighborhood, held their second Community Summit last Saturday August 2nd at Tony Aguirre Community Center regarding the Reconnecting the Westside Capital Project. Enrique Chaurand led the presentation, and introduced several different speakers. Among these were Mayor Quinton Lucas and Councilmember Crispin Rea, who voiced their support for the project. Following their testimony, representatives from the project team informed the crowd about its status.
Selina Zapata Bur, Planning Manager with the City, began by presenting on the purpose and needs for the project. The draft purpose statement included addressing “the aging infrastructure condition of the I-35 Viaduct”, … “improving transportation choice and transportation safety”, … removing barriers created by the I-35 viaduct, and improving overall “safety, health, and economic development” of the neighborhood.
Josh Boehm, a transportation planner with WSP (a consultant for the project), then explained the three main options for improving connections and addressing the I-35 corridor. These options were:
- Remain
- Realign
- Remove
The Remain option entailed keeping the highway, but improving safety and making repairs. It could also include creative solutions for connectivity, though, such as bridges or caps to places like Penn Valley Park and Downtown. Another suggestion was using space underneath I-35 for recreation and community posts, nicknamed “underpass plaza”.
Realign focused on moving the highway from its current location (through the westside), relocating it west, through the bottoms. This would allow for the reconnection of surface streets, without totally sacrificing interstate traffic. Creative connections for this option included new park options for the Westside, some of which utilize the existing interstate infrastructure, such as the idea for a raised greenway.
Removing the highway would entail much of the previous option, but it would redirect interstate traffic to major surface streets like Southwest Blvd, Jefferson and Pennway Streets, and Beardsley Rd. Creative development suggested for this plan could include an expansion of Mulkey Square Park, a park built on the old railroad viaduct, and a neighborhood infill corridor along the old highway alignment. The Kansas City metro has several redundant highway segments similar to I-35, Boehm explained, a fact that supports the removal option. “I35 traffic could follow 435 or 635 around the city center,” one quote from the presentation read.
James Rojas and John Kamp, planners from PlaceIt!, an interactive urban design studio, then led the crowd in two activities meant to precipitate ideas for the corridor. Using found objects, participants first built a representation of their favorite “mobility memory”. These ranged anywhere from road trips to bike rides to walking to school or taking the bus. Afterwards, Rojas and Kamp asked participants to work in small groups to build their vision for a reconnected Westside. People’s ideas were collected and will help inform how the project moves forward.
Public Works is actively seeking input for this project. Visit the project webpage here and to learn more and give feedback. The next Community Summit for the project will be held on November 15, 2025. The location for this event has not yet been determined.
6th District PIAC Meeting
Monday, August 4th at 6pm
The Public Improvements Advisory Committee (PIAC) held a meeting for the 6th City Council District this Monday at the Plaza Library. In attendance were PIAC Administrator Esther Swanson, who mediated the event, Councilmembers Andrea Bough and Johnathan Duncan, as well as 6th District PIAC appointees Jonathan Bowyer and Kristi Ashton. Below are some of the most prominent proposals that were brought forward by residents at the meeting.
Loose Park Homes Curb Repairs:
Several proposals concerned traffic calming and sidewalk/curb repairs, across neighborhoods in the 6th District. One such proposal was brought forward by Cady Seabaugh, a Board Member from the Loose Park Homes Association, in the South Plaza neighborhood. Ms. Seabaugh explained that the neighborhood has, for the past seven years, successfully received PIAC funding to make curb repairs. This year’s proposal would be the last in a larger comprehensive project to do just that for every street in the neighborhood.
Plaza Safety and Streetscape Improvements:
Kate Marshall, representing the South Plaza Neighborhood Association (SPNC) and the Plaza District Council, presented three proposals for the Country Club Plaza and South Plaza neighborhoods:
- Adding a mobility lane on Wornall Rd between 51st St and Ward Parkway. Sidewalks on this stretch are barely four feet wide, with streetlights taking up a great deal of that space.
- Concerning Mill Creek Parkway between 47th and 43rd Streets, and adding back-in angled parking along the corridor.
- Concerning the intersection of Ward Parkway and Broadway St, and requesting to add a left turn signal.
Blue River Road Repairs:
Steve Ashen presented a proposal on Blue River Rd, which spans from the Dodson area and Marlborough East neighborhood in the North, to Red Bridge and Martin City in the south. The section between Red Bridge and Bannister Roads has been shut down since 2010, due to concerns of structural integrity. The proposal Ashen presented requests that the road be repaired and reopened to motor vehicle traffic, a project with an estimated cost of as much as $50 million. PIAC, therefore, may not be the most realistic course of action to fund this project. Dollars awarded to projects via PIAC last year totaled $34.4 million (or $5.74 million per district) per the city’s PIAC webpage. Nevertheless, neighbors are passionate about repairing this scenic drive, and conversations have been ongoing about how to fund the project, and what changes might be needed to make the road safer and more sustainable. The Martin City Telegraph covered this story in more detail back in April. That story can be read here.
City staff are also actively looking for public comment on this project. If you want to provide feedback, you can do so via the link here. Another public engagement event for this project will also be held Wednesday, October 1, 2025 from 6:00 – 8:00 PM, location TBD.
Waldo Dog Parks:
Cara Fiser, a Waldo resident, spoke to the need in that area for enclosed spaces to bring dogs to play. For pet owners living in apartments or in homes with small back yards, she explained, it can be difficult to find a place to bring one’s dog to run and play off-leash. Additionally, some dogs can’t go for walks, even on a leash, whether because of age, health, or behavior. Some residents, she noted, use the athletic fields at Old Southwest High School for this purpose, but many are not enclosed. This discourages some from bringing their pets there. Building enclosed public facilities, like dog parks, would help mitigate that problem, and would provide more common space for neighbors and their pets to socialize.
If you’re interested in submitting a proposal to PIAC, or are interested in learning more about the process, check out their webpage, here. Applications for this fiscal year are due August 31, and all applications submitted after that date will be reviewed for the next fiscal year.
Upcoming Events and Meetings:
District 2 Public PIAC Hearing
Tuesday August 12, from 6-8pm
Northland Neighborhoods Inc. (5340 Chouteau Tfwy)
The 2nd District will hold a meeting on August 12 for residents to put forth suggestions about public improvement priorities in their community. Visit the hearing’s webpage for this event to register and find updated information on location, time, and how to submit applications to PIAC. Applications for this fiscal year close August 31. All applications submitted after this date will be reviewed the following fiscal year.
District 1 Public PIAC Hearing
Wednesday August 13, from 6-8pm
Shoal Creek Golf Course (8905 Shoal Creek Pwky)
The 1st District will hold a meeting on August 13 for residents to put forth suggestions about public improvement priorities in their community. Visit the hearing’s webpage for this event to register and find updated information on location, time, and how to submit applications to PIAC. Applications for this fiscal year close August 31. All applications submitted after this date will be reviewed the following fiscal year.
District 5 Public PIAC Hearing
Monday August 18, from 6-8pm
Southeast Community Center (4201 E 63rd St)
The 5th District will hold a meeting on August 18 for residents to put forth suggestions about public improvement priorities in their community. Visit the hearing’s webpage for this event to register and find updated information on location, time, and how to submit applications to PIAC. Applications for this fiscal year close August 31. All applications submitted after this date will be reviewed the following fiscal year.
District 4 Public PIAC Hearing
Thursday August 21, from 6-8pm
National WWI Museum and Memorial (2 Memorial Dr)
The 4th District will hold a meeting on August 21 for residents to put forth suggestions about public improvement priorities in their community. Visit the hearing’s webpage for this event to register and find updated information on location, time, and how to submit applications to PIAC. Applications for this fiscal year close August 31. All applications submitted after this date will be reviewed the following fiscal year.
Large-Format Uses (LFU) Public Hearing – City Plan Commission (Hybrid)
Wednesday September 3, from 9am-12pm
City Hall – 10th Floor, or virtually via Zoom.
This hearing is part of the larger “KC Development Code Refresh: Reimagining Our Code” project. The City is asking for citizen input to help them align the goals outlined in the KC Spirit Playbook Comprehensive Plan with the City’s Zoning and Development Code. This hearing in particular looks at Large Format Uses, which are large-scale facilities such as warehouses, distribution centers, and data centers that often exceed 500,000 square feet. Kansas City is working on creating more accurate, detailed definitions for these uses and determining requirements for this kind of development. These may include location requirements, site design regulations, and environmental impact mitigation.
Large Format Uses have been in the news as of late for their connection to data centers, one function of which is powering AI Large Language Models (LLMs). Local opposition to data center expansion in KC largely focuses on their environmental impact as well as certain tax breaks that developers have received to incentivize construction. Proponents of data centers, on the other hand, point to their potential for economic development. Check out this article from KSHB providing more details on the subject.
Visit the hearing’s webpage for this event to register and find updated information on location, time, and how to join virtually.
Off-Street Parking Open House (Virtual)
Wednesday September 10, from 5:30-7pm
This hearing is also part of the larger “KC Development Code Refresh” project, this meeting in particular focusing on off-street parking requirements. Parking requirements, also sometimes referred to as parking minimums, parking mandates, or parking ratios, are requirements set by the City for developers to provide a certain number of parking stalls based on the size, use, and intensity of a proposed new development, among other factors. While these requirements were originally developed to ensure an ample supply of parking, critics have noted how they’ve contributed to urban sprawl, car dependency, and the demolition of housing stock in the urban core. Urban Lab KC, a local advocacy group that pushes for progressive urban design through digital media content, wrote an article in March of last year visualizing these requirements in the context of Kansas City.
This is the virtual component of the meeting. The in-person component is slated to be held the following day. See below for more details, and visit the hearing’s webpage for updated information about time, location, and how to join virtually.
Off-Street Parking Open House (In Person)
Thursday September 11, from 1-3pm
City Hall – 14th Floor
This hearing is the in-person component of the same meeting mentioned above. Visit the hearing’s webpage for this event to register and find updated information on location, time, and how to join virtually.
Ben Robinson is the author of This Week at City Hall, and an Urban Planning and Design Student at UMKC. He is a Kansas City native, having lived on both sides of the state line. From a young age, Ben has been interested in neighborhoods, communities, and the built environment, but only discovered the field of Urban Planning in college. He is now committed to a career in the profession, and is excited about using his education to support and grow the city he grew up in.
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