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 to allow 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 District and 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 highlevel apartment and condominium buildings, more suited to accommodate growing area populations. 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/event collaboration 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 these events 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/events with 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 the programs. 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 events that would model a link to the Performing Arts Center.

Context Analysis 1) Participants/Stakeholders

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 economic development 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 it could 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 a greater 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 a beneficiary of these funds but does create another layer of competition. 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 political pressures 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. 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 certain amount 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 education opportunities.

2.

3.

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 cohesive economic 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 will be 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.

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 different between 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.