Micah Wilkins
Northeast News
July 26, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Right before demolishing an unsuitable home in the Northeast, the Kansas City, Mo., officials and members of the Historic Northeast community will announce a new redevelopment program.

Invest Northeast, a multifaceted program involving Northeast residents and stakeholders, hopes to promote property beautification and economic growth throughout the Northeast. The city will announce the program during a press conference at 9:30 a.m. Monday, July 28, at the scene of the demolition, 4202 E. Seventh St.

Coordinated by the grassroots coalition Northeast Alliance Together (NEAT), Invest Northeast offers a new community website, a business training scholarship program, a micro-loan program, a property tax abatement program and minor home repair and dangerous building demolition programs. Members of the community scheduled to speak include councilman Scott Wagner, Councilman and NEAT president Leslie Caplan, President.

The city leveraged $250,000 in one-time revenues generated from the defeasance of bonds on a previous Historic Northeast project to fund a multifaceted redevelopment program to stimulate Historic Northeast growth. The city then collaborated with NEAT and Mattie Rhodes to create tools and initiatives that support Historic Northeast businesses and residents. The University of Missouri-Kansas City; the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City; the city’s Neighborhoods and Housing Services Department and City Manager’s Office; Justine Petersen; and the Northeast News were all key contributors to the success of Invest Northeast.