Northeast News

April 21, 2016

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – One day after breaking ground on a $14 million youth baseball partnership with the Kansas City Royals and Major League Baseball, Kansas City, Missouri officials have announced plans for a roughly $27 million allocation to further improve the historic 18th and Vine District.

City Manager Troy Schulte, 3rd District at-large Councilman Quinton Lucas, and 3rd District Councilman Jermaine Reed descended upon 18th and Vine on the morning of Thursday, April 21 to announce a $27.6 million public-private renovation project that will include an outdoor amphitheater, as well as upgrades to the Boone Theater, the American Jazz Museum and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. The three-year project also includes additional retail and restaurant space, dangerous building rehabilitations, and most importantly, a link to the city’s burgeoning Crossroads district that Councilman Quinton Lucas noted was a mere four blocks away from the historic environs of 18th and Vine.

“We’ve got a natural bridge from 19th and Vine to the Crossroads district, and we’ll be doing more to promote the natural synergies of the two districts,” Lucas said.

Councilman Lucas also noted that during the May 6th First Fridays event there will be events occurring in the 18th and Vine district as well.

“The Historic 18th and Vine District and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum are the crown jewels of Kansas City, and this project will do much to bring them back to the forefront of Kansas City history,” he added.

Noting the 30% increase in the District’s ask from city coffers to the $27.6 million mark, 3rd District Councilman Jermaine Reed noted that the extra amount will accomplish many of the original goals the district set forth upon its founding in 1990.

“We’re looking at this funding to be the nexus of change in the 18th and Vine district,” said Reed. “We must all as a community work together to accomplish this task.”

Over the next thirty days a number of public meetings will be held to gather community input on the project. Specifically, there is a Monday, May 9th meeting at the Gregg Klice Community Center with the city’s Plans and Review Committee.

See a map of the proposed changes below, and check out next week’s print edition of The Northeast News for a complete rundown on the project.