Downtown Council of Kansas City
The Downtown Council of Kansas City (DTC) is a private, nonprofit membership organization representing Kansas City’s best businesses, property owners, nonprofit organizations and anyone who is invested in Downtown’s success.
Downtown Council Board Chairs
The Downtown Council’s 2019 Board Chairs, pictured from left to right front row: Jerry Riffel, Chair; Julie Pierce, Vice-Chair; and Lynn Carlton, Vice Chair. Back Row: Richard Wetzel, Vice Chair; Charlie Miller, Secretary; Christopher Brigss, Treasurer; and Nate Orr, Immediate Past Chair.
Affiliated Organizations
The Downtown Council of Kansas City (DTC) manages multiple organizations with goals that support its mission of creating an economically vibrant Downtown.
Art in the Loop Foundation
Art in the Loop Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization to engage artists in Downtown with public art commissions. The organization’s strength stems from its partnership with the Kansas City Art Institute, the Kansas City Municipal Art Commission and the Downtown Council.
Block 4 Properties
Block 4 Properties, a nonprofit affiliate of the Downtown Council, was set up to acquire property at 17th & Broadway for the future home of the UMKC Conservatory.
Community Improvement Districts
The 501(c)4 Community Improvement Districts (CIDs) were established to make the Central Business District and River Market cleaner, safer and more attractive.
Downtown Kansas City Civic Ventures
Downtown Kansas City Civic Ventures is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization created in 2009 to improve Downtown through services programs. The organization owns and manages the Downtown Community Services Center at 8th & Paseo.
Downtown Political Action Committee
The Downtown Political Action Committee (PAC) educates state and local candidates about the importance of challenges and opportunities in Downtown Kansas City and endorses candidates who support those issues.
DTC I Inc.
DTC I Inc. was created by the Downtown Council (DTC) to facilitate the development of the First National Bank building at 10th & Baltimore. The DTC formed an LLC to purchase the building and renovate it into the Central Library for the Public Library.
DTC Community Development Inc.
DTC Community Development Inc. (DTCC), a 501(c)3 nonprofit affiliate of the Downtown Council was set up to implement the redevelopment of the former Lyric Theater building at 11th & Central. The DTCC will convert the former theater building into a flagship YMCA.
Power House Properties KC
Power House Properties KC LLC was formed by the Downtown Council to facilitate the redevelopment of the historic Power House at Union Station into the Todd Bolender Center for Dance & Creativity for the Kansas City Ballet.
The Downtown Council (DTC) works closely with the City of Kansas City, Downtown stakeholders and our members on initiatives aimed at enhancing the vitality of Downtown Kansas City. All of our current and ongoing initiatives are listed in our Strategic Workplan.
The Downtown Council hosts its Annual Luncheon every January to celebrate the accomplishments of the past year and set a course for the season ahead. Highlights include a keynote speaker, presentation of the J. Philip Kirk, Jr. Award and the Urban Hero Award.
The Art in the Loop Foundation seeks to play a proactive role in bringing attention to Downtown Kansas City, Missouri as a place where exciting, innovative, and accomplished contemporary art is not just happening but is, in fact, helping to define the city’s identity.
The Downtown Council sponsored a ULI Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) to study and offer preliminary recommendations for the future of Barney Allis Plaza. The study looked at the demand for open space and parking at Barney Allis Plaza. The panel also studied options to fund, construct and operate a new garage while programming the open space above.
Greater Kansas City YMCA selected the former Lyric Theatre building for its long-awaited return to Downtown Kansas City. The vacated theater at 11th & Central will become a flagship $39 million, four-level, 75,000 square-foot community center. The Downtown Council will serve as the developer in the public interest through DTC Community Development Inc.
The Downtown Council has partnered with the City and various Downtown Stakeholders to study the feasibility and economic impact of decking Interstate 670. The report below envisions a linear park spanning several blocks over Interstate 670 that would reconnect the Central Business District with the Crossroads Arts District in Downtown Kansas City.
LaunchKC is a civic engine in the Kansas City startup scene. It is committed to elevating Kansas City into one of the nation’s top 10 most livable, viable cities for entrepreneurs to be successful and to celebrate the community’s assets. In its first three competitions, LaunchKC awarded $1.5 million in grants to 29 entrepreneurs at Techweek Kansas City.
The Downtown Council, in partnership with Downtown stakeholders, are studying the economic impacts of redesigning, reducing, or possibly removing Interstate 70 in the North Loop of the Central Business District. The North Loop is part of the Interstate System constructed in the 1950s and acts as a major physical divide between neighborhoods.
The DTC, in cooperation with the Kansas City Public Library and Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, formulated a creative private-public partnership, which made this project possible. The Library leased the building for several years and in 2009, purchased the properties from DTC LLC. The financing plan for the $49.5 million project included the following funding sources: State and Federal historic tax credits; Missouri Development Finance Board investment; City of Kansas City Missouri and private contributions.
In 1998, the Historic 18th & Vine Jazz District was redeveloped to include the American Jazz Museum, Negro League Baseball Museum, new mixed-use construction, and more than 800 apartments. In 2007, the Downtown Development Group (DDG) contracted with the Jazz District Redevelopment Corporation to provide development services to the District. In the first year of the partnership, the DDG secured a $1.8 million HUD grant and secured a $250,000 National Endowment for the Arts grant.
The DTC works with reStart and Episcopal Community Services at the Downtown Community Services Center to address homelessness in Downtown. The DTC purchased a building in close proximity to overnight emergency shelters and built out the site. The Center provides showers, counselors and housing referrals. reStart has served 538 households including 187 that were served through permanent housing programs and the Community Kitchen has served more than one million hot, nutritious meals.
One building that remained as a deterrent to development in Downtown Kansas City was the Shoppers Parkade at 11th & Grand. The Downtown Development Group was asked to create a redevelopment plan that included demolition, site preparation, and a long-term development strategy. This project resulted in the removal of a blighted structure and creation of a new development site. The temporary lot created 125 surface parking spaces and the City upgraded sidewalks and landscaping.
The DDG was asked to assist in the development of a state of the art headquarters and teaching facility for the Kansas City Ballet. The Ballet selected the 90-year-old environmentally contaminated building that had been a former power plant and abandoned for 35 years. The renovated building provided a state of the art facility for the Kansas City Ballet while retaining its students and staff in Downtown. Historic Tax Credits accounted for $12 million of the total project budget.
DTC Membership
Membership to the Downtown Council is open to any individual or business that is committed to the vitality of Downtown. If you are interested in becoming a member please fill out the form below.
Get Involved
As a member of the Downtown Council (DTC), you will have unique opportunities to shape the future of Downtown Kansas City. Your business’ involvement can range from staying informed to participating in long-range planning sessions and initiatives.
Open to Everyone
Downtown Council membership is open to all individuals, nonprofit organizations and any size business committed to the vitality of Downtown Kansas City.
Current Members
Downtown Council members range from small businesses to large corporations; businesses headquartered in Downtown and those located in the suburbs.
