City Manager Brian Platt says Kansas City has 'got to act now' with sustainability initiatives

By Steve Kraske,

Published August 31, 2023 at 4:02 AM CDT

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A man sits inside a radio studio talking at a microphone. — Kansas City Manager Brian Platt talks about the city's efforts to be more environmentally conscious on KCUR's Up To Date on Aug. 30, 2023.

Kansas City Manager Brian Platt has an ambitious goal to make the city a nationwide leader in sustainability, including an effort to build the largest municipally-owned solar farm in the country. "We've got too much to lose at this point with health and quality of life issues that we're seeing around here," Platt said.

Kansas City Manager Brian Platt is hopeful to break ground as soon as next year on what could become the country's largest municipally-owned solar farm.

The city is eyeing 3,100 acres of city owned land near the Kansas City airport, which Platt said could generate power for "up to 1/3 of the homes in Kansas City."

"This is not going to be a new cost for us," Platt said. "It's going to be baked into the revenue that can be generated from producing electricity on the site."

While terms of the project are still underway, Platt said they're working to ensure electricity rates aren't raised.

The city manager discussed additional green initiatives including electric vehicles, LED lights and waste.

Brian Platt, city manager, Kansas City, Missouri