urban development

Kansas City Council is considering a plan to overhaul the Country Club Plaza, with much taller buildings and a new public square. But not all residents are convinced — and now Lockton Companies is moving its headquarters to Leawood.

Kansas City is using a $5 million grant to study how to reconnect communities torn apart by Highway 71. Commuters, residents, and urban planners continue to debate between multiple possibilities that could transform nearby neighborhoods and traffic in the area.

Highway construction tore through the historically Latino neighborhood in the latter half of the 20th century. Now, Kansas City is reconsidering the roadways with an eye toward addressing some of the harms they have caused.

The new owners of the Country Club Plaza plan to open the door to 200-foot apartment buildings as part of their redevelopment plans. That’s sparked concerns from residents about the area losing its architectural identity. Members of the Plaza Westport Neighbor Association Board warn that the high-rises could wall off the neighborhood.

After borrowing $1.4 billion to redevelop the Country Club Plaza, the Gillion Property Group is now seeking millions in tax breaks from a Kansas City agency. Residents are also concerned about new construction renderings showing 200-foot apartment buildings and a major change to the neighborhood’s style.

A local weather phenomenon holds that the 6,100-person town of Tonganoxie, Kansas, can weaken and divide thunderstorms and tornadoes. Experts are mixed on its existence — and what causes it — but locals say otherwise.

On Friday, Brandon Calloway will lead a 10-mile walk to showcase 24 Black-owned businesses along Troost Avenue, challenging decades-old stigmas about Kansas City’s former racial dividing line.

The developments are centered around Kansas City's historically disinvested 3rd and 5th council districts. The money will help transform Parade Park Homes, restore the Workhouse Castle and Historic Boone Theater, and preserve Satchel Paige's house.

Local artists can have a hand in creating public art to accompany a planned skate park between River Market and the West Bottoms. Riders in the area hope the site becomes a hub for the local skateboarding community.

The 22-acre development along Independence and Hardesty avenues will include an apartment building, a public market, coworking and community gathering spaces. The developer hopes it can become a “third space” for residents of the Historic Northeast.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development office in Kansas City is dealing with federal government cuts. How will vital community resources be impacted?

Former U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt was instrumental in securing funding for the project to cap a portion of I-670 downtown. But construction on the park is delayed, which means it likely won’t be completed by the 2026 World Cup.