ORDINANCE NO. 260064
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Sponsor: Mayor Quinton Lucas
Authorizing the City and the Parks and Recreation Department to enter into a Kansas City Riverfront Park Lease Agreement with the Port Authority of Kansas City for the purpose of furthering the development and maintenance of additional recreational space on the Kansas City Riverfront.
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WHEREAS, the City of Kansas City began the development of Riverfront Park in 1965, when its Parks Superintendent Frank Vaydik initiated a plan for a park spanning over 3 square miles along the length of the Missouri River from approximately N. Olive Street on the west to the mouth of the Blue River on the east; and
WHEREAS, the City of Kansas City opened Area I of Riverfront Park in 1967, bounded by N. Olive Street on the west and N. Chouteau Trafficway on the east, which featured baseball fields, picnic areas, and later a boat ramp; and
WHEREAS, Riverfront Park stood to be one of the nation’s premier city parks, with development anticipated throughout its Area II, bounded by N. Chouteau Trafficway on the west and I-435 Bridge on the east, and its Area III, bounded by I-435 Bridge on the west and Harry S. Truman Bridge on the east; and
WHEREAS, environmental concerns led to the closure of Riverfront Park in 1985, rooted in the Park’s prior use as a landfill, before the development of parks space in Areas I and II; and
WHEREAS, the environmental concerns leading to the closure of Riverfront Park in 1985 have since been remediated; and
WHEREAS, the City of Kansas City, in coordination with the Parks and Recreation Department and the Port Authority of Kansas City, seeks to facilitate plans for the phased restoration and development of Riverfront Park, revitalizing ambitious plans for the site as one of America’s premier parks in the heart and birthplace of Kansas City, on the Missouri River; and
WHEREAS, a lease agreement between the City of Kansas City, the Parks and Recreation Department, and the Port Authority of Kansas City allows for planning related to the development of the Riverfront Park site to proceed; and
WHEREAS, a temporary access agreement between the City of Kansas City, the Parks and Recreation Department, and the Port Authority of Kansas City allows for the Port Authority of Kansas City to immediately provide improvements to the Riverfront Boat Ramp at Riverfront Park, including the removal of overgrowth, noxious weeds and debris; NOW THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KANSAS CITY:
Section 1. The City Manager and the Director of Parks and Recreation are authorized to execute a Lease Agreement including a clause on Quiet Enjoyment, stipulating that the City agrees that on payment of the rentals, fees, and charges required under the Lease, and subject to performance and compliance by the Port Authority of the covenants, conditions and agreements on the part of the Port Authority to be performed and complied with under this Lease, the Port Authority shall peaceably have and enjoy the rights, uses and privileges of the Leased Property. If the Port Authority requests, the City shall initiate a quiet title action for the Property provided that all costs of such action are advanced by the Port Authority.
Section 2. The City Manager and the Director of Parks and Recreation are authorized to execute a Temporary Access Agreement with the Port Authority of Kansas City, attached hereto in substantial form.
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Approved as to form:
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Abigail Judah
Assistant City Attorney