Incoming DTC Chair Gib Kerr’s Thoughts on Downtown KC Past, Present & Future

By Gib Kerr, Managing Director, Cushman Wakefield & Downtown Council Chair

“Success has many fathers. But failure is an orphan.” – John F. Kennedy

Downtown Kansas City is a remarkable success story. We’ve come so far from the deserted and blighted wasteland that downtown had become when I started my real estate career here in the early 1990s. And our success would not have been possible without the many fathers—and mothers—who worked so hard to make it happen.

Over the last thirty years, we’ve witnessed nine million square feet of historic renovations, breathing new life into more than sixty aging structures. Those older buildings, along with dozens of new developments, enabled downtown’s population to surge to over 33,000 residents. The Power & Light District, the T-Mobile Center, the Crossroads Arts District, and other destinations have made downtown the epicenter of Kansas City’s entertainment and cultural scene.

The generosity of our amazing philanthropic community, combined with creative public-private partnerships and entrepreneurial investment, paved the way for iconic landmarks such as Union Station, the National WWI Museum, the Kauffman Center, the Central Library, the downtown YMCA, a revitalized riverfront, new hotels, and more.

The Downtown Council has played a pivotal role in much of this success. The Downtown Community Improvement District (CID) made our streets clean and safe, welcoming new investment and over thirty million annual visitors. Our expanding RideKC streetcar is now one of the most successful streetcar systems in the country.

Cities are judged by the vitality of their downtowns. Healthy downtowns draw employers, along with tourists and other visitors. Economic activity downtown benefits the entire metro area. Downtown KC, for instance, covers less than 1% of KCMO’s land area yet it accounts for roughly 20% of the City’s earnings tax revenue.

We cannot rest on our laurels. Although we have accomplished so much, we are not finished. We are on the cusp of becoming one of the greatest downtowns in America. With the completion of the South Loop Lid and hopefully a new stadium for the Kansas City Royals, we will usher in a new era of unprecedented growth and investment that will help us to attract the best and brightest of the rising generation. To create a place where our children and grandchildren will want to live.

To me personally, as a father—and now a grandfather—THAT is the ultimate measure of success.