Grand Boulevard District: Grand Boulevard Re-imagined
By Sean O’Byrne, Vice President, Downtown Council; Executive Director, Community Improvement Districts
In 1892, Kansas City’s Board of Parks Commissioners developed the City Beautiful Movement. The idea was to create wide boulevards and parks to enhance the city’s health and increase real estate values through substantial investments in infrastructure and landscaping.
In Downtown Kansas City, Grand Boulevard was designated as the City’s ceremonial boulevard. The boulevard at the time, was the widest street in the grid system making it perfect for events and parades. And it worked, the boulevard attracted investment and grand structures such as the Scarritt Building, the Federal Reserve and the Palace Building.
But today, Grand Boulevard has lost its prominence. Buildings sit vacant and infrastructure is in need of investment and maintenance. Today, the Downtown Council has created the Grand Boulevard District Plan.
Grand Boulevard District Plan
The Grand Boulevard Re-imagined plan seeks to incorporate best practices from other major cities with input from Downtown Kansas City stakeholders, residents, retailers and public officials. The goal of this initiative is to create a master plan to develop a defined District that will address blighted buildings, nuisance businesses, crime, failing infrastructure, and deferred maintenance. Additionally, the plan will make recommendations on streamlining the development and incentive process and create an environment that is clean, safe, thriving and an economic engine that encourages further redevelopment through Downtown and beyond.
The goal is to clearly define objectives to create a safe, clean, and economically stable Grand Boulevard. We hope to remake a boulevard that reflects the City Beautiful Movement created by George Kessler and City Planners. The intent is to create a walkable, art filled District. The plan will identify development concepts that will enhance the street-level experience all along the Boulevard. These developments include retail, apartments, hotels, restaurants, and other services.
The Grand Boulevard Re-imagined Plan will include recommendations for streamlining the incentives process for development within the District. The Plan would create partnerships with PortKC, the City of Kansas City, and the EDC to expedite the entitlement and incentives process to address each project’s unique requirements.
Grand Boulevard is more than a street. It is a destination. And with investment and the determination of City and Civic leaders we can bring it back to what it once was, a beautiful vista, with vitality and a true reflection of Kansas City and its citizens.
