Westport District Master Plan Implementation
HKC and our partners the Westport Regional Business League and the City, led the effort to develop the Westport District Master Plan. Implementation of the Plan is underway! The City Council recommended an amendment to the Midtown Plaza Area Plan (MPAP). In effect, the Westport Plan will become a sub-area, similar to the Plaza Plan, becoming the policy plan for guiding future land use, zoning and character decisions.
Next, this plan has created property owner and public support for the adoption of a Special Character Overlay District along Westport Road and Pennsylvania Avenue, which would allow Westport to evolve in a way that is sensitive to the existing context and consistent with its historic character. More to come this year on next steps toward adoption of the overlay.
The City Council approved the Westport District Master Plan in 2019. Top priorities of the Plan include: the adoption of a Special Character Overlay District for the commercial corridors of Westport Road and Pennsylvania, which would allow Westport to evolve in a way that is sensitive to the existing context and consistent in character, the creation of local register districts in adjacent residential neighborhoods, and targeted downzoning.
HKC was part of a collaborative planning effort with the Westport Regional Business League and the City of Kansas City to develop a Plan for Westport. HKC’s involvement has had an impact in three major ways: 1) Making sure that the things that we all love about Westport are maintained; 2) Integrated the historic resources survey into planning analysis to inform better planning decisions for Westport, and 3) a clear vision was established for Westport by defining character areas and where change is acceptable.
How did we get here? For three years, HKC undertook a strategic effort working with area partners who were concerned about the pace and scale of development that will change the face of historic Westport. To inform planning decisions, HKC undertook a GoFundMe campaign and retained Rosin Preservation to complete a survey of Westport’s cultural resources. We worked with Councilwoman Shields to secure the adoption of a 6-month development suspension ordinance, establishing a non-threatening context for community planning. And for the past 18 months, HKC was part of a collaborative planning effort with the Westport Regional Business League and the City Planning & Development Department to develop the Plan for Westport.
HKC is committed to working with area partners to seek the adoption of a Special Character Overlay District ordinance and other implementation items.
Westport Historic Resources Survey
Rosin Preservation completed a historic resources survey of 406 resources in the Westport area of Kansas City, Missouri, roughly bounded by 39th Street, Main Street, 43rd Street, and Southwest Trafficway (Summit Street). The goal was two-fold: to identify resources (buildings, sites, structures, and objects) that may be eligible for listing in the National and/or Kansas City Registers of Historic Places and to identify resources that are not register-eligible.