Kansas City Breaks Ground on Three Major Riverfront, Downtown Neighborhoods

Construction crews continue work on apartments, parks and public spaces in several Kansas City neighborhoods, with multiple projects tied to announced summer 2026 targets.

The activity comes as the city prepares for events including the FIFA World Cup, prompting officials to release renderings and updated schedules for sites that have long sat underused. Residents in the affected areas now see daily changes in access and new amenities taking shape.

Riverfront and Vine district work moves ahead

At Berkley Riverfront Park, crews are building 433 apartments along with new parks and 55,000 square feet of commercial space as part of Phase I of a 10-year, $1 billion mixed-use effort led by Chris and Angie Long. The streetcar extension west of CPKC Stadium is set to open May 18, while a second CORE apartment building rises nearby. In the 18th and Vine area, the new pedestrian mall on 18th Street is scheduled for a ribbon-cutting on May 27, the Boone Theater reopened May 1 as an arts hub, and a public parking garage is close to opening. Demolition has started at Parade Park Homes for a mixed-income redevelopment that will add more than 1,000 homes. The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and American Jazz Museum are advancing expansion plans, and The Parker apartments are under construction while restoring the House of Hits building. Additional work includes a new roller-skating rink at Blues Park, sidewalk and street upgrades along Paseo Boulevard, and about $500,000 in resurfacing and ADA improvements in the Washington-Wheatley neighborhood.

Barney Allis Plaza remake targets 2026 finish

Downtown, the $118 million remake of Barney Allis Plaza is underway, replacing the old garage with an underground structure and a new park on top. City announcements had aimed for summer 2026 completion to align with World Cup events, though builders have stated that timeline was never planned. The northwest corner will feature a 2,000-square-foot pavilion under a 4,000-square-foot shade canopy that includes a dog park, play area and flexible event space, with potential winter use as a pop-up ice rink. The south end will include a large events lawn for markets and concerts, with 13th Street able to close for amphitheater-style gatherings. These updates come from renderings and statements released by the city and project leads.

People living near these sites can check current construction schedules on the city website or visit project pages such as currentlanding.com and barneyallis.org for the latest access information. Work on the listed projects is expected to continue through the coming months, with several openings already completed or imminent.