OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

January 8, 2026 City Council Business Session Summary

City Council Business Session — Thursday, January 8, 2026
BodyKansas City, Missouri
SessionCity Council Business Session
DateThursday, January 8, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 35:41

Transcript — Verbatim
0:04

Welcome to business session.

0:06

Welcome back.

0:07

First business session of 2026.

0:10

Our first item is approval of minutes for business session of December 11th, 2025.

0:14

Is there a motion?

0:15

So move.

0:16

Second.

0:17

Moved and seconded.

0:18

All in favor of approving the minutes indicate by saying aye.

0:21

Aye.

0:21

All opposed.

0:22

Motion passes.

0:23

Our first update is going to be a city update regarding open doors.

0:27

The storefront vacancy program.

0:31

Yeah, you're right.

1:01

Okay.

1:01

All right, we're going to get IT to hook us up with the presentation, but you should have it all in front of you along with a one pager.

1:08

Uh good afternoon, Neil Webster with the City of Kansas City Neighborhoods Department, assistant director.

1:14

I'm joined here today.

1:15

Regina Sosa with the EDC of Kansas City.

1:18

Since I don't have the thing in front of me.

1:20

Go right ahead.

1:22

This one right here.

1:33

Okay.

1:34

Thank you.

1:50

Well, while he's working on this to get the presentation pulled up for everyone to see, um, like I said, you have a packet in front of you along with the one pager.

1:58

Uh, this today is to give you an update on the ordinance number 250436 for the storefront vacancy program that is called open doors.

2:07

Um, again, you have a one pager that kind of gives us summary overview of that.

2:11

Today we'll kind of give you an update on where we are with the program, um, how we kind of got started, little timeline of things, and where we hope to be next, and then be able to answer any questions that we have for you that you may have for us.

2:33

Oh, there you go.

2:34

The business session one right here.

2:43

No, that's it.

2:44

Thank you so much.

2:46

All right, I won't take that front.

2:50

All right, let's get started.

2:54

So, quick overview uh about open doors.

2:57

So, again, we were looking at models in Seattle and San Francisco and looking at opening uh launching the open doors program as a way to help businesses get in position for the World Cup uh through vacant storefronts downtown.

3:10

Uh, as a part of the program, selected applicants will receive a temporary subsidized lease from three to six months in the downtown Kansas City storefront.

3:18

The pop-up must be a retail concept.

3:21

They will be provided grant funding up to 10k to cover build-out inventory, permit fees, and insurance expenses.

3:27

Um, they will also get access to technical assistance and lease negotiation, build out marketing, financial legal services, access to capital.

3:36

We opened the applications on October 14th through a website.

3:41

We have is KC opendoors.com if you want to look that up.

3:45

That website will constantly be living and updated over time throughout the project.

3:50

Uh, right now we just have the applications and things on there, but as we kind of move move forward in the project, we'll add more resources and profiles about all of the businesses that are participating of program.

4:00

Similar cities that you can look at will be Seattle with the Seattle Restore Program and Vacant to Vibrant in San Francisco.

4:06

So if you go look at their websites, we're kind of mimicking that with updates as we kind of move through the program.

4:12

After the launch of the application, we hosted two webinars, one on October 29th and November 13th.

4:17

Do you remember how many people participated in the first one?

4:20

It was about 50 for the first one.

4:22

And probably about the same for the second.

4:24

Prior to us opening the application, I think we had well over 400 interest forms uh for retail concepts, and probably close to about 70 or 80 for private property owners who may have been interested in the program.

4:37

Uh, for the sake of the program and time, we had to uh put out two applications at the same time, which was one to identify vacant properties that we can match up and also to allow people to pitch retail concepts.

4:50

Uh, the private property application right now is still open.

4:54

We are still looking for additional properties that we could work with, and then the retail application closed on December 5th, and then we'll talk more about that selection process and the update on that.

5:00

And then the retail application closed on December 5th, and then we'll talk more about that selection process and the update on that.

5:04

Throughout this project, we will be looking to get the private property selection done by no later than January 30th.

5:11

Retail pop-up selection or later than January 16th, start matching them up no later than mid-February and getting the leases finalized so that they can move in by March 1 and start their build-outs or any tenant finishing that they need.

5:25

And then we need those pop-ups to be ready to go by May 1 so that we can do our citywide marketing campaign to support the pop-up activations, which will be kicking off National Small Business Week and going throughout World Cup, so May, June, and July.

5:39

Pop-ups must be activated for the three months of May, June, and July, which is during the World Cup.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Economic Development█████████████████████████████████████████████60%
Housing and Community Development█████████████████23%
Procedural███████████14%
Racial Equity██3%
Summary of Proceedings

City Council Business Session - January 8, 2026

The City Council convened for its first business session of 2026, beginning with the approval of minutes from the December 11, 2025 session. The primary agenda items included an update on the "Open Doors" storefront vacancy program to support World Cup activations, and the introduction of a new Housing and Community Development data dashboard. The session concluded with a motion to enter a closed session regarding contractual issues related to the health levy funds.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the minutes of the business session held on December 11, 2025, via unanimous voice vote (aye). No other motions were made under this category.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Councilwoman Robinson: Expressed a position of interest in ensuring economic mobility on the East Side and questioned whether data was collected regarding which districts participated in the program's webinars. She inquired if strategic outreach was used to reach entrepreneurs who are typically left out of such processes. She further emphasized the need for sustained investment in the 18th and Vine district beyond the temporary World Cup timeline, rather than simply filling vacancies to look good for the event.
  • Councilman Bunch: Expressed general support for the project. He inquired about the specific target number of spaces and noted that 122 applications were received. He offered to assist in identifying additional properties to reach the desired capacity.
  • Councilwoman Patterson: Inquired about the status of General Services properties and the office space formerly occupied by BizCare, expressing a willingness to link city-owned vacancies with the program to match businesses.
  • Councilman Bunch (follow-up): Reiterated the need for capacity and support structures to ensure the sustainability of businesses after the short-term leases expire, while supporting the program's requirement that businesses share in the cost (20% difference) to ensure "skin in the game."
  • Mayor Pro Tem Tim: Expressed interest in receiving a specific breakdown of the 5,100 units tracked in the new dashboard, distinguishing between preservation units and newly developed units. He also sought a timeline for integrating data from other incentive agencies into the dashboard.
  • Councilman Duncan: Expressed appreciation for the transparency provided by the new dashboard, stating that while future tweaks will be necessary, the foundational hard work has been completed.
  • Mayor: Expressed confidence in the council's collective support for the 10,000-unit housing goal, noting that the goal was established around August 2022 and that the council has witnessed transformative changes in housing.

Discussion Items

  • Open Doors Program Update: Assistant Director Neil Webster and Regina Sosa from the EDC presented an update on Ordinance 250436. The program aims to activate vacant downtown storefronts for the World Cup (May-July 2026). Key details discussed included: 122 retail applications received (with 52 moving to selection committee review), a target of identifying 20 properties to create up to 20 spaces, and the provision of temporary subsidized leases (3-6 months) with grants up to $10,000 for business build-outs. The EDC noted that private property owner applications remain open until January 30th, aiming to have leases finalized by February 20th.
  • Housing and Community Development Dashboard: Deputy Director Deion Lewis presented the new data dashboard designed to track progress toward the citywide goal of 10,000 affordable housing units by 2027. The dashboard tracks projects funded by federal (CDBG, HOME) and local (Housing Trust Fund, CEDD) sources. The team outlined plans to incorporate data from other agencies (EDC KC, Port KC, Health Department) into the system within the next 3-4 months.
  • Closed Session Motion: Mayor proposed splitting the closed session topics, prioritizing discussions on contractual issues related to the health levy funds before returning to an open session and addressing entertainment sports facilities later.

Key Outcomes

  • Motion Passed: Approval of December 11, 2025 minutes (Unanimous).
  • Program Status: The "Open Doors" program is active; private property applications remain open until January 30, 2026. The EDC is seeking more properties to meet the goal of 20 spaces to match the 52 qualified retail concept applicants.
  • Data Initiatives: The Housing and Community Development Department is moving forward with the new dashboard. Staff committed to providing the Council with a breakdown of preservation vs. new units and will aim to integrate external agency data within 3-4 months.
  • Closed Session: Moved to enter closed session pursuant to RSMo 610.021 and 12 to discuss contractual issues regarding the health levy funds. Roll call vote result: All members voted Aye (Rhea, Bunch, Gilles, Park, Shaw, Duncan, Neil, Willie, French, Rogers, Patterson, Hasley, Robinson, Lucas).

Meeting Transcript

Welcome to business session. Welcome back. First business session of 2026. Our first item is approval of minutes for business session of December 11th, 2025. Is there a motion? So move. Second. Moved and seconded. All in favor of approving the minutes indicate by saying aye. Aye. All opposed. Motion passes. Our first update is going to be a city update regarding open doors. The storefront vacancy program. Yeah, you're right. Okay. All right, we're going to get IT to hook us up with the presentation, but you should have it all in front of you along with a one pager. Uh good afternoon, Neil Webster with the City of Kansas City Neighborhoods Department, assistant director. I'm joined here today. Regina Sosa with the EDC of Kansas City. Since I don't have the thing in front of me. Go right ahead. This one right here. Okay. Thank you. Well, while he's working on this to get the presentation pulled up for everyone to see, um, like I said, you have a packet in front of you along with the one pager. Uh, this today is to give you an update on the ordinance number 250436 for the storefront vacancy program that is called open doors. Um, again, you have a one pager that kind of gives us summary overview of that. Today we'll kind of give you an update on where we are with the program, um, how we kind of got started, little timeline of things, and where we hope to be next, and then be able to answer any questions that we have for you that you may have for us. Oh, there you go. The business session one right here. No, that's it. Thank you so much. All right, I won't take that front. All right, let's get started. So, quick overview uh about open doors. So, again, we were looking at models in Seattle and San Francisco and looking at opening uh launching the open doors program as a way to help businesses get in position for the World Cup uh through vacant storefronts downtown. Uh, as a part of the program, selected applicants will receive a temporary subsidized lease from three to six months in the downtown Kansas City storefront. The pop-up must be a retail concept. They will be provided grant funding up to 10k to cover build-out inventory, permit fees, and insurance expenses. Um, they will also get access to technical assistance and lease negotiation, build out marketing, financial legal services, access to capital. We opened the applications on October 14th through a website. We have is KC opendoors.com if you want to look that up. That website will constantly be living and updated over time throughout the project. Uh, right now we just have the applications and things on there, but as we kind of move move forward in the project, we'll add more resources and profiles about all of the businesses that are participating of program. Similar cities that you can look at will be Seattle with the Seattle Restore Program and Vacant to Vibrant in San Francisco. So if you go look at their websites, we're kind of mimicking that with updates as we kind of move through the program. After the launch of the application, we hosted two webinars, one on October 29th and November 13th. Do you remember how many people participated in the first one? It was about 50 for the first one.

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