Could the Plaza’s public sidewalks be made private? KC officials want clarity

Kansas City planning officials want more details about what it would mean for the city to give up control of public sidewalks in the Country Club Plaza to a private company.

Gillon Property Group, the firm that owns much of the Plaza, has asked the city to vacate public sidewalks in the historic shopping district’s core, meaning Gillon would take responsibility for their maintenance and for making improvements, such as adding benches and public art.

It would also allow Gillon to boost private security enforcement on the sidewalks. Pedestrians would have 24/7 access unless roads or sidewalks are closed for emergencies, construction or a special event.

The proposal does not include the sidewalks along Ward Parkway and Mill Creek Parkway, which are under parks department control. The city would still have access for utilities, traffic signal equipment and the like.

Gillon says the plan would ensure Plaza tenants, patrons and visitors can gather and linger in an inviting area while maintaining uninterrupted movement throughout the area and allowing for the management of outdoor entertainment, like street musicians. The company also says it would allow for timely upkeep and improvements.

“It does allow for added private security and oversight within the public realm to assist our patrons and discourage and address disruptive behaviors that interfere with that experience,” Dustin Bullard, vice president of partnerships and place with Gillon, said at a public hearing in December. He added that there could be faster response times and more seamless coordination with police.

City staff have recommended approval with conditions.

But while members on the city’s plan commission have said they are generally supportive of the concept, they want a better sense of how the plan would be carried out and what would constitute a nuisance or “disruptive” activity, among other issues, so the public has clarity.

“This is a very important part of the city that has a tough history when it comes to racism and civil rights,” plan commissioner Tyler Enders said. “I think that we all want the next 100 years of the Plaza to be a new path of 100 years where it’s very welcoming, very inclusive. I think it’s imperative that we address what reasons people could be removed from the property for. It has to be considered to some degree, more than a bullet point.”

For example, he wondered, if there were a large group of unsupervised teens gathering in the Plaza, would that be considered a nuisance? What if someone bumped into a kid on a scooter accidentally?

Enders said it’s in the best interest of Gillon and the city to more thoroughly consider the potential consequences given the scale of the proposal.

“We know there’s going to be gray areas. We know there’s going to be issues in the future, because there will be. But here’s the general context of how we’re going to be thinking about this space,” Enders said. “That’s something that, then, people can get excited about and know that we’re not trying to trample on anyone’s rights, we’re not trying to do anything that I know (Gillon) isn’t trying to do, but that seems like the appropriate thing for us to do.”

The plan commission on Wednesday again delayed a vote on whether to recommend the sidewalk proposal, which would need a final vote by the Kansas City City Council. The commission is expected to consider it again in February.

The Plaza Westport Neighborhood Association outlined concerns in a letter that include the possibility that nuisance activities could be displaced into nearby residential areas.

Ownership of the Plaza changed hands in 2024. Since then, Gillon Property Group has presented an ambitious plan to restore and revitalize the district, which has struggled in recent years with vacant storefronts and lowered property values, by fixing up its utility infrastructure, making it more walkable, building new high-rises and bringing in new residents and much-desired retail.

Their plan has several moving parts and has to move through multiple government boards, councils or commissions to be fully realized.

A master plan that sets out zoning and design guidelines for the Plaza is due before the City Council. So is a tax incentive plan that would redirect economic activity taxes. The sidewalk proposal would also go before the City Council after making it through the plan commission.

Another incentive proposal that would offer property tax cuts has been delayed by the Port Authority of Kansas City in the face of resistance from Kansas City Public Schools and others.

This story was originally published January 8, 2026 at 6:18 AM.