KANSAS CITY—Port KC, formerly known as the Port Authority of Kansas City, MO, has just leased five acres of land to Flaherty & Collins for The Union at Berkley Riverfront Park, a mixed-use development on the city's riverfront. Even though it sits on the cusp of downtown, the area has been unused for many years. The company will develop a new 410-unit, market-rate apartment project at 1298 E. Riverfront Rd., with 12,400 square feet of ground-level commercial space and a 400-space parking structure.

MW Builders, the contractor, will begin construction this month, and expects to deliver the project in the summer of 2018.

It's a historic moment for Kansas City, the start of the riverfront's transformation into a vibrant neighborhood. Cities across the Midwest, including Indianapolis and Columbus, have realized that underused or abandoned land adjacent to old canals or rivers can supply picturesque sites for new residences or parkland, an important factor in drawing young people into downtowns. In Kansas City, port officials still have another 40 acres available, and envision a master-planned development with more than five million square feet of mixed-use buildings.

The city may have started on the waterfront, but commercial development soon moved inland, and the area soon became a place for industry, eventually including a creosote plant and a coal gasification facility, according to Cushman & Wakefield vice president Gib Kerr, who along with associate Jeffrey Bentz, represented Port KC in this transaction.

“Sadly, the riverfront became a dumping ground,” he tells GlobeSt.com, a place to put rubble from demolished housing projects and even a municipal tow lot. “It was a forgotten wasteland.”

That began to change in the 1970s and 1980s, as city and port officials realized the area had potential. They conducted a long and difficult environmental cleanup, and in 1999, opened Berkley Riverfront Park, a 17-acre green space which includes a mile-long esplanade, bike and pedestrian paths, a wetlands restoration area and a historic site.

“Kansas City's downtown, like many downtowns across the country, is coming back to life,” Kerr adds. Office users, including many companies involved in creative pursuits, have flocked to the urban core, providing a big boost to retailers and bolstering residential demand. About 24,000 people now live downtown, triple the number of residents it had in 2000.

The remainder of the riverfront land is up for either sale or lease. “We're responding to the market,” Kerr says, “and right now the market is telling us multifamily.” But Port KC and C&W will entertain many possibilities, including proposals for new offices, retail, entertainment or a hotel.

“This is just the beginning of what we believe will be one of the most significant riverfront developments in the US.”

MW Builders, the contractor, will begin construction this month, and expects to deliver the project in the summer of 2018.

“Sadly, the riverfront became a dumping ground,” he tells GlobeSt.com, a place to put rubble from demolished housing projects and even a municipal tow lot. “It was a forgotten wasteland.”

“This is just the beginning of what we believe will be one of the most significant riverfront developments in the US.”

Instant Insights /

Port KC Leases Riverfront Land; First Vertical Development in 100 Years

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