South Loop Project Update – September 2023
You rarely know where momentum comes from, how long you will have it, or when it may leave you. The momentum in Downtown Kansas City is undeniable. Streetcar expansions, the fastest growing residential base in the metroplex, a reborn riverfront including a first of its kind sports facility for women’s professional soccer, a recovered tourism and convention business and thriving small businesses and retail.
How do we keep this once in a generation renaissance moving forward?
By continuing to identify and advance catalytic projects with community benefits that improve the quality of our lives.
Think of premier public spaces you have visited around our country. Millennium Park in Chicago, Central Park and the Highline in New York, or in our part of the work Klyde Warren Park in Dallas, the new Gene Leahy Park in Omaha and Myriad Gardens in Oklahoma City. These public spaces have transformed their cities. Creating vibrant, beloved urban spaces where once there was only blight.
The South Loop Project is the latest in this category. The project is a four-block park covering the I-670 freeway between Wyandotte and Grand Streets. This will be almost 5 acres of actively programmed public space with arts, education, retail, health and well-being amenities that will benefit our entire region. This project will be a national and regional draw for residents, employees and visitors.
The urban park and green space will physically reconnect the Central Business District with the Crossroads Arts District, as well as adjacent neighborhoods and communities. The park will include amenities such as shaded structures, gardens, play spaces, a dog park, local markets, public art, outdoor seating, and more—all built on a deck to be constructed over I-670 downtown.
Building Community Support
Community engagement continues to be integral to the park design process, and feedback previously collected at two public meetings, online surveys, and events have helped identify a community-oriented vision for the landmark, priorities for potential features and amenities, and ways to connect to nearby communities. The South Loop Project’s Federal Environmental Assessment process continues! At the next public meeting on Tuesday, September 19, 5-7 pm at The Gallery, 61 East 14th Street, KCMO, the public is invited to attend to view refined design concepts for this world-class destination park!
Investment Milestones
The South Loop Project is officially backed by federal, state, city, and private stakeholders. The project received a big boost when Governor Mike Parson signed Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) state operating budget bills on July 27, 2023, dedicating $28.6 million to the South Loop Project. This builds on the $28.6 million previously awarded by our federal partners through the auspices of Sen. Roy Blunt and with support from Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II. In the meantime, a campaign to elicit more private investments and federal grants continues its work to close the remaining funding gap.
Through tourism and new investment, a decades-long dream is coming true for this economy-boosting endeavor thanks to the public-private partnership between the Downtown Council, City of Kansas City, and Port KC.
Stay tuned! Learn more about the project and the upcoming public meeting at www.kcsouthloopproject.org. If you would like a project team member to speak at your meeting or community event in September 2023, please submit your request through the online feedback form.
