KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.
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As Kansas Citians celebrated the opening of the Streetcar Riverfront Extension on Monday, they were surrounded by the growing development along the track.
RELATED | Kansas City, Missouri, riverfront development gets official name: Current Landing
Over the next five to 10 years, more than 5,000 people will call the Current Landing home, and millions will take the streetcar there, according to Port KC president and CEO John Stephens.
“The conversation about the streetcar, art, making it a walkable neighborhood — we started all of that 10 years ago and brought us to today," Stephens said.
Stephens said people will be able to shop and dine at dozens of storefronts at the Current Landing.
"What we’re focused on in the Berkley Park is more free and public amenities: rock climbing, biking, running," Stephens said. "More activities that are free for our entire community to come here and celebrate.”
Revel at Current Landing, a sports bar, is set to open this spring, and a Michelin-starred chef from Washington, D.C. plans to open an Italian restaurant along the riverfront.
“We’ve got the new apartments coming in right next to the stadium with new businesses, new restaurants, all kinds of new venues," said Richard Harper, also known as super KC Current fan Teal Man.
Harper used to live in one of the apartments at the Current Landing between 2021 and 2023.
"It’s been really fun and interesting to see how this has been developing over the years," he said.
As KSHB 41 News previously reported, the KC Streetcar Authority pays for the Main Street extension with a 1% sales tax from retailers within a 1/3 mile of the streetcar line. Property owners within that boundary also pay a special assessment based on the value of their property.
Both funding mechanisms will remain in place along the Main Street extension until 2045 and along the "starter line" until 2037.
Part of the riverfront extension, up until Grand Boulevard and Second Street, lies within the transportation development district, according to Donna Mandelbaum, communications director for the KC Streetcar Authority.
Contributions from land sales of new Port KC developments on the riverfront helped fund a roof for a stop along the riverfront extension, Mandelbaum said. Federal funding also helped pay for the shelter.
The KC Streetcar Authority has a long-term agreement with Port KC for the ongoing operations and maintenance of the riverfront extension, according to Mandelbaum. Each year, that funding amount changes based on the annual budget.
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