HARLEM, Mo. — New hope comes to the Harlem Riverfront, a small town north of downtown Kansas City, Missouri, that has been forgotten for decades.
Harlem, known for its history, used to be the home to thousands of residents before a major flood washed the town out. Years later, the town sits quietly with a few residents and businesses.
“People tried to come in. There's a casino they were going to put right here because the water's at its deepest point right here, and it got loaded out," said Billy Shy, owner of Bodyworks.
Shy has been operating his auto shop business in Harlem for a little over three decades. Since opening, he hasn't seen much traffic.
“We definitely need it. This is probably the worst spot north of the river, so anything — it would help," Shy said.
But a new multi-million dollar vision by Clay County leaders promises to bring back community to Harlem.
“We started putting together a plan to kind of see what you see over at Berkeley Riverfront Park, where you'd have walking trails along the river," said Jason Withington, Clay County commissioner.
The new development would add more parks, trails and an entertainment district with apartments and retail spaces.
“It's 35 miles of riverfront we have in Clay County," Withington said. "And it's all untapped. Especially down here in Harlem, you're next to the urban core, you got million-dollar views of downtown Kansas City. And as Kansas City fills up and builds out, they're going to need to build somewhere.”
The project is still in its early stages, but many community members believe it's time to breathe new life into Harlem.
"I mean, this whole area needs to be developed. It's right by the airport; centrally located," Shy said. "We're going to have a brand new bridge. So this is probably one of the hot spots that's coming up."
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