4 days ago
Council authorizes KC Current to negotiate park along levee near CPKC
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City City Council unanimously gave new City Manager Mario Vazquez the go-ahead to begin negotiations Thursday with the Kansas City Current and developers on a new park along the levee at Berkley Riverfront Park.
There's a quick timeline for the project. The city wants the project done in time for the World Cup at no cost to the city.
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People already enjoying the walkways along the Berkley Riverfront have watched the area transform before their eyes over the past few years. New additions include apartments, CPKC Stadium, a hotel and a mixed-use riverfront district under construction.
'I moved from the Northland, and it's really nice to be along the river and all these walking paths,' Katelyn Banning said.
'This used to be kind of the festival grounds. So seeing it come back to life is really exciting for me. I've always been in the KC area really looking forward to it, especially with the streetcar too and 2026 with all the soccer coming this way it's going to be awesome. I'm really excited,' Shelby Richardson said.
With an eye toward the World Cup now just one year away, the Kansas City Current announced this week plans for a new levee park. But since it's city land, it needs city approval.
'I think this is a long way from what the riverfront used to be, so I commend our developers and who have worked in connection with this,' Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said before Thursday's vote.
Renderings show Levee Park with native plants, curated landscaping and new trails and an overlook taking joggers and outdoor enthusiasts safely closer to the water. Besides other amenities like children's play areas and performance spaces, there's one other favorite part of the deal for Kansas City lawmakers.
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'The city desires to grant an easement and enter into an agreement to secure the improvements at no cost to the city. Let's see how many times I can say at no cost to the city,' Councilwoman Andrea Bough joked, completing a summary of the plan that pointed out several times the city won't pay for the park.
'This is something that we would love to do, but it would have cost too much for us to do it. So this is a great way to get a project done that we don't have to invest money into, and yet it's going to have a great impact on the city.'
Kansas City Current's owners, Angie and Chris Long, who will pay for the park, said in a statement, 'By transforming this unused space into a beautiful new community asset, we hope to inspire Kansas Citians to engage with the water in ways we haven't yet imagined.'
The agreement that will now be negotiated calls for the Kansas City Current and developers to operate and maintain the park for the next 50 years. Once negotiations are finalized, park developers will still need to get Army Corps of Engineers approval as they work to get the project done by the World Cup next summer.
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