More Walkable Kansas City Streets Save Country Club Plaza?!?

Maybe . . .

But a quick look at the plan leaves more than enough room for skepticism.

It's basically the same plan Mayor Q talked about not-so-long-ago that received a lukewarm response.  

Today the newspaper is hyping the new owners and their walkable scheme that doesn't mention "affordable housing" by way of historic tennis court destruction . . . Check-it: 

More walkways, less retail

Plans revealed by HP Village include:

The “barbell” concept: Washburne said HP Village’s plan is to have two distinctive and expanded restaurant districts with more local eateries. One, so far dubbed the Paseo District, will be on the west side around where Gram & Dun, The Granfalloon and Messenger Coffee are located and where the Mexican restaurant Zócalo once was. It closed its doors in 2023. The other restaurant district will be on the east side, where Fogo de Chão is and where Houston’s once was. Its space has been dark since 2017. The idea is to give each district its own feel, creating what Washburne called distinct “villages.”

“By doing that you create a ‘barbell’ between the two restaurant areas,” Washburne said. The districts are connected by retail shops.

“That creates a customer traffic pattern, “ he said. “You don’t want it all loaded at one end. You want a balance on the property.” When stores close at night, he said, “we’ll probably throw a coffee shop or an ice cream store in the middle, just to keep the foot traffic moving.”

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

More beauty, less 'junk' retail: Country Club Plaza's new owner reveals future look

"I want people in the neighborhoods to walk across the bridge and feel like you've entered Oz. . . .The streets are beautiful," said Ray Washburne, a new principal owner of the Country Club Plaza.