KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The riverfront continues to position itself as a destination for growth following the groundbreaking of the KC Current stadium Thursday.
"I think when we think about development, a stadium is probably one of the biggest developments you can do," said Kathy Nelson, president and CEO for Visit KC and the Kansas City Sports Commission.
Port KC has been leading the way in revitalization efforts of the riverfront district — a site abandoned for decades.
In 2018, the Union Berkley Riverfront Apartments marked a significant milestone for the district with people living on the riverfront for the first time in 135 years.
"Kansas City's rich history with the river is so understated sometimes," Nelson said. " I think this puts a bullseye in a spotlight on what the river is doing for our city, what it has done and what it's yet to do."
Nelson predicts the new KC Current stadium will attract 10,000 to 12,000 people on a regular basis, generating volumes of new foot traffic to the neighborhood.
As of now, Bar K is the only business at the Riverfront and they are looking at potentially adding more staff to meet demand.
"On those game days, I think we're gonna get a lot of walking traffic. People will be parking throughout the riverfront and will want to come in and grab a bite to eat or drink, so on those days we'll really need to staff up," said Dave Hensley, co-founder of Bar K.
Future development sites at the Riverfront are in the works.
Lux Living, based out of St. Louis, will be adding additional apartments and a boutique hotel with a goal to hit the ground during summer 2023 to open by the winter. Port KC is also exploring further partnerships and hopes to add more tree-lined sidewalks along with retail and dining locations.
"You see people walking down here all the time, and when we have visitors and conventions, this is another place for them to just get away," Nelson said. "It's minutes, minutes from the heart of downtown, which I think that's super exciting."
