After about a year and a half of building CPKC Stadium as the first-purpose built stadium for an NWSL team, the Kansas City Current are now onto the next phase of building out an $800mm investment to create a project that is the first of its kind as they unfold plans for the Riverfront Mixed-Use District.
Keeping The Community At the Core
In collaboration with Palmer Square Capital Management, Marquee Development, and the Port Authority of Kansas City, MO (Port KC), the district will connect the stadium, the Berkley Riverfront Park, and the Missouri Riverfront within its own sector.
These three points are anchored in fostering a new fan and community environment as it will create hundreds of multi-family residential units, public gathering and recreational spaces, and will feature a new town square with various restaurants and additional beverage offerings.
“There’s been a ton of hard work and coordination among so many different people, from the Army Corps of Engineers, the Port, the City, and all the work we’ve done with Marquee, and Perkins Eastman,” Current Owner Chris Long told Forbes. “Throughout all of that, it’s been nothing but encouragement and applause and people are really cheering on the world of the possible. I think that extends to a lot of things and now you have this collective group that’s really sort of taking that and extending it in a big way.”
The district space will allow for public gatherings to be programmed year-round with a variety of events such as movie nights, food festivals, fitness classes, live music, and more.
Along with the public areas, the residential units will also provide economic growth as 10% of residential units across all phases of the development will be set aside for residents at a 50% Area Median Income affordability threshold to provide affordable units for Kansas City residents across the board.
“At Port KC, we develop jobs and housing all across Kansas City, but right here on Berkeley Riverfront, we wanted this to be a true neighborhood of reclaiming our downtown and a world class neighborhood,” said Jon Stephens, President & CEO of Port KC.“To be a world class neighborhood, you have to have workforce housing and you have to have an environment that is welcoming for everyone and we’re happy to be able to partner with the team to do that.”
With the Missouri Riverfront being a key component to the city’s history, the project brings residents and fans back to their roots as it features a new world of possibility alongside CPKC Stadium.
Vision for the District
As the Current have been focused on the launch of CPKC Stadium where they have yet to lose a game in the opening weeks of the NWSL season, this phase of building out the district has been in the works for quite some time with a heavy production focus over the past nine months.
This project will add $200mm+ in private funding, with all phases of the development exceeding $800mm in total investment.
“When we saw this, it was really easy to get behind,” said Eric Nordness from Marquee Development. “When you see what Chris and Angie have done on the sporting side, not only from a team performance, but mostly when I look at how they built culture and how they address putting the real estate of the stadium and their practice facilities together, you know that there’s a team that cares about their community and they care about not only the team community, but they care about the Kansas City community.”
With the goal of developing the downtown area and creating a new sports environment for women’s soccer, the Longs hope to capture a new sense of excitement for fans and residents as they engage at the core landmarks of the city.
“We’ve been fortunate enough to be in so many great European cities where they have a river as a core to them and going to matches and having that feeling of wandering through the streets and seeing the stadium, iconically beckoning you through the streets and that’s been a part of our visions really, since we started,” said Current Owner Angie Long. “This is the connectivity point between the core of downtown and our stadium with public transportation all the way.”
The project will break ground at the end of 2024 with a target for a 2026 completion date.