KC advances plan for symphony’s new 4,600-person music venue near Plaza library

Plans for a new music venue near the Country Club Plaza moved forward this week as neighbors express a mix of support and concern.

The Kansas City Symphony has proposed building an indoor, 4,600-person music venue at 4901 Main St. on a vacant lot near the Plaza library branch. The symphony would work with Music and Events Management, Inc. (MEMI), an arm of the Cincinnati Symphony that similarly operates venues in the Ohio city.

Danny Beckley, president and CEO of the Kansas City Symphony, has said the Kauffman Center will remain the symphony orchestra’s home, but opening a new mid-sized venue with a focus on other genres, beyond orchestral music, would offer a new funding stream and help support the symphony into the future.

The City Plan Commission voted to recommend a development plan and related zoning and planning changes on Wednesday. However, the commission asked that the developers consider adding a commercial space to the building that would serve the neighborhood when there’s not a show going on.

The City Council will have the final say at a later date.

“This is a project that we’ve been pursuing now for quite some time,” Beckley told the commission. “We evaluated sites all over the metro, and settled on this site based on conversation with the city and based on conversation with the neighborhood.”

He called the location ideal and said the venue would provide a “much-needed anchor” to the Country Club Plaza district and South Plaza area.

Parking at planned new Plaza music venue

The venue would not be required to offer a certain amount of parking under new city rules, but developers say they have agreements for parking and that there would be 1,400 spaces available to the symphony in nearby garages, not including other possible spaces in the area.

They told the commission the venue would not use the library’s spaces and its parking agreement would honor the library’s own for other spaces, while venue staff would direct people on where to go.

And they said they will have a flexible traffic management plan to make sure cars and pedestrians can move around safely and efficiently for events.

The building itself would have a bronzy, modern appearance with warm lights and large glass windows to the north.

The developers are eyeing 125 events per year: about 80 contemporary shows of various sizes, about 25 symphony shows and about 15 special and private events of various types. A small number of shows would be at full capacity.

Several neighborhood residents and business owners filed letters in support of the project with the plan commission.

“There will undoubtedly be times when additional visitors create more traffic and activity in the neighborhood, and as someone who lives nearby, I recognize that those impacts are part of living in a vibrant urban district,” wrote Crows Coffee owner Zach Moores. “However, I believe the benefits of this project far outweigh the inconveniences.”

Moores wrote that the venue will bring more people into the district to support the businesses that make the neighborhood special while expanding cultural and entertainment opportunities.

Challenges and opportunities from KC Symphony’s new music venue

Marshall Miller, owner of a neighboring property, called for more consideration of neighborhood parking and traffic volumes alongside controls on the project, which he said could transform a largely residential area into an entertainment district.

He noted that the proposal reflects a shift from what the city’s planning documents for land use in South Plaza call for.

The proposed project is near two streetcar stops. One concern raised during the commission’s hearing was the potential need for upgrades to sidewalks to handle the higher number of pedestrians visiting the venue. Marshall said the developer should be responsible for any necessary public improvements.

Kate Marshall, president and CEO of the Plaza District Council business group, told the commission that the Symphony’s proposal has potential. Increased crowds and activity would present challenges but also economic and placemaking opportunities, she said.

“Adding a few thousand visitors to this relatively quiet neighborhood at dinnertime will be a bit of a shock to the system of this relatively small, walkable residential district,” she said, calling for management plans to work closely with surrounding neighborhoods.

In a letter, Marshall wrote that the proposal should advance street-level goals laid out for the area in city planning documents, including ground-floor uses and the building’s design.

The plan commission ultimately asked that the developer consider adding some sort of commercial use at the venue during the day that would add activity to the area beyond shows in the evening.

Support and concerns

The South Plaza Neighborhood Association wrote in a letter that board members have heard general support for the venue paired with significant concerns about large crowds in the neighborhood.

“The South Plaza Neighborhood Association recognizes the significant civic and cultural value

this project could bring to Kansas City and is excited about the opportunity to welcome the

Kansas City Symphony and its patrons as new members of the South Plaza community,” the board wrote. “At the same time, the size and intensity of the proposed use require planning, design, and operational accountability that matches its impact.”

Commission member Tyler Enders said library spaces need to be preserved for its events and said sidewalk improvements should be a part of the project.

In advancing the plan, the commission also asked the developers with city staff on the plan for managing concert-goers as they exit the venue into the neighborhood, including to the streetcar.