Engagement from residents is a crucial part of the comprehensive plan — but because the pandemic prevented in-person community outreach last year, the department is seeing disparities in the residents participating in the process.
Celisa
Posted inCivic Engagement
Kansas City is updating its comprehensive plan — here’s what that means for you
Putting together the comprehensive plan is a multi-year process that began in 2019. The planning department is currently in the engagement process, soliciting input from residents. The final step — city council adopting the finished plan — is set to take place in mid-2022.
Posted inCivic Engagement
When COVID shut down Kansas City, libraries sprang to action
In the months that all 10 locations were closed, staff members turned to digital initiatives like expanding Wi-Fi access to parking lots outside branch locations, increasing the library system’s capacity to loan out computers and Wi-Fi hotspots for free and starting a tech access support program to teach digital skills to people of all ages.
Posted inEconomics
Why KC Democrats say affordable housing should be part of infrastructure plan
As Senate Democrats and Republicans negotiate President Joe Biden’s American Jobs Plan, the White House, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri and Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas call for housing to be considered infrastructure.
Posted inEconomics
The pandemic program that helped Kansas City families stay connected
The pandemic-era program helps Kansas City area households cover the cost of their internet bill at a time when many essential functions, from work to doctor’s appointments to school, moved online.
Posted inEconomics
Here’s a list of Kansas City’s outdoor dining spots.
Last May, Kansas City eased some of the requirements to make it easier for local businesses to apply for a permit to create an outdoor dining space on the street, sidewalk or a parking lot. The initiative was a success — since the restrictions were lifted, over 100 permit applications were approved for a street […]
Posted inEconomics
Outdoor dining took off in KC during the pandemic. Is it here to stay?
The increase in al fresco dining comes after the City Council cut some of the red tape around creating an outdoor dining space on streets, sidewalks, parklets and even parking lots.
Posted inEconomics
Dangerous and disinvested: The complicated business of transforming blighted buildings
The city’s process to take dangerous buildings off the list, either through renovation or demolition, can take years, leaving these dilapidated properties at risk of descending further into decay.
Posted inEconomics
The new federal program that can help Kansas City families pay for internet
The $3.2 billion Emergency Broadband Benefit Program, overseen by the Federal Communications Commission, will begin accepting applications May 12.
Posted inEnvironment
Bike ridership is exploding in Kansas City
New data from BikeWalkKC, a local nonprofit focused on making Kansas City streets safer and accessible for all people, shows that Kansas City residents are biking more than they had in the years before the pandemic.