KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City, Missouri, City Council on Thursday passed an ordinance to increase the height limits for a development project on a plot of vacant land at 4720 Jefferson St.
In February, HP Village Management, the group that purchased the Country Club Plaza in 2024, floated conceptual renderings for an office tower that would overlook the Plaza.
There was one problem: the building was too tall.
With the passage of an ordinance on Thursday, any building located on that site will now be allowed to rise up to 275 feet.
“Today, we are making a commitment to developing a site that has long been the subject of broken dreams and promises,” Mayor Quinton Lucas said in a news release. “By raising the roof on any potential project, we are allowing room for the Country Club Plaza to grow as the ambitious vision of vision of its new owners and our City becomes reality.”
It wasn't immediately clear Thursday what structures the Plaza's owners might have in mind now that they are able to build higher.
The site was once home to a parking garage and a miscellaneous collection of businesses, and a bank. Those were torn down to make way for a Nordstrom store.
But that store never panned out, leaving the site vacant for the last several years.
“Today we took a big step in bringing the Plaza back to life and ensuring it remains a treasure for all,” Sixth District City Councilman Johnathan Duncan stated in the news release.
As part of Thursday's vote, office space will now be allowed on the first floor of buildings in the plaza without obtaining a special use permit.
One of the iconic destinations in the metro area, the shopping district has struggled in recent years with vacancies in retail spaces and public safety concerns.
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