2023-2024 River Market CID Annual Recap
By Jared Campbell, Resident Engagement Project Manager at Downtown Council of Kansas City
On March 5, the River Market Community Improvement District (RMCID) Board assembled to celebrate another year of CID service in the River Market. 2023-2024 represents the 17th year of the River Market CID. While the RMCID Ambassadors continued with the mission of providing a high level of service focused on clean and safe, the board and staff developed new committees and programs to help make the River Market an even stronger community in Downtown Kansas City.
New River Market CID Committees
This past year saw the staff and board come together to establish two new committees: the beautification committee and the safety committee.
The beautification committee oversees the River Market Garden Club. This group of dedicated volunteers met on a regular basis to plant new trees and shrubbery in the River Market. They also helped oversee multiple neighborhood beautification work days where the entire community was invited to participate and give back to the area they call home.
The safety committee has taken up the mantle of addressing the important issue of crime and safety in the River Market. Early successes have included creating an inventory of pedestrian and building lighting in the neighborhood and working with property owners to make sure their lights were working properly and well maintained. The safety of any neighborhood starts with quality of life issues. This committee continues to engage with the Kansas City Police Department and other community organizations to focus on this issue.
Safety and Maintenance Ambassadors
This past RMCID year was another strong statistical year for the safety and maintenance ambassadors. The maintenance team removed 444 graffiti tags and collected 3,645 bags of trash. The safety ambassadors made 2,268 parking lot patrols, 2,206 merchant checks, and responded to 1,009 public nuisance calls.
River Market TIF Agreement
Last year also marked a milestone in the River Market with the closing of the River Market Tax Increment Financing (RM TIF) agreement. This program was originally approved in 2012 and provided $825,000 to be spent over 10 years to leverage public infrastructure improvements.
Under the leadership of RMCID’s Director of Contracts, Mark Rowlands, and a dedicated steering committee, a variety of projects were completed that focused on improving the pedestrian safety such as 1,400 linear feet of new curbs, 6,500 square feet of paver sidewalks, 7,200 square feet of concrete sidewalks, and updating pedestrian lighting to LED fixtures. The final project included safety improvements at the intersection of 5th and Wyandotte Streets with new bump outs on the east side to minimize pedestrian crossing times, slow traffic, and create new space for landscaping.
Looking Ahead
The board, led by Board Chair Abby Brown, and the staff, led by Executive Director Sean O’Byrne, look forward to another strong and successful year for the RMCID with the upcoming 2024-2025 fiscal year. The River Market continues to develop into one of the premier neighborhoods in Downtown Kansas City. The men and women of the River Market Community Improvement District stand ready to make it an even better place to live, work, and visit.
