Kansas City has made major strides to pull its downtown back from the brink.</p><p>The Sprint Center, the entertainment district, thousands of new residents &#8212; it all adds up to a true sense of accomplishment.</p><p>But now the prevailing worry of downtown advocates is that Kansas Citians may think the job is done.</p><p>&#8220;That&#8217;s my biggest fear, that feeling of satisfaction that we&#8217;ve made it when we&#8217;ve just scratched the surface.&#8221; said Jon Copaken, past chairman of the Downtown Council.</p><p>So where do we go from here?</p><p>Downtown can be considered at &#8220;a crossroads,&#8221; in the words of Terry Dunn, current chairman of the Civic Council of top business executives.</p><p>The marquee projects are now built or under construction. But there&#8217;s not yet a road map for how to move forward.</p><p>Mayor Mark Funkhouser, though not hostile to downtown, is deeply skeptical about the tax incentives that have played a key role in downtown&#8217;s revival.</p><p>Instead, Funkhouser takes a broader approach, linking downtown&#8217;s future to the overall well-being of the city, including developing a regional light-rail proposal, improving basic city services and reforming the Kansas City School District.</p><p>&#8220;The private market will respond when we&#8217;ve done enough with the fundamentals,&#8221; he said.</p><p>So far, nobody has assumed the cheerleader role of former Mayor Kay Barnes, who made reviving downtown her signature issue during her tenure.</p><p>However, leaders share a growing consensus about what should happen next.</p><p><em>The Star </em>interviewed dozens of downtown advocates, from resident to executives, and also conducted a roundtable discussion with several downtown leaders about the future. Out of those interviews and discussions, several key priorities emerged:</p><p><strong>&#8226;Convention hotel: </strong>Many people, with the exception of the mayor, think such a hotel is needed to capitalize on the investments made in the new Bartle Hall ballroom and the Power &amp; Light District. With it, Kansas City could compete for the major conventions now skipping us because downtown lacks hotel rooms near the convention center, supporters say.</p><p><strong>&#8226;Housing: </strong>The Downtown Council thinks the population needs to double to make downtown truly a 24/7 place. Although attractive amenities are nearing completion, particularly a grocery store, the number of housing projects in the works has fallen off.</p><p><strong>&#8226;Pedestrian-friendly:</strong> Many say downtown needs to become a more attractive place to walk. The extensive streetscape improvements at the arena and entertainment district are the prototype for what the city wants to extend throughout downtown.</p><p>Nearly all also agree that light rail needs to be addressed as a way to connect downtown to the rest of the area and make it easier for visitors to get there. Sharp disagreement remains on a strategy &#8212; should the initial step be a starter line or a regional line? &#8212; but mass transit is at the top of many must-do lists.</p><p>And many say downtown also needs a sustained marketing effort to tell people how far it has come.</p><p>&#8220;We need a well-funded regional marketing campaign,&#8221; said Warren Erdman, a civic leader deeply involved in the recent revival. &#8220;We need to advertise that this is an urban recreation destination.&#8221;</p><p><hr class="infobox-hr-separator" /> <div class="infobox"> Six community leaders talk about keeping downtown&#8217;s momentum. <strong>| D1</strong></p><p></div>