One person picking up trash along Prospect Avenue might surprise you. However, if you were driving down Prospect on Sat., July 19, you were probably shocked. Along the historically disinvested thoroughfare, from Martin Luther King Blvd. to 75 Street, there were youth and adults with bags in hand picking up trash.
It was part of an organized community-led effort by CJR Development Partners, developers of Southpointe @ 63rd, a mixed-use development that broke ground on the northwest corner of 63rd and Prospect early this year. Plans call for their phased project to include 240 apartments and townhomes, catering to various income levels, along with office spaces, large and small retail outlets, restaurant spaces, and a 114-room hotel.
“We’re bringing the community together to take care of this place we call home.” said Madison Lyman, who is leading community engagement for Southpointe @ 63rd. “A lot of people like to say we don’t really take care of our community. So, what we wanted to do at Southpointe is to show that this community does care and that we at Southpointe care and that we’re going to bring everyone together to show that care and to make this corridor feel like home for us.”
Marvin Lyman, development manager with CJR Development Partners, confirmed the Soupoint @ 63rd team’s interest in working with the community. “Developers can’t just build in communities we have to build with them,” says Marvin. “Before we lay a single brick at Southpointe @ 63rd, we’re laying the groundwork for trust and shared ownership. That starts by rolling up our sleeves and investing sweat equity.”
Madison pulled together a group of community organizations as partners for the cleanup including Kansas City G.I.F.T., Our Health Matters, Blue Hills Neighborhood Association, Kansas City Public Works, Oak Park Neighborhood Association, Washington Wheatley Neighborhood Association and Urban Rangers.
Approximately 50 youth and adults participated in the cleanup.
The Prospect corridor, once a thriving Black business and cultural district, has suffered from neglect. In addition to this effort, residents, developers and the city are mobilizing to change that narrative.
Earlier this summer, The Kansas City Council approved implementation of a $500 million investment strategy for the Prospect Avenue corridor over the next decade. That strategy builds on the ProspectUS plan the council adopted in February, which targets the 10-mile stretch of Prospect Ave. from downtown to 75th Street for transit-oriented development.
The ProspectUS plan aims to add 40,000 residents, 17,000 new homes, and 15,000 jobs to the area while leveraging the success of the Prospect MAX line, now Kansas City’s most-used transit route.
