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Urban Economic Development Project-Part 2

Increased Density and Zoning Change Policy Directive

Policy:

The City of Kansas City, Missouri will amend the current zoning and land use codes toallow for higher density development in some (specified) areas of the Crossroads District.

Stated Social Agenda: To increase the residency and use of the Crossroads Arts Districtand create a community that can entice and accommodate a larger population, leading to

the strengthening of the economy of the area.

How Policy Serves that Agenda:

1) Amending the zoning and land use code for areas within the district would allow for

higher density development. The higher density development could include mid to high-

level apartment and condominium buildings, more suited to accommodate growing areapopulations.

2) By allowing for down-zoning of some industrial sites, more residential and retail

development would be possible.

3) The shift in zoning and land use regulations would allow for the development of areas

that are, at present, used for parking and

4) The Kansas City will serve an advisory role in the development of programming/eventcollaboration with KCPA's calendar of events so that local businesses can capitalize on the

audiences these events bring in. Some ideas include art runs/walks or pub runs/walks and

other local special events to engage local artists and businesses. The city's role in theseevents would be to provide support through marketing, police services, road barricades, etc.

The construction of an amphitheater in the area is another idea that could would further

draw large crowds and could be used during these coordinated festivals/concerts/eventswith KCPA.

The events could be managed by the Crossroads Neighborhood Association in conjunction

with the Kansas City Municipal Arts Commission. This would give some credibility to theprograms. It is unlikely that Kauffman will participate so we would have to assume that

would be the case. It would not be difficult to get the schedule of Kauffman and build

around it.

Events could include Off-Broadway productions (way off) and a variety of localized eventsthat would model a link to the Performing Arts Center.

Context Analysis

1) Participants/Stakeholders

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City of Kansas City, planning and zoning commission and city council

Residents

Property and business owners

2) Support/Opposition

Establishment of a Cultural Trust can make a significant impact on the economicdevelopment of the Crossroads and Kansas City. Through this endowment, local art and

cultural initiatives may be funded to be catalyst for development in the Crossroads.

The funding from an endowment of this nature could be a public/private partnership or itcould solely fund from private sources. There are several key elements and questions to be

answered when creating this type of mechanism to promote cultural and economic

development in the Crossroads.

1. Should the Trust be designed for the area of the Crossroads or the City as a whole?

Since this will be a philanthropic/privately-funded organization, it would have agreater chance of success if boundaries included the City of Kansas City. Donors

would be more likely to give if they knew that their donations could be used in

areas that are significant to them. This does not preclude the Crossroads as abeneficiary of these funds but does create another layer of competition.

2. Should the City of Kansas City be a funding partner? Allowing the City of Kansas

City to be a funding partner could subject the trust to regulatory and politicalpressures that could impede any desired outcome. The City could play a role as an

ex-officio partner and provide support through a variety of services such as

police protection, public works services, etc.

3. How does the Crossroads benefit from such an endowment? The trust could be

established a couple of different scenarios. It could be project specific with a certainamount of funding or percentage of allocated funds committed to a project such as

funding for a Crossroads Neighborhood Association. The other model would be

based on developed criteria that allows for application by single users who have a

planned project, establish businesses and/or create scholarships and educationopportunities.

Summary:

Such a Cultural Trust could be very beneficial to Kansas City. It could be the very

mechanism that ties the arts and cultural community together into a more cohesiveeconomic developed product for the region. The Crossroads could benefit greatly from

such a program. First and foremost with this type of organization, there has to be the

philanthropic partners that are willing to fund such a program. Once established, there willbe pressures from all over the area to fund those activities in each segment of the

community. The mission statement, make-up of the board and the developed criteria of the

trust are crucial for this to be beneficial to an area like the Crossroads.

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3) Conflict & Resolution

Coordination between KC Arts Commission and Crossroads Neighborhood Association,funding (possibly through Cultural Trust), creating that cultural link between Kauffman

and Crossroads (maybe not necessary), and marketing and image (First Fridays was

literally word of mouth). Age, culture and economic demographics are quite differentbetween the two groups. The question remains- How do you capture an older, higher

economic demographic to come into the artists lair? I would suggest that Cultural Trust

participation would help bridge this gap.