KC approves design rules for Country Club Plaza. What it could mean for the area

Kansas City signed off on changes last week that weave into broader, $1.5 billion plans to reshape the Country Club Plaza with new residents, taller buildings and more inviting public spaces while fixing up its infrastructure.

But the council punted on another request from the Plaza’s owners to privatize the distinctive shopping district’s public sidewalks, raising concerns about changes to what are now First Amendment protections.

On Thursday, the Council unanimously approved Gillon Property Group’s proposal to place new design standards over the Plaza that officials have said are geared toward maintaining the district’s unique Spanish-style character while making its streets more pedestrian-friendly and offering flexibility for future development plans.

Country Club Plaza could see more density, taller buildings

The approval comes after months of work between Gillon and city officials to get through the nitty-gritty and produce a final version of the proposal.

That could include taller buildings on some of the Plaza’s blocks — up to 178 feet, depending on the block — as Gillon Property Group, which bought the Plaza in 2024, seeks to bring in new businesses and new people who would actually live on the Plaza, which has struggled in recent years.

“We don’t want a building that just fell out of the sky or just fell off a piece of paper that’s not contextual and that (interferes or interrupts) the experience that exists today,” said Dustin Bullard, vice president of place and partnerships with Gillon.

Council member Johnathan Duncan of the Sixth District, which includes the Plaza, said he’s seen firsthand how Gillon has taken care of its Highland Park Village shopping area in Dallas and that the Plaza’s character will be maintained under the new standards

“I trust that with these design guidelines established within this master plan development, that care will continue regardless of how high the buildings are,” he said.

As one of the most densely-populated areas in Kansas City, Duncan said, the Plaza can handle density, which he said will be good for the district.

And, he said, more density could bring tax incentive requests “back down to earth” and offer better protections for taxing bodies like Kansas City Public Schools and Kansas City Public Library.

Gillon faced controversy and outcry late last year over its requests for tax breaks and other incentives through the Port Authority of Kansas City and the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City.

At the time, the school district called the request through Port KC “malpractice” as negotiations continued. Port KC’s board and the City Council have yet to take a final vote on two separate incentive plans for the Plaza.

Council member Eric Bunch of the Fourth District echoed Duncan’s thoughts.

“We’re really trying to balance historic preservation and preservation of place, architectural character: balancing that with the need to increase housing density, increase housing options,” he said. “We need to build more housing, period.”

Bunch said “we have to rethink what the Plaza looks like” and that higher density offers a higher economy of scale, including for tax incentive requests.

”We have to diversify the quote-unquote portfolio of land uses because we hear all the time about how the Plaza retail environment, the retail environment period, is struggling,” he said.

The way to address that is by adding more rooftops, more people and a more balanced mix of uses in the Plaza, Bunch said.

Historic preservation advocates remain concerned about Plaza changes

But some neighborhood organizers and historic preservation advocates have expressed concerns about how the proposed changes could impact the Plaza’s scale, views, character and unique facades and have called for reduced height limits that would hew more closely to the “Plaza bowl” concept, or taller buildings in the outside areas and shorter buildings in the core.

In a statement, preservation group Historic KC called limits on new construction in the Plaza “lax” and emphasized that the Council went higher than what the City Plan Commission recommended.

“Four blocks on the Plaza’s south and east ends could see towers rise directly adjacent to one-and two-story historic storefronts,” the statement said.

Historic KC noted that the Plaza is not listed on the National Register of Historic Places or on the city’s local list of historic buildings. Local historic status offers more protections and requirements over construction and demolition.

“The future of the Plaza’s historic character now rests heavily in the hands of its ownership and development teams. Generations of residents and visitors have developed a strong attachment to its historic buildings, public spaces, traditions, and view corridors,” the statement said. It is clear that many stakeholders will continue seeking meaningful involvement in the District’s future.”

Historic KC will continue to ensure that reinvestment in the Plaza respects its architectural character and human-scaled environment, the statement said, adding that those qualities are essential to the district’s long-term viability.

Council delays vote on privatizing Plaza sidewalks

Gillon has also requested that the city vacate public sidewalks in the Plaza, meaning they would become private. The sidewalks around the Plaza on Ward Parkway and Mill Creek Parkway would remain public under the proposal.

The City Council delayed voting on whether to privatize the sidewalks and could return to the proposal next month. Under the proposal, owners would need to maintain 24/7 pedestrian access without checkpoints.

Council member Crispin Rea, Fourth District At-Large, said the idea raises concerns for him about what are now protected activities on public sidewalks under the Constitution, such as protesting, news reporting and preaching.

“If this is going to become privatized, then those rights are applied in a different way,” he said.

Bullard said Plaza ownership would seek to address “offensive, aggressive” activity that could block the sidewalk or interrupt visitors.

He said the proposal would add a layer that would help private security and law enforcement deal with issues while giving the Plaza’s owners more control as they seek to invest in its sidewalks.

Mayor Quinton Lucas noted that privatizing the sidewalks could allow stricter prohibitions on weapons. Bullard said Plaza ownership has not had that discussion.