Kansas City, Missouri – Kansas City is getting ready to end a year of community-driven planning with the last Community Summit for the Reconnecting the Westside initiative. Residents and stakeholders are invited to take part in this important event for the neighborhood’s future. The meeting for the public will be on Saturday, December 13, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Mattie Rhodes Cultural Center on Jarboe Street.
The summit is the last step in a year-long effort to involve Westside residents in the planning process. Over the past year, municipal personnel and the project team have worked closely with neighbors, business owners, and community leaders to learn more about the area’s history, everyday problems, and long-term goals. That ongoing outreach has directly influenced the mobility and connectivity ideas that are now being shared.
The Reconnecting the Westside project is part of a research called Planning and Environmental Linkages. This study aims to find a balance between community demands and safety, environmental concerns, and engineering needs. The project is focused on fixing problems that have been around for a long time because of the building of Interstate 35 and Interstate 670. These problems have made it hard for people to go around, get to places, and work together in the area for a long time.
City Manager Mario Vasquez said that the endeavor was a genuine cooperation between the City and the community, and that the views of people had shaped every step of the study.
“Reconnecting the Westside has been a true community partnership. Our team has worked side-by-side with residents all year to understand the neighborhood’s needs and history, and that collaboration shows in these alternatives,” said City Manager Mario Vasquez. “This summit is another important step toward solutions that honor the Westside’s identity while improving safety and connectivity for generations to come.”
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During the summit, attendees will be able to look over both the original and improved options that came out of the study. The project team will also talk about how these decisions fit with the project’s goals, purpose, and environmental and engineering needs. One of the main goals of the event will be to show how community feedback directly affected the suggested ideas and to talk about what will happen next as the project advances into the following phases.
Eric Bunch, a council member from the 4th District, said that the summit was a really important chance for locals to see their ideas in the plans and help make sure that the final direction is good for the community.
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Kansas City officials said the event shows how committed the City is to being open and preparing with the community in mind. They want all Westside residents to take part before the recommendations are set in stone.
