Additional Plans and Studies
The KC Spirit Playbook is Kansas City, Missouri's comprehensive citywide planning framework designed to guide future development, policy-making, and resource allocation. Adopted in April 2023, the Playbook represents an innovative and inclusive approach, driven by extensive community engagement and a focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Key Features of the Plan:
- Equity-Driven Vision: The Playbook emphasizes addressing disparities in housing, transportation, infrastructure, and economic opportunity across all neighborhoods to uplift all Kansas Citians.
- Public Engagement: The planning process involved diverse stakeholders through virtual and in-person forums, targeted surveys, student participation, and an online engagement platform. The Playbook relied heavily on feedback to prioritize issues such as affordable housing, transit access, and environmental sustainability.
- Big Ideas and Goals:
- Enhance mobility and transportation with a focus on safety and accessibility.
- Advance affordable housing initiatives and sustainable growth.
- Promote economic development that benefits all communities.
- Improve environmental resilience and urban design standards.
- Technology Integration: The Playbook includes a web-based Implementation Dashboard, making progress transparent and allowing residents to track ongoing projects and goals.
- Implementation Strategy: The plan outlines clear steps and measures to align city policies with its vision while ensuring accountability through periodic updates and community involvement.
- Goals:
- Connected City: Increase mobility options and create a more connected city.
- Diversity and Opportunity: Ensure the built environment strives to eliminate disparities, embrace diversity, and create economic opportunity.
- Environment for People of All Ages: Create a better environment that will attract and retain young people and allow residents to age-in-place.
- Healthy Environment: A healthy environment is critical to a healthy city. Natural systems clean the city’s water and air, preserve important ecological functions, manage stormwater, and help mitigate the impacts of climate change.
- History, Arts, and Culture: Preserve and celebrate our community character, history, arts, and culture.
- Parks and Open Spaces: Protect and expand our system of parks, boulevards, and open spaces.
- Smart City: Create a smart city through innovation and new technology.
- Strong and Accessible Neighborhoods: Create strong and desirable neighborhoods and ensure housing choice and affordability.
- Sustainable and Equitable Growth: Target physical investments strategically and ensure that growth and revitalization are sustainable and equitable.
- Well-Designed City: Promote high-quality design in public investments and development.
- Objectives:
- Access to Jobs
- Business Attraction and Retention
- City Attractions
- Complete Communities
- Community Development and Revitalization
- Connected City
- Displacement Mitigation
- Development Patterns
- Environmental Health and Resiliency
- Housing Affordability and Diversity
- Historic Preservation
- Movement of Goods
- Mobility
- Public Health
- Parking and Curb Management
- Parks and Open Spaces
- Public Spaces
- Public Transit
- Quality Development
- Smart City Technology & Trends
- Vision Zero
Connected KC 2050 is the official metro area long-range transportation plan. A federally mandated plan, Connected KC 2050 serves as the strategic framework for managing KC’s regional transportation system. The plan highlights two corridor connection projects under its financially constrained project list. Notably, 22nd/23rd Street connector has been highlighted in numerous planning documents.
The KC Regional Climate Action Plan aims to transform the metropolitan area into a more resilient, equitable, and healthy community. The Plan highlights the work counties, municipalities, and local non-profit organizations are doing in their community to build climate resilience. KCRCAP provides a GHG emissions inventory, and a Climate Risk and Vulnerability that illustrates that low-income and disadvantaged groups often bear the biggest impacts of climate change.
MARC’s Green Infrastructure Framework offers a planning and design approach to grow communities in ways that simultaneously tend to neighborhoods, commerce, and nature. It calls for nature-based solutions that connect landscape and habitat, to transportation, creating pathways for people and vehicles. The framework calls out Opportunity Areas as part of its Green Infrastructure Playbook, and while the Westside is not explicitly called out as an Opportunity Area the Playbook calls for general support of MetroGreen Plan projects like the West Pennway redesign.
The Mid-America Regional Council's (MARC) Regional Pedestrian Policy Plan aims to enhance walkability across the Kansas City metropolitan area by coordinating policies, plans, and programs that transcend jurisdictional boundaries.
The plan envisions a region where pedestrians can safely and pleasantly access transit, jobs, services, education, and recreational opportunities. To achieve this vision, the plan outlines strategies at both regional and local levels, focusing on integrating pedestrian considerations into existing initiatives, identifying areas for improvement, and adopting best practices to promote active transportation and improve public health.
The Stormwater Management Plan is prepared to guide the City’s storm water management, and consists of programs addressing EPA guidance. The plan also tracks and provides guidance to identify, evaluate, schedule and fund vital flood control projects through the capital improvements planning process.
Projects:
- Neighborhood Sewer Rehabilitation Project Turkey Creek and Central Industrial District Area 2
- Completed
- Westside Wastewater Treatment Plan Facility Plan
- Completed!
- Updating the plan infrastructure to increase capacity of the wastewater collection system and reduce the volume of sewer overflows to the Missouri River.
- Approximately 4,300 acres of stormwater drain into the Westside South Neighborhood. “To address urban stormwater issues in the neighborhood, stormwater must be slowed-down and captured at the upstream source. While there are opportunities for green stormwater infrastructure to capture some of this drainage along Southwest Boulevard, this will not be enough to alleviate fooding issues. Rather, planning and funding should be focused on the upstream opportunities.”
The MetroGreen Action Plan outlines a vision for an extensive greenway network across the KC metro area. This network would link 85 urban and rural green corridors, enhancing recreational opportunities, promoting environmental conservation, and highlighting economic, cultural, and historic destinations- through auto-alternative transportation.
Kansas City's Complete Streets Ordinance establishes a policy to design and operate streets that ensure safe, convenient, and accessible travel for all users, regardless of their mode of transportation, age, or ability. This approach integrates pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit riders into the planning and development of street networks.
- Summit Rd from SW Blvd to Avenida CC
- Broadway Blvd from SW Blvd to 12th Street
- Avenida CC from Summit to American Royal Dr./State Line
- West Pershing St to 25th to SW Blvd
Missouri’s Major Street Plan (MSP) serves as a guiding framework for the city’s transportation network, ensuring that roads are designed and managed to support safe, efficient, and sustainable mobility.
The Clean Air Action Plan aims to proactively improve the region’s air quality by reducing emissions that form ground-level ozone. It provides a set of community-based voluntary actions that both businesses and individuals within the community can participate in to lower greenhouse gas emissions.
The Trails KC Plan is the City of Kansas City, Missouri’s 15-year vision for developing a first-class shared-use trail system for pedestrians, bicyclists, and equestrians, for both commuting and recreation.
- 25th Street Connector (Proposed, Not Started)
- Connect Pershing Rd (Penn Valley) to Summit St via 25th St, onto West Pennway, North on Jarboe and to the Riverfront Heritage Trail
The Kansas City Bicycle Master Plan is a comprehensive framework aimed at improving cycling infrastructure and promoting bicycling as a viable and safe mode of transportation across Kansas City.
Key Elements of the Plan:
- Network Expansion: The plan proposes the development of over 135 miles of bikeways, prioritizing connections between neighborhoods, schools, and key activity centers. A "minimum grid" strategy is emphasized to ensure a baseline of connected, safe routes.
- Safety Enhancements: The plan includes "road diets" and protected bikeways on high-stress streets to reduce crashes. Modeling suggests these changes could save up to 14 lives annually and decrease crash-related injuries.
- Environmental and Health Goals: By increasing cycling and reducing car usage, the plan aims to cut carbon emissions by up to 238,000 tons annually, improve air quality, and support healthier lifestyles.
- Economic Benefits: The infrastructure is expected to generate $500 million in local economic benefits by 2050. Investments in cycling infrastructure will also enhance access to jobs and promote equitable mobility options.
- Equity Focus: Special attention is given to areas with low vehicle access and lower life expectancy. This ensures underserved communities benefit from improved transportation options and reduced health disparities.
- Implementation Framework: The plan sets phased goals to achieve equity in distribution across council districts while maintaining focus on demand and existing facilities. Partnerships with organizations like BikeWalkKC are integral to this process.
These initiatives align with Kansas City's broader sustainability, public health, and economic development objectives.
The Greater Downtown Area Plan is the guiding planning document for Kansas City’s downtown loop, and the 18 unique neighborhoods and districts that surround it. The plan emphasizes balancing job and population growth with multi-modal transportation, sustainability, and authenticity to the places and people that make it unique.
Goals:
- Investigate alternative to the existing highway system- long term
- Improve the walkability, safety, and activation of underpasses, bridges, and viaducts – on going
- Perform infrastructure inventory of GDA neighborhoods & create a Capital Improvement Management Plan.
Projects:
- CityWalk Pedestrian Loop
- 17th west of Broadway to Pennway, South on Summit, to 22nd/Avenida CC back to the Crossroads
- Activity Centers
- Westside Fountain/SW Blvd
- Westside Fountain/SW Blvd
- Create truck routing plan
- Discourage Commercial Truck Traffic on 26th + 27th Streets
The 22nd/23rd Street Replacement and Crosstown Circle Plan is to identify a replacement, if any, for the former 22nd/23rd Street connector from I-35 to McGee suitable for inclusion in the City’s Major Street Plan and other associated plans as applicable. Additionally, address I-35 off-ramp. Stretch from Ave CC beyond removed from Major Streets Plan in March 2000.
To further define the concept of the Crosstown Circle, initially shown during the FOCUS Kansas City planning process, and identify transportation means to link the Westside and the Jazz District.
Projects:
- Roundabout at West Pennway/Summit
- Pennway to SW Blvd Staggered Intersections and Greenway
Goals:
- Correct substandard housing and building conditions
- Support neighborhood revitalization and stabilization without displacement of long term LMI homeowners
- Preserve affordable housing owned, leased, and occupied by low/moderate income, long term (10+ years or more) residents
- Promote vacant land held by long term homeowners that provide ecological and social value
The Southwest Boulevard Transportation Plan is most recent planning sustainable places corridor plan for the Westside, the SW Blvd Transportation Plan focuses on developing a Blvd that is safe, accessible for all, and rooted in the history and identity of the Westside. Its comprised primarily of three catalyst projects - road diet bringing the Blvd down to a single lane in each direction with a center turning lane, the development of a contiguous shared use path from Broadway to State Line, and raised pedestrian crossings at critical locations.
West 31st Street Corridor Master Plan is a planning sustainable places master plan for the South Westside neighborhood focused on centering the residents of the neighborhood by updating land use expectations, thus reducing industrial zoning, and strengthening the residential core of the community. Improving transportation and connection to the city street grid by improving transit services, developing neighborhood gateways, and creating a Mobility Hub anchored by commercial and retail centers.
(31St Street from SW Blvd to SW Trafficway)
West Pennway Street Redesign Implementation Plan is a planning sustainable places corridor plan focused on creating better bicycle, transit and pedestrian amenities on West Pennway Street between 17th Street and 21st Street, through the heart of North Westside.
Reconnect Westside (2013) is a planning sustainable places plan for a section of the Westside around the West High Switzer School Complex, the plan was focused on the redevelopment of the property, along with identifying and prioritizing neighborhood priorities, to facilitate the implementation of focused solutions that could support the neighborhood based on the trend of similar housing market conditions.
Projects:
- Repurpose West High Switzer School Complex – Complete
- Implement West Pennway Plan – Complete
- Phase II 20th Street Plan – Not Started
- Add Bike Facilities to Beardsley, 17th Street, and Cesar Chavez – In Progress
- Westside and Crossroads Connector Road Sidewalk Improvements – In Progress
- West Bluff and Neighborhood Connections – Not Started
- Install green stormwater infrastructure in the public realm – Not Started
- Streetcar on Southwest Blvd
Westside Equitable Neighborhood Action Plan emphasizes the importance of preserving the neighborhood's unique culture and history, ensuring that development benefits all residents. Strategies include advocating for equitable policies, improving economic opportunities, empowering community engagement, and addressing challenges such as significant property tax increases that threaten long-term residents.
KCMO Parks Master Plan serves as the comprehensive guide for the development and enhancement of Kansas City, Missouri’s parks and recreation system. The plan emphasizes social equity, health and wellness, conservation, and organizational stability. Notable, the latest plan update notes 4 parks in the Westside neighborhood study area, including trails and wayfinding in the western part of Penn Valley Park.
Projects:
- Andrew Drips Park
- Improved seating and trash receptacle
- Penn Valley Park
- Repair portions of the trails around the dog park and skate park
- Replace the playground equipment near the baseball diamonds
- Focus on maintenance and upkeep, specifically regularly cleaning the park
- Continue to work with the Penn Valley Park Conservancy in the ongoing capital, operational, and conservation of this park
- West Pennway Park
- New KC Parks signage
- Wayfinding signage a park map
- Public art
- Outdoor classrooms and event spaces
- Green infrastructure to capture and treat stormwater
- Jarboe Park
- A park loop trail in the southern portion of the park
- New fencing, backstop, and bleachers for the diamond field
Imagine Downtown KC Strategic Plan is an area plan for Downtown KC, it aims to guide strategic initiative and catalytic projects to share the continued revitalization and transformation of the Downtown CBC. plan seeks to foster walkable urban streets, support quality transit and micro-mobility options, integrate Smart City technologies, and catalyze job growth, workforce development, education and skills training, and entrepreneurship.
Projects:
- Catalytic Projects
- Green Line (Beardsley through Pennway, South through Summit, East West on Avenida CC)
- 18th Street Connector
Southwest Boulevard Improvement Plan is a complete streets plan for Merriam Drive/Lane in Overland Park, Merriam, and the Unified Government. Merriam Lane eventually becomes Southwest Boulevard, which as one of the Westside’s primary arteries, connecting KCK with the Westside and further on to Crossroads/Downtown.
Projects:
West 31st Street Intersection
this gateway at the state line should also announce entry into the Corridor with streetscape improvements meant to maximize the land use potential for this under utilized intersection at the Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri crossroads.
Rosedale Master Plan Connects to Study Area at SW Blvd/31st/State Line
- Beautify and redevelop Rainbow Boulevard and Southwest Boulevard
- Enhance the bicycle and pedestrian network
- Improve and enhance awareness of transit options
The Kansas City Smart Moves 3.0 plan is a comprehensive 20-year strategy designed to enhance transit and mobility across the Kansas City region. Led by the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) and the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC), it aims to improve access to jobs, increase transit efficiency, and foster sustainable urban development.
Key Components of the Plan:
- Improved Transit Accessibility: The plan targets doubling the number of jobs accessible via public transit within 90 minutes, addressing a critical gap identified in earlier studies.
- Mobility Hubs: Creation of strategically located hubs to integrate various transit modes, including buses, streetcars, bikes, and ride-sharing services.
- "Fast and Frequent" Routes: Establishment of high-frequency bus services (every 15 minutes) as the backbone of the transit network, supplemented by supporting and express routes.
- Service Expansion: Proposals include 20 new bus routes, extended service hours, and improved transit frequencies across the region.
- Transit-Oriented Development: Aligning land use and transit planning to encourage compact, walkable neighborhoods and sustainable growth.
- Use of Emerging Technologies: Incorporating innovations such as ridesharing and micro-mobility solutions to enhance connectivity.
The plan builds on previous iterations of Smart Moves, providing a robust framework for a more connected, accessible, and equitable transportation system.
View Project Website
The Kansas City Vision Zero Action Plan outlines strategies to eliminate all traffic fatalities and serious injuries on city streets by 2030. The plan integrates systemic safety analyses, public engagement, and equity considerations to identify and address high-risk areas, focusing especially on disadvantaged communities disproportionately affected by traffic crashes.
Key Components of the Plan:
- High-Injury Network (HIN): Based on crash data, the plan prioritizes roadways and intersections with the highest occurrences of fatal and serious crashes.
- Systemic Safety Analysis: This method evaluates risk factors like road design, traffic volume, and speed limits to identify features associated with high crash rates, supplementing historical crash data.
- Equity Focus: Disadvantaged areas and urban roadways, which see higher crash rates, are emphasized for safety interventions.
- Safety Countermeasures:
- Traffic calming measures in neighborhoods.
- Leading pedestrian intervals at intersections.
- Protected bike lanes.
- Other quick-build safety projects to reduce immediate risks.
- Public Involvement: Community input shaped the plan’s focus areas and interventions.
The implementation approach includes using crash and systemic analysis results to prioritize funding and interventions, ensuring an equitable and efficient allocation of resources. The ultimate goal is to create a safe transportation network for all users, reducing disparities and promoting mobility equity across Kansas City.
