Make some noise: Massive riverfront development expected to anchor KC as a destination for prosperity

A proposed Berkley Riverfront stadium-side mixed-use development is a game changer for Kansas City, Raven Jemison shared, and it’s is a big reason she chose the role of KC Current president.

CPKC Stadium on Kansas City’s riverfront during KC Rising’s annual Horizon event; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

“Just a soccer club, just a stadium, that’s awesome — obviously, sports is a great platform for economic development — but when you talk about mixed-use retail and making Berkley Riverfront a place to work, live and play, the game has changed officially,” she said on Thursday during KC Rising’s Horizon 2024 event at CPKC Stadium.

Port KC announced in April that the $200 million project will include 400 apartments along with retail space around a town square. Work is expected to begin this year next to the KC Current’s new riverfront CPKC Stadium. The project is the first phase of a 10-year development plan that is expected to include more than 1,000 apartments, 210,000 square feet of office space and 53,000 square feet of retail covering 10.7 acres when fully built out.

“When we think about the role that the Current and CPKC Stadium play as the anchor of this development, it’s all about economic prosperity for the region,” Jemison added. “I believe wholeheartedly it will contribute to the success of KC Rising.”

KC Rising is a regional initiative to boost inclusive prosperity.

RELATED: How KC Current’s stadium-side $200M mixed-use development could lure Kansas City back to the riverfront

Raven Jemison, KC Current, speaks during a panel conversation at the KC Rising Horizon 2024 event at CPKC Stadium; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Jeminson — who joined the Current in January after leaving her role as the executive vice president of business operations for the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks — took part in a panel at the event, which KC Rising hosts annually for civic and community leaders to connect, celebrate, and share insights from the past year. She was joined in the conversation by R.J. Morrison, vice president and general counsel at Hillenbrand; Larry Jacob, KC Rising grants action team co-chair and strategic consultant; and Molly Weaver, KC Rising workforce action team co-chair and founder and CEO of Sunflower Talent Strategies. Outgoing KC Rising Co-Chair Carolyn Watley moderated the panel discussion.

“What brought me here is all the work that everyone in this room is doing to make Kansas City a place to be, a destination,” Jeminson noted.

She had never been to KC before interviewing for the Current job, she continued. But she’d seen plenty of news about all that was happening.

“When you’re in the sports business, it’s a very small, small, small world,” explained Jemison, who has also worked in the NHL, MLB, and NFL. “But this soccer club in Kansas City was making all of this noise. When you’re in the core four leagues — for the NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League) to make the news week after week, month after month after month with what they were doing here with the stadium — it’s hard to ignore.”

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Lia McIntosh, director of KC Rising, speaks during the KC Rising Horizon 2024 event at CPKC Stadium; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Lia McIntosh — director of KC Rising, whose goal is to grow the regional economy and include everyone — said that Jeminson is not alone in choosing to move to Kansas City. She shared progress on the organization’s horizon goals, including net migration, gross domestic product per job, workers in households with self-sufficient incomes, and the Black-white housing wealth gap.

KC doubled its net migration rate between 2022 and 2023, she noted.

“That’s good news,” said McIntosh. “Our goal is to keep and attract more talent to KC every year.”

Larry Jacob, KC Rising, speaks during a panel conversation at the KC Rising Horizon 2024 event at CPKC Stadium; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

As for the other goals, according to McIntosh, the GDP per job has increased 2.5 percent; two thirds of household are financially self sufficient — but only 50 percent of Black and Latinx households are; and the average housing wealth of Black households in one third that of white households and it’s two thirds for Latinx households.

“When we look at all of these measures together — growth and inclusion — we must keep working together,” she explained. “Our collaboration, our commitment together to be inclusive and include everyone is our mission.”

Jacobs — KC Rising grants action team co-chair — said it’s necessary to pull together all the resources, so that people that have historically not benefited from the rise in Kansas City are benefiting from this rise.

“That’s what we need to focus on,” he added. “If we focus on that, we’re going to do great things.”