I. Background and History
The Town of Kansas was established near the base of Main Street in 1838.This gradually became a steamship landing for Westport that was fast becoming a transportation and distribution hub for the Santa Fe Trail and the Kansas Indian Territory. Wagons carried goods from the landing through the CID South because there was no passage in the cliffs at that time.
The small Town of Kansas and French trading posts were small in size to Independence and Westport. However, several factors caused the little city to grow rapidly in size. The Mexican War funneled tons of supplies though the area. The California Gold Rush also brought thousands through the City. The Missouri River shifted, ruining the steamship landing at Independence. Thousands of Northerners then poured into the area in their effort to keep Kansas anti-slavery. In 1857 over 50,000 settlers passed through the area.
The CID was one of the first areas platted for housing and was the original location for worker housing. It was only natural to locate business and industry near the river and the workers. Thus, the CID began to emerge as a center of industry and commerce.
In 1869 Mr. Coates, a CID real estate investor, and a group of investors convinced the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad Company to build a railroad bridge over the Missouri River at Kansas City. This cemented Kansas City as a transportation hub. 12 railroad lines soon shot out of the new Union Depot in the CID. Five and six story buildings were began to spring up everywhere. Grain companies, lumberyards, and foundries quickly emerged. Within a few years a thriving livestock and meat processing industry became a core part of the city’s economy. By 1900 over ninety percent of the value of Kansas City was located in the CID. An elevated electric mass transit system carried workers to the CID and connected Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri. The city grew so fast that the real estate transactions in 1887 were not matched again until after World War II.
A devastating flood in 1903 changed the nature of the CID. The Union Depot was closed, as were many hotels. As the housing moved out of the area, the area was rebuilt with an emphasis on industrial use. The CID became a major rail, agriculture, baking, trade, and livestock hub. The CID played a major role in the economic life of the city until another major flood in 1951. The loss of jobs following WWII and the closing of the stockyards after the 1951 flood significantly eroded the tax base. Rather rapidly maintenance began to be deferred and companies began to move out of the area. New investment from the public sector did not take place due to the belief that the area had been abandoned by the city.
During the last 3 years, the CID has witnessed a major growth spurt as a result of an effective public-private partnership that has planned investments of over $200 Million to resolve the numerous infrastructure issues. Hope stimulated by this new investment has stimulated the investment of numerous new companies and has slowed the tendency of companies to leave the area. The Central Industrial District Association is integrally involved in working with city authorities to study the district’s potential and map its future development. The CIDA has been particularly effective in gaining funds for infrastructure development.
II. Data Collection and Analysis
A recent study of the CID examined the following information and issues:
Ø Accessibility Noise
Ø Building Stock Existing Land Use
Ø Infrastructure Future Development
Ø Life/Safety Issues
A. Accessibility
Accessibility is key to the future development of the area. The CID has good access to downtown, the central business corridor, Kansas on the west, and residential areas to the south. The entire district contains multiple access points and connections, which allows any part of the district to be accessed under almost any circumstances. New roads are being added on the north end of the CID to improve truck access to an area once devoted to railroad traffic.
CID New Roads
B. Noise
The railroads, traffic, and industrial manufacturing are the primary sources of noise in the district. But, recently, Kansas City Southern vacated and removed tracks that had traversed the district. Additionally, a Missouri Pacific spur in the 11th Street right-of-way will soon be removed. While the CID will never fully relinquish its dependency on rail, it will be somewhat lessened – reducing rail-related noise.
The proximity to the interstate highway system and existing land use in the area promote truck and general vehicular traffic in the area, contributing to the noise. The easy access to Interstates 70 and 670, trucks and other traffic that serve the uses in the area will likely increase as more storage and distribution facilities continue to locate in the area.
Finally, while industrial manufacturing uses still exist in the district; they are not as prevalent as in past years – being smaller and more widely dispersed. Nor are the uses as unpleasant as in the historical past. Today, storage and distribution typify CID uses.
C. Building Stock
In one area of the CID, the building stock is significantly different from the rest. There is a pocket that contains a relatively large concentration of historic industrial buildings that date from 1879. The buildings range in height from 5 to 10 stories, have zero setback, and little on-site parking. The majority of buildings are being used for office, storage, warehouse/distribution, galleries, and entertainment venues. Few are being used for their original manufacturing purpose. The area is bounded by 9th St. and St. Louis Ave. on the north, I-670 on the south, Wyoming and Liberty Streets on the west and Santa Fe on the east.
Building stock in the majority of the CID has been modernized, although some historic structures remain in the rest of the area. These facilities are, typically, one to two stories, are setback, and have more than the required parking – generally in from of the building. They are used for manufacturing, warehousing/distribution, and office functions. This development is on large pieces of land assembled from the original small tracts in the area.
The remaining area is scattered with a few of buildings from the 1800s, generally used for warehouse, distribution, and office functions. An example of this type of use is the Livestock Exchange Building.
D. Existing Zoning and Land Use
The zoning classification for the majority of CID is M2b – heavy industrial, non-residential. The following uses are permitted:
Ø Any use permitted in an M1 – light industrial
Ø Transfer stations
Ø Animal-related activities
Ø Chemical processing
Ø Construction-related activities
Ø Foundries, manufacturing, mills, processing
Ø Railroad-related activities
Ø Storage and other miscellaneous uses.
M2b zoning allows more intensive uses, as listed above. It also allows all lesser intensity uses that are permitted in C1 – neighborhood retail business, C2 – local retail business, and C3 – intermediate business, but no residential use.
Two exceptions to M2b zoning in the CID are the Gateway manufacturing facility and the Columbia Lofts building. Gateway is located at the SW corner of I-670 and Genessee and zoned URD – urban redevelopment district. The Columbia Lofts building, located at the NW corner of 12th and Liberty Streets, was recently rezoned C3a2 – intermediate business district.
The majority of the land uses in the CID could be classified as light industrial/commercial, with most of the use being warehouse/distribution and office facilities. This is particularly true in core of the CID, where the concentration of historic buildings is the greatest. The buildings are no longer being used for the original heavy industrial manufacturing purposes. The areas to the north and south of the core have similar types of use, although differing physically. A few heavy industrial uses exist in the northeast area, including chemical storage and some manufacturing. The one land use that is missing in the CID is parking, especially in the core of the district. Little parking exists on private property, with most properties relying on street parking.
E. Infrastructure
CID Storm Water System
The entire CID is well served with water. The system generally consists of improved combined sanitary and storm sewers. A new storm water system is being constructed in the area. Improvements are funded with a combination of federal, state, and local dollars.
Roads in the area are, generally, unimproved, without curbs, gutters, or sidewalks. The road network in the northern portion remains the grid system forming traditional urban blocks, as originally platted. South of I-670, many small parcels of land have been consolidated, changing the street network the larger blocks with a north/south orientation, with few east/west connections.
As with the streets, most of the bridges need physical repair, with all of them showing some level of deterioration. All bridges are structurally sound and remain open to the public, but are in need of significant repairs. A plan exists for the rehabilitation of all bridges in the area (see below).
The bridges and viaducts are especially important to the CID because they provide access to most of the district even when trains are traversing the area. $24 million is currently allocated for the rehabilitation of the bridges in the CID. The following table details that funding.
CID Bridges and Viaducts
Structure |
Dollars (in millions) |
St. Louis Viaduct |
3.5 |
Forrester Viaduct |
5.9 |
Beardsley Road |
3.4 |
12th Street Bridge |
8.0 |
23rd Street Bridge |
3.2 |
F. Development/Investment
There has been significant private and public investment in the CID over the past several years, with continuing interest in additional redevelopment as evidenced by several proposed developments. Previous developments include Gateway, Western Extralite, the MO Dept. of Corrections, Knopke, and Butler Manufacturing. New developments include the newly planned Central Industrial Park at I-70, 8th St., State Line, and Mulberry – consisting of warehousing/distribution, and some light manufacturing and the Faultless Starch/Bon Ami expansion along 8th St., generally along Santa Fe and Madison Streets. Private investment in these projects is $70 million.
Additionally, improvements at the American Royal, Kemper Arena, and the Stockyard Exchange Building continue the investment trend in the area.
Investment interest in the area is affected by blight. The area has been aggressive in removing the most severe blight, such as the “Rudy Patrick Building” eyesore.
CID Blight Removal
G. Life/Safety Issues
There are three Brownfield sites in the district, with the possibility of additional sites also being so designated. The three sites represent an investment of $7.1 million in remediation funds from federal, state, and local sources. The three sites are in the northern portion of the district. Two sites are part of redevelopment projects described above, the Central Industrial Park and the Faultless Starch/Bon Ami expansion. The third site lies between these two projects, along the north side of 8th St.
The CID has seen significant flood events since the area was first developed, most notably in 1951 and 1993. The FEMA flood maps indicate that the Missouri River levees have taken the CID out of the 100-year floodplain, now classifying it as in the 500-year floodplain. A portion of north central CID remains in the 100-year floodplain.
The CID is well covered by emergency response services. Three stations in the vicinity can respond anywhere in the district in less than five minutes. The stations are located at 4th and Missouri Streets in the River Market, Truman and Locust Streets south of the downtown loop, and 21st and Jefferson – adjacent to I-35 in the Westside neighborhood.
[i] Information gathered from a report by the City Planning and Development Department, prepared for the Planning, Zoning, and Economic Development Committee of the City Council, May 2, 2001.
CIDA Greensheet Priorities – 2003
Project Description |
Needed Funds |
Available Funds |
Remarks |
Storm Water System
Phase I (N. portion)
Phase II
Phase III |
$13.8 Million (overall) |
$1.9 Million |
Phase I funded; coop. Agree. w/ PIEA & WSD; Summer 03 const. |
707 Mulberry Redevelopment
- R. Patrick Bldg.
- Site Improvement |
$370 K (overall) |
$180 K
$ 80.5K |
Demo contract issued – 6/03 completion |
Extension of Madison & 8th Sts. |
$1.5 Million |
$.97 Million |
Coop. Agree. w/PIEA & PWD; fall 03 completion |
St. Louis Bridge replacement |
$4.0 Million |
$4.0 Million |
Under construction, complete 2003 |
Forrester Viaduct replacement |
$6.8 Million |
$6.8 Million |
In design; completion in 2005 |
Beardsley Road Bridge replacement |
$6.1 Million |
$6.1 Million |
Completion in 2004 |
12th Street Viaduct repair |
$13.7 Million |
$13.7 Million |
Completion in 2004 |
23rd Street Viaduct repair |
$5.4 Million |
$5.4 Million |
Completion in 2004 |
