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Belton plans for significant growth over the next 25 years as the city updates Unified Development Code to manage expansion, while maintaining its small-town character.
The city's 2050 Comprehensive Plan projects Belton's current population of 25,420 residents will grow by nearly 5,000 by 2050.
Updating municipal codes now will guide responsible development through the next decade.
In 2022, Belton had the second-highest growth rate in Missouri, driven largely by the construction of two apartment complexes. The city continues to see interest in new residential, commercial and industrial development across all areas.
"It's really the whole gambit of different development types," Matt Wright, Belton's director of community development, says.
The city is focusing on infill development along key corridors where strategic infrastructure improvements have been made over the past five to 10 years.
The Markey Parkway extension connecting 163rd to North Scott will finish in the coming weeks, opening a new transportation route to the North Scott Corridor.
"We've really been focusing a lot on infill development," Wright said. "A lot of those are happening on key corridors, in the city, where we've made a lot of strategic infrastructure improvements over the past five to 10 years."
City officials anticipate receiving a development application in the next few months for a large mixed-use project on 163rd at Turner Road that would include retail, commercial, restaurants, entertainment and multi-family uses.
"That will set a new stage for development in that location," Wright explained.
Growth in Belton comes in many ways. The community serves as a retail hub for surrounding towns, drawing shoppers from Harrisonville, Peculiar, Archie and Drexel to shop at its large department stores.
"A lot of people that come in from Harrisonville, Peculiar, and Archie and Drexel and all that, they come here and they stop," Belton resident Mike Stegner said. "We have the Kohl's and the Target's and the Sam's Club up here for them to shop. So it's kind of like this is where they stop, rather than going further into the city."
Stegner is a longtime Belton resident and business owner who has witnessed the significant changes to the community since he moved to the area as a fifth-grade student.
"A lot of that stuff you see on 58, it didn't always used to be there," Stegner said.
Wright says people between the ages of 25 and 34 years old are heavily moving into the area, including young professionals and families.
"Our goal is to try and maintain and keep that age cohort as they grow and begin to grow families in the community," Wright said.
Housing options present challenges for the growing community, with the city lacking sufficient housing choices across different price points.
"I think one of the areas that we have fallen behind on is that's housing. We don't have enough housing. We don't have new housing. We don't have multiple levels of housing," Dianne Huckshorn, executive director of the Belton Chamber of Commerce, said. "We need more choices for families, whether it be a starter home, that mid-age sort of bracket, and for the folks who are looking for a $500-600K home."
The city is working to preserve its downtown Main Street area while accommodating growth. Plans include smaller-scale single-family and small multifamily developments on the north side of downtown in a mixed-use corridor along 163rd Street.
"One thing we regularly hear about from residents is wanting to maintain a small-town feel and small-town charm. With some of the updates that we are doing, we think we will be able to do that while we are still able to grow as a community," Wright said. "Rather than focusing exclusively on growing out, we're really trying to focus on what we already have and build upon that."
Stegner hopes for steady, balanced growth rather than rapid expansion.
"I think the common theme around here is, if it warrants it, let's bring it in," Stegner added.
He sees the city balancing new development with maintaining existing infrastructure.
"You got the new growth, and you also got the structural piece, where you have to go back and take care of what you already have. I see that kind of going on," Stegner said.
The community also values its Main Street character, with residents seeking that small-town atmosphere where neighbors know each other by name. Huckshorn believes the downtown area's best days are still ahead.
"I don't think the best days have come yet," Huckshorn said. "The community loves Main Street. We all want that peace, community piece, that heart of the town. That place where you can walk down the street and say, 'Hey Joe, how are you?' 'Nice to see you, Christine.' That's what I think people are looking for."
That appeal continues to attract developers to the area.
"They keep coming to Belton," Huckshorn added. "So there is something about Belton that people are loving and we love that too."
While growth brings new warehouses, shopping centers and increased traffic, much of that traffic flows on existing roads rather than new infrastructure.
"Yes, there's new warehouses. Yes, there's new shopping centers. Yes, there's added traffic, but that traffic is not on some new four-lane highway," She said. "It's on the same road that we've had through Belton for years."
Despite current changes and projected growth, community leaders remain optimistic about preserving Belton's character.
"When you look around and see communities that have downtowns like this, I don't think we'll lose it," Huckshorn added. "I think it's the perfect place to live."
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