Troost Avenue Corridor Plan

Kansas City, Missouri

The Troost Corridor has long been a figurative and actual dividing line in Kansas City, between a walkable, service and job-rich environment on the west side (that today appeals to knowledge workers) and a predominantly African American community to the east for which barriers have long been denied access to many core tenets of the American dream. Recognizing this, the Mid-America Regional Council hired an interdisciplinary team that included Development Strategies to identify market-based and community-supported opportunities for redevelopment at two very different but pivotal intersections along the corridor: at Armour Boulevard (36th Street) and at 63rd Street.

Our Approach

The Troost Corridor TOD Plan sought to integrate the new MAX Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line, which launched in 2011, with new investment in an effort to begin to bridge Kansas City’s historic racial dividing line. Funding by the Mid-America Regional Council, Development Strategies’ role was to identify market-based and community-supported opportunities for redevelopment at two pivotal intersections along the corridor.

Known as The Crosswalks, the $78 million project was developed through a partnership between Mac Properties and the Kansas City EDC at the intersection of Armour Boulevard and Troost Avenue. Built in phases between 2022 and 2024, the development encompasses four buildings, collectively offering 340 residential units. The urban design addresses all four corners and supports pedestrian crossings and transit as the City continues its work to repair this historical divide.