KCMO City Manager Entertains Downtown Developer Agenda Amid Recession

Before our amateur urban planner buddies get too excited, let's remember that this is mostly just coffee talk with a former news dude turned blogger who is supported by a few local construction & real estate companies . . .

More importantly . . . The current recession makes a great many of these pipe dreams and real estate schemes extremely unlikely . . . 

Still . . . 

Credit where it's due . . . The murder count that always thwarts local economic progress is part of the discussion as well . . .

"One of the observations he expressed several times is his belief that greater population density, development and activity in greater downtown is critical for its success.

"That’s understandable, considering Jersey City, part of the New York metropolitan area, is one of the most densely populated cities in the country with 18,000 residents per square mile vs 1,580 in Kansas City.

"Platt also came from a city with a far lower murder rate, 6.29 per 100,000 people in 2018 vs 27.8 that same year in Kansas City. That statistic has only become worse here, hitting 31.2 per capita according to the most recent numbers, the seventh highest rate in the country."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

City Manager Brian Platt Q & A: 'Good Progress' on Decking South Loop

By Kevin Collison City Manager Brian Platt has been on the job 16 months since coming here from Jersey City in December 2020. He recently sat down with CityScene KC at the Rochester Brewing and Coffee in the West Crossroads to talk about greater downtown and other topics including the Kansas City Police Department and the Country Club Plaza.

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