KC Plaza owners officially present revamp plans to city. When will officials vote?

The public has more time to weigh in on an ambitious plan to revitalize the Country Club Plaza as the city and developer continue working out the details of the final proposal.

Kansas City’s plan commission staged an initial discussion on Wednesday about Gillon Property Group’s master plan for the Plaza, which includes zoning guidelines and guardrails for how future construction there should look and play out.

As they look to draw new businesses, residents and amenities to the Plaza, the developers are seeking to loosen height restrictions on some outer parcels for possible new buildings and improve the streetscape for pedestrians while maintaining the area’s unique character and making best use of land where there might be nothing or a cobbled-together parking garage.

Related documents are available on the city website. The plan commission is expected to hear further testimony and take a vote Dec. 17 after further edits to the proposed master plan. The City Council would have final approval at a later date.

There appears to be little daylight between the developers and engaged residents on the need to boost the Plaza with new investment and bring vibrancy back to the iconic district, and organizers have expressed support for the new owners and many of the proposed changes.

“We are excited about new development at the Plaza, an important and iconic public space. We support the multimodal streetscape, material guidelines and references to the Plaza’s historic characteristics,” said Dominique Davison of the American Institute of Architects’ local chapter. “KC will benefit from thoughtful and appropriately scaled reinvestment that brings vitality to the streets and the buildings of the Plaza.”

But concerns linger from the architect group and others about relaxing height limits, including up to 200 feet on some properties, and how possible new high-rise buildings could impact the Plaza “bowl” and overshadow existing buildings.

Amelia McIntyre, representative for the Plaza Westport Neighborhood Association, said the group is strongly supportive of the new owners and wants the Plaza to conform to the standards of quality development, but an excess of new high-rise buildings would not be good planning.

The proposed height limit changes would “destroy the historical look and human scale of the Plaza since its inception,” McIntyre said.

She also said it’s imperative that the interests of the surrounding neighborhoods are considered. Concerns have also been raised about proposed changes that would let city staff approve certain future final plans instead of the plan commission. City staff are working on that issue with the developer. Davison said the city should maintain the existing review process.

Plan commissioners also expressed reservations about the developer’s proposal to get ownership of most public sidewalks in the area. That would not include park system sidewalks along Ward Parkway and Mill Creek Parkway.

Kate Marshall, CEO of the Plaza District Council, said it’s clear new owners understand the urgency of the moment and the responsibility of stewarding a place Kansas Citians care about.

“Without substantial investment the plaza cannot regain its vibrancy,” she said, adding that research shows the Plaza’s population has grown by less than 1.5% in five years, and it needs new residents and visitors to sustain business and attract new tenants.

But Marshall suggested lowering the proposed new height limits to 90 feet on some blocks.

Work continues ahead of the Dec. 17 meeting to refine the final version of the proposed master plan before the commission’s vote.

Asked by a commissioner yesterday if the planned heights could be different by Dec. 17, Dustin Bullard of Gillon Property Group said, “we would anticipate there would be changes to the height in certain areas.”

Alongside the master plan approval, the developers are also seeking financial incentives from the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City and the Port Authority that would help support the cost of redevelopment, including making costly, but necessary, improvements to the area’s utility infrastructure.