More than 1,000 guests gathered last Friday in the City Beautiful Grand Ballroom of the Loews Kansas City Hotel to celebrate the past achievements of and future aspirations for Downtown Kansas City at the annual luncheon hosted by the Downtown Council of Kansas City.
Lynn Carlton, principal and regional director of planning at HOK and immediate past chair of the Downtown Council, and Richard Wetzel, CEO/partner of Centric and current chair of the Downtown Council, served as luncheon co-chairs. Jon Copaken, principal at Copaken Brooks, and two-time past chair of the Downtown Council, was the honorary luncheon chair.
The Downtown Council unveiled its Imagine Downtown KC 2030 strategic plan in January, a plan consisting of more than 100 pages and approximately 200 specific recommendations to promote sustainable, economic and community development.
“The goal of the Imagine Downtown KC 2030 strategic plan is to create a framework of confidence and certainty for future investment by setting the direction and priorities for the next decade. This was our collective opportunity to chart a course for downtown Kansas City to become a more successful urban place while maintaining our authenticity, affordability and developing specific strategies for economic inclusion,” said Bill Dietrich, the Downtown Council’s president and CEO.
As the strategic plan moves from the planning process to the implementation stage, United States Senator Roy Blunt and United States Representative Emanuel Cleaver II joined local leaders prior to the luncheon and at the luncheon to announce the commencement of the process to build a lid over I-670 to create a public park and reconnect the Central Business District with the Crossroads Arts District.
This project is identified as a “catalytic project” in the strategic plan.
A $5 million investment from Loews Kansas City Hotel will help fund the engineering and design phase of the project, which is expected to take 12 to 18 months to complete.
The City of Kansas City has partnered with the Downtown Council to apply for state and federal funding for the project.
“So thanks to my good friends, Congressman Cleaver, Senator Blunt, Congressman Sam Graves… and so many others, we’re able to apply and believe we’re getting very good investments from the federal government for tens of millions of dollars to help support this project,” said Quinton Lucas, mayor of Kansas City, Missouri.
Blunt said that although the location of I-670, known as the “Kansas City cut,” can’t be moved, Kansas City has an opportunity to recapture a substantial amount of property without tearing down any buildings.
“You can recapture in a way that creates a mid-city environment that is different than you would have in other circumstances. I’m excited about it. Let’s see what happens,” said Blunt.
Lucas presented Sheila Tatum and Kim Hert, Community Improvement District Ambassadors, with the Harvey Fried Award in recognition of their outstanding service in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
Wetzel presented Urban Hero Awards to KC Art on the Block: A Black Lives Matter Project to Jason Parson, president and CEO of Parson + Associates; Elizabeth Rosin, principal/CEO of Rosin Preservation; Michael Smith, restaurateur, and Marqueia Watson, executive director of the Greater Kansas City Coalition to End Homelessness.
Wetzel said the Downtown Council established the Urban Hero Award in 2005 to recognize small businesses and individuals who are passionate about making Downtown a more vibrant place to live work, play and stay.
Copaken presented the J. Philip Kirk Jr. Award to Vincent P. Dasta, Jr., past president of DST Realty, Inc. Edward Merriman, vice president of Financial Holding Corporation, accepted the award on Dasta’s behalf.
“This award is presented annually to leaders who have vision, guidance and commitment and have helped place Downtown Kansas City on a sustainable path to revitalization,” said Copaken.
A panel of sports and entertainment executives, including Mark Donovan, team president, Kansas City Chiefs; Angie Long, co-founder and co-owner, Kansas City Current; Kathy Nelson, president and CEO, Kansas City Sports Commission and Visit KC; Jake Reid, president and CEO, Sporting KC; and Brooks Sherman, senior vice president and COO, Kansas City Royals; discussed the impact of sports on Downtown and the community. Shani Tate Ross, vice president of sales and marketing for T-Mobile Center, moderated. Stay tuned for this recap article, which will be included in this week’s MWM Friday Flash edition.
Feature photo courtesy of Copaken-Brooks | Credit: Stephanie Burkett