South Loop Link Planning Study

Kansas City, Missouri

Interstate 670 is the southern component of a highway “loop” around downtown Kansas City. It has long been a barrier to contiguous development between downtown and the Crossroads District, a burgeoning arts and loft residential quarter in a rapidly transitioning former warehouse district. Development Strategies was on a team headed by HNTB to evaluate the possibilities to cover or otherwise improve the appearance and function of this below-grade highway “gash”. The overall study recommended a contemporary urban park atop a newly-constructed “cap,” thus also creating new land for development.

DS concluded that this attractive public space would add significant value to the area, thus encouraging private investment in housing, retail, restaurants, offices, hotels, and entertainment. DS also modeled development costs and prospective revenues for several scenarios to determine the magnitude of public “gap” financing required to speed up the market process and support parking facilities.