RESOLUTION NO. 250396
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Sponsor: Mayor Quinton Lucas
RESOLUTION - Establishing the Kansas City Vacant Land Activation Initiative to develop coordinated, comprehensive strategies for transforming vacant land of all ownership types into community assets through administrative and legislative approaches.
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WHEREAS, Kansas City faces significant challenges related to vacant and underutilized land, which negatively impacts neighborhood stability, economic development opportunities, and overall quality of life; and
WHEREAS, for purposes of this resolution, "vacant land" means any parcel of property that is either undeveloped or developed but currently unused or significantly underutilized, including unoccupied residential structures, empty commercial buildings, abandoned industrial sites, undeveloped lots, and any other property lacking regular occupation, productive use, or proper maintenance regardless of zoning designation or improvement status; and
WHEREAS, vacant land in Kansas City encompasses diverse categories with each presenting unique challenges in terms of environmental conditions, infrastructure needs, market potential, and neighborhood context, thus necessitating a comprehensive and coordinated approach rather than one-size-fits-all solutions; and
WHEREAS, the City currently estimates over 17,000 vacant parcels across the city, with approximately 3,500 vacant properties owned by the Land Bank and Homesteading Authority, which represents both a challenge and an opportunity for community revitalization; and
WHEREAS, the diverse ownership patterns of vacant properties - including City-owned parcels, Land Bank holdings, properties owned by other governmental entities, and privately held abandoned properties - significantly influences the legal frameworks, administrative processes, and legislative tools available for redevelopment, requiring tailored strategies and interventions specific to each ownership category to maximize revitalization opportunities; and
WHEREAS, various City departments and external partners currently address vacant land issues through disconnected efforts, resulting in fragmented approaches and missed opportunities for strategic alignment; and
WHEREAS, a coordinated, focused, short-term initiative can develop specific policy recommendations that optimize the productive use of vacant land across Kansas City; and
WHEREAS, activating vacant land can address multiple City priorities including affordable housing, blight remediation, economic development, public safety, neighborhood stabilization, urban agriculture, green infrastructure, and public amenities; and
WHEREAS, a focused policy approach with clear deliverables will provide actionable recommendations for both administrative and legislative solutions; and
WHEREAS, engaging community stakeholders and subject matter experts will ensure recommendations reflect neighborhood needs and implement best practices; and
WHEREAS, the City Council recognizes that addressing vacant land challenges requires targeted attention and innovative approaches to transform Kansas City's vacant properties from liabilities into community assets; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF KANSAS CITY:
Section 1. Establishment of the Kansas City Vacant Land Activation Initiative. That there is hereby established the Kansas City Vacant Land Activation Initiative ("Initiative"), through which the City Manager is hereby directed to develop specific policy recommendations for activating vacant land through both administrative and legislative approaches and to accomplish the specific directives in this resolution.
Section 2. Purpose and Deliverables. That the Initiative shall work to achieve short and medium-term deliverables, identify long-term deliverables, and make administrative and legislative recommendations as follows:
A. Short-Term Deliverables (to be completed within 3 months from the passage of this resolution):
1. Assess those City staff positions assigned to Land Bank and Homesteading Authority, including such staff’s functions and expectations, and realign as necessary to meet the goals of this resolution;
2. Develop an initial inventory assessment categorized by ownership status of vacant properties, including City-owned, Land Bank-owned, Homesteading Authority-owned, and privately-owned properties;
3. Identify barriers to activation for each ownership category, including legal, financial, and procedural obstacles;
4. Develop an initial inventory assessment of existing City policies and procedures across departments to identify opportunities for improved collaboration and efficiency, including State and County laws as appropriate;
5. Identify immediate administrative barriers that impede vacant land activation in existing City programs, with separate analyses for publicly-owned versus privately-owned properties, specifically to include expanding existing and/or creating enforcement mechanisms;
6. Recommend priority geographic areas or vacant land categories that align with City strategic goals;
7. Establish a preliminary categorization system for vacant properties based on key challenges and potential uses;
8. Implement administrative changes identified during this period;
9. Initial report on short-term deliverables due within 30 days after the initial 3-month period;
B. Medium-Term Deliverables (to be completed within 6 months from the passage of this resolution):
1. Develop a streamlined intake process for vacant properties that utilizes proactive strategies as appropriate and differentiates between types of ownership;
2. Identify sustainable funding mechanisms to address blight remediation, vacant land maintenance and activation, with dedicated funding streams for public property and incentive structures for private property;
3. Create a strategic vacant land implementation plan for ongoing collaboration between City departments, prioritizing communication and transparency between departments, highlighting administrative and legislative recommendations for each key focus area listed in Section 4 of this resolution; and
4. Develop necessary ordinances for Council consideration based on strategic implementation plan;
C. Identify long-term deliverables that should be implemented beyond the Initiative’s 6-month timeline, including items requiring continued monitoring and implementation by the City Manager, proposed timelines and responsible stakeholder for each long-term deliverable, mechanisms to ensure the continuing benefits of short-term deliverables and resources needed to sustain progress on vacant land activation efforts.
D. Administrative changes identified by the Initiative shall be implemented as part of this resolution, while legislative changes requiring ordinance action shall be brought before City Council for consideration.
Section 3. Composition. That, to fulfill the directives of this resolution, the City Manager shall engage staff from City departments including, but not limited to, City Planning and Development, Housing and Community Development, Law, Neighborhood Services, Parks and Recreation and Public Works, and shall also invite and engage various stakeholder organizations, including, but not limited to, Continuum of Care, Economic Development Corporation, Kansas City, Missouri Homesteading Authority Board of Directors, Kansas City Housing Authority Board of Directors and Land Bank of Kansas City, Missouri Board of Directors.
Section 4. Key Focus Areas. That the Initiative shall develop administrative and legislative policy recommendations in the following key areas:
A. Vacant Land Inventory and Assessment: Creating a comprehensive, accessible, and up-to-date system for tracking vacant properties;
B. Strategic Disposition Processes: Streamlining the process for transferring City-owned vacant land to productive use;
C. Regulatory Reform: Identifying and addressing zoning, permitting, and other regulatory barriers;
D. Funding Mechanisms: Exploring sustainable funding approaches for vacant land maintenance and activation;
E. Enforcement Mechanisms: Developing effective strategies and tools to target property owners who are noncompliant with existing code requirements, including recommendations for strengthening penalties, streamlining enforcement processes, and creating incentives for compliance;
F. Strategic Planning: Developing mechanisms to target and incentivize capable developers equipped to reactivate vacant land according to established City priorities and incorporate time and outcome-based clawbacks;
G. Community-Based Solutions: Supporting neighborhood-level approaches to vacant land management and activation; and
H. Interim Land Use Strategies: Identifying innovative interim uses for vacant properties.
Section 5. Community Engagement. That the Initiative shall implement a community engagement framework that solicits input from residents in neighborhoods most impacted by vacant land and conducts targeted outreach to gather diverse perspectives on potential uses.
Section 6. Implementation and Review. That the City Manager is hereby directed to:
A. Implement administrative changes identified by the Initiative without further Council action;
B. Propose ordinances and legislative changes identified by the Initiative to the City Council for consideration and approval; and
C. Update City Council on the implementation of administrative changes upon completion of the short-term deliverables listed in Section 2 of this resolution.
Section 7. Termination. That the Initiative shall terminate upon the completion of all directives in Sections 2 and 6 of this resolution and the delivery of a final comprehensive report to City Council detailing completed deliverables, recommendations for ongoing implementation, and any matters requiring further attention.
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