Feel good, but get off the bench: KC’s next big wins require all players join EDCKC in the field

Editor’s note: The following is the fourth in a four-part series exploring the verticals and impact of initiatives within the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City through a paid partnership with EDCKC.

• Leave KC better than you found it: How matching growth to city’s needs is paying off
• Wrong tool can wreck a neighborhood; Precision development key to avoiding gentrification’s negative impacts
• Homegrown startups can redefine KC; they just need help surviving long enough to do it

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Kansas City is done playing catch-up, said Tracey Lewis, detailing a proactive approach to economic development that prioritizes responsible, equitable, and collaborative growth.

“We are in the early stages of applying a strategy across our entire region that will really bring the attention and resources and talent to Kansas City that we need,” said Lewis, president and CEO of the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City (EDCKC).

Powering that vision means understanding success means being intentional as a leader, not just fast and along for the ride, he emphasized. Under Lewis’s leadership, EDCKC is shedding its reputation as a background player and embracing its role as a key architect of Kansas City’s future, he said. 

The organization — once focused mostly on managing programs like Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority (LCRA) — is now driving visionary, long-term planning, Lewis noted.

“The EDC is actually becoming a success story,” he explained. “We were, at one point, not at the core of conversations, but now we are really hoping to have relationships with the business community and development community.”

He pointed to a shift from short-term fixes to strategic, sustainable planning.

“Some of our past decisions were ‘feel-good’ in the moment but detrimental long-term,” Lewis added. “Today, we’re focused on building strategies that are collaborative so we can craft our ecosystem, our financial ecosystem, the way we want it to be.”

Tracey Lewis, Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, addresses the crowd gathered for the July 2024 Do The Right Thing competition; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

Equity at the center

Equity isn’t a buzzword, Lewis said; it’s the foundation of EDCKC’s approach.

While downtown has seen major wins, he’s calling for the same level of investment and opportunity in underserved communities across the city.

“What’s important is that we find strategies that work for the entire community,” he said. “We’ve done a great job downtown, now we need to expand that to some of the underserved communities.”

One priority area: Kansas City’s Fifth District, which Lewis described as “one of the most underserved, if not the most underserved, districts in the city.”

EDCKC is currently conducting research to create tailored strategies that address the unique needs of neighborhoods like these.

“We need to take every community and lift it up,” he said. “Kansas City is only as strong as its most challenged community.”

Tracey Lewis, Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, Missouri, speaks during a ribbon cutting ceremony in December 2024 for Edged Kansas City, alongside then-Gov. Mike Parson, R-Missouri, seated at left; photo courtesy of EDCKC

Strength in regional unity

Lewis is also a strong advocate for cross-jurisdiction collaboration. He pointed to the united pandemic response from regional health departments as a model.

“It didn’t matter what county they were in, they all kind of worked together,” he said. “Now we need to do that in economic development.”

One major opportunity lies in the Blue River Corridor, which touches Kansas City, Independence, and Raytown in Missouri, as well as communities on the Kansas side. With strong infrastructure and transit assets, the area is ripe for industrial development and workforce housing — something Lewis said is in high demand.

“There’s a lot of working families that should be able to afford a home,” he said. “We don’t have the inventory for that.”

Lewis pushed back against a limited focus on either luxury or deeply affordable housing, advocating instead for attainable housing options for middle-income families.

“If you make the standard income of an average American in Kansas City, but we’re not building any affordable homes for you, you struggle,” he said.

Tracey Lewis, president and CEO of the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, at EDCKC’s offices in River Market; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Open for business

Even with a long list of active projects — from affordable housing with 12th Street Heritage Development Corporation to innovation district proposals — Lewis stressed the importance of staying focused and organized

“It’s just easy for things to fall through the cracks,” he admitted. “We’ve been good at staying on top of the tasks ahead. We haven’t been great at it.”

Still, he remains optimistic about the city’s trajectory.

“We are, as a city, open to business, and we will work on opportunities collaboratively,” he said. “We’re not here just to do it for ourselves. If there’s another chamber, another council, a company that wants to do business with us, we’re open.”

Tracey Lewis, EDCKC, center, speaks about the anticipated regional impact of the coming FIFA World Cup 2026 events in Kansas, alongside Dr. Lomax Campbell, Third Eye Network, and Steven Anthony, previously with EDCKC, during a Small Business Task Force roundtable gathering in March at CPKC Stadium; photo courtesy of EDCKC

Community: The real key to growth

Lewis also urged residents to get involved in shaping the city’s future, whether through volunteering, attending city programs, or learning how government systems work.

“Public education is the beginning of workforce strength,” he said. “Voting on our public schools made a world of difference.”

And with major events like the World Cup on the horizon, Lewis wants the city to stand out not just globally, but locally.

“We need to help our working community get as many opportunities as they can,” he said. “That’s what economic development is really about.”