The Lykins Neighborhood is undergoing a full-scale transformation, adding improved housing, and more accessible green spaces in Lykins Square Park and the 9th & Van Brunt soccer facility, all with the goal of increasing the quality of life of Lykins residents.

 The neighborhood is very diverse with almost 20 languages spoken at the neighborhood Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS) elementary school, Whittier. Named for the first elected mayor of Kansas City, Dr. Johnston Lykins, the Lykins neighborhood is bordered to the north by Independence Avenue, cut diagonally along its southeast border by the Kansas City Terminal Railroad, and to the west by Benton Boulevard.

The Lykins Resource Center at 715 Jackson Avenue provides information and access to resources that can help residents address both everyday and personal growth goals that make life easier, safer, and more fun. Resources include solutions for homeowner or renter issues, help applying for minor home repair and available grants to assist in rent and utility relief, help with immigration legalities, assistance with technology, computer classes, yoga classes, cooking demonstrations from different cultures, and educational presentations.

 In addition to its Resource Center, the neighborhood is engaged with its community partners in the ongoing redevelopment of over twenty properties within the Lykins neighborhood footprint to provide more truly affordable housing in perpetuity.  As part of that development plan, new townhomes are slated for construction on the old Lykins Elementary school lot just to the north of Lykins Square Park.

The Lykins Neighborhood Association meets the first Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. With nearly half the neighborhood speaking Spanish, and immigrants and refugees from all over the world, the neighborhood makes translators available for Spanish, Swahili, French, and other common languages. 

For more information on the Lykins neighborhood and how you can get involved, stop by the Resource Center during business hours or visit the neighborhood’s website at: https://www.lykinsneighborhood.com/.