Residents of the Country Club Plaza are pushing back on the new owner’s vision to redevelop the neighborhood.
Board members of the Plaza Westport Neighborhood Association (PWNA) say the proposals submitted by Gillion Property Group are too vague overall. But there’s one change in particular that isn’t sitting well: taller buildings.
"One of the aspects of the current master plan development proposal… is that they are proposing these heights, up to 200 feet on the eastern edge of the Plaza, 100 feet along Brush Creek, without really telling us what their plans are," said PWNA board member Tom Davis.
PWNA says the plans lack detailed information about what these taller building would actually be.
“Normally, what you would do in a situation like this is provide full plan proposals and then tell us what the intention is, whether it's retail on the ground floor with some apartments above, or a combination of offices or whatever,” Davis said. “But it's pretty vague at the moment.”
Matt Fuoco, corporate secretary and treasurer of the PWNA, said that residents aren’t opposed to redevelopment and revitalization in general. But he says they want to see the neighborhood’s existing architecture respected.
“One of the more concerning aspects of that was the ownership group recognized and even stated in part of their presentation that they understood the concerns about the height requirements that they were looking for,” Fuoco said.
"Yet, just the other day, they filed an amended plan with the City Plan Commission, which is the first step in the process,” he continued. “Those plans did not reflect the sentiments expressed in the public engagement meeting. The heights were still present in their most recent filing with the city. So if they indicate they've been listening to the neighbors, they certainly haven't acted upon that.”
Davis warned about the effect of constructing tall buildings along Brush Creek and the east side of Plaza.
"The overall look and feel of the Plaza has been pretty consistent, and I think we risk losing a part of our Kansas City heritage. Sometimes it's been called the crown jewel of midtown Kansas City, if not Kansas City itself.” Davis said, “I think if we wall off on the east and along the creek, we would lose all of that heritage."
The Kansas City Plan Commission will hold a hearing on the Plaza redevelopment proposal next week, where they will make their determination recommendations based on city staff and public input and potentially send the plan to the City Council.
- Matt Fuoco, corporate secretary and treasurer, Plaza Westport Neighborhood Association
- Tom Davis, board member, Plaza Westport Neighborhood Association
