M I D T O W N K C N O W 2020 ANNUAL REPORT

Midtown KC Now 3931 Main Street, Kansas City, 64111 @midtownkcnow 816.753.3820 A NOTE FROM OUR BOARD PRESIDENT

This year has sure tested the resolve in all of us. However, we haven’t let the COVID virus or other lesser distractions deter us from our mission and vision. Together, we have maintained our focus on seeing improvements and promotions and making Midtown Kansas City a great place for all.

Midtown KC Now has continued to provide support to our business owners and residents on a variety of new challenges brought on by the pandemic including stay-at-home orders, limited seating capacity requirements and decreased customer traffic those mandates brought. We have also continued to provide information for our neighbors and business patrons to help them understand how Midtown KC is responding to these challenges. You will read more about our efforts and the accomplishments achieved in 2020 later in this report.

“Celebrate good times, come on.” This hit song by Kool and the Gang came out about the same time Midtown KC Now was launched as MainCor. It aligns nicely with acknowledging our 40th anniversary. Since 1981, MainCor, now Midtown KC Now, has provided leadership; harnessed resources; and implemented programs for the Midtown KC community, which are worth celebrating as we look back. We are equally excited about looking to our future and continuing the progress we all desire. Our goal in the next few years is to promote Midtown as a set of destinations and not just a pass-through corridor for people going downtown or to the Plaza. With the extension of the streetcar, which includes multiple stops in Midtown, we see this as a tremendous opportunity for people to see what this area has to offer. We are seeing increased interest in Midtown due to the upcoming extension which will now network all of Midtown’s destinations with those from UMKC to the Riverfront. We will look for ways to include Midtown in the conversations surrounding development and attracting businesses.. I want to share a phrase our new Director Kevin Klinkenberg has used when discussing metro wide development activity: “Why not Midtown?” This summarizes quite well what I believe is an excellent mindset for us to adopt as we look to our future.

Bill Moseman President, Midtown KC Now Board of Directors

KEVIN KLINKENBERG, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

2020 was a challenging year for everyone. Midtown certainly saw its share of ups and downs and trying times. But we’ve gotten through it together, and we are poised for much brighter days ahead.

As we look forward to 2021, we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Midtown KC Now. When the organization was created in 1981, we could only dream of the progress happening today. The streetcar extension is coming. People are moving back to Midtown. New businesses are opening. Hope and excitement are palpable.

Midtown KC Now is ready and excited for what is to come. We are leading the way forward with a variety of initiatives, from beautification and public art to public space management to helping craft City policy. And so much more. We couldn’t do it without you – the residents, the businesses, the not for profits, the people of Midtown. Here’s to 40 years and moving forward.

CREATIVE PLACEMAKING

Even during a pandemic, our new Creative Placemaking efforts took root. With the Bloomberg Asphalt Art project, we organized and coordinated a dramatic improvement to the intersection of Westport Road and Wyandotte Street. Funded entirely by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the project involved six local artists, asphalt art installations, traffic calming, new landscaping, and one new building mural. We hope to expand this concept in the future, as well as inaugurating our Midtown Murals program.

STREETCAR EXTENSION

2020 was a banner year for good transit news for Kansas City. The extension of the RideKC Streetcar from Union Station to UMKC along Main Street has now been fully funded! Construction for water and sewer replacement has already commenced, and we look forward to new service running in early 2025. The news of the extension has already motivated redevelopment activity along Main Street, as we see unprecedented interest in new housing and new commercial spaces. Look out, it’s getting rail!

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Midtown KC Now is committed to serving as an advocate and leader for the Midtown community, but this can only be accomplished by seeking the input of neighborhoods, business owners, property owners, and stakeholders. Community engagement events such as the Coffee Klatch, Networking Luncheon, Real Estate Exchange, Midtown Neighborhood Forum, Midtown Small Business Forum, Listening Sessions, and attendance at Midtown neighborhood association meetings all provide insight and interaction to guide our mission. In addition, we send out The Midtown Weekly newsletter every Monday morning to share events and any information that may impact Midtown.

ANNUAL REPORT 2020 CLEAN + SAFE

Midtown KC Now manages the Main Street Community Improvement District and the Broadway Area Community Improvement District. The CIDs continue to be models for marshalling resources to improve the image and quality of life of districts with Midtown. 2020 saw some new responsibilities for the CIDs with the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to the normal “clean and safe” activities, staff disinfected common public areas, worked through emergency closure orders and assisted during times of protest and unrest. Our CID staff went above and beyond to help Midtown during difficult times.

ANNUAL REPORT 2020 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

OFFICERS President: Bill Moseman - American Century Investments President Elect: Rigoberto Jurado - Capitol Federal Savings Secretary: Leah Fitzgerald - CBRE Treasurer: Matt Hanson - Saint Luke’s Health System Past President: Jim Edson - Union Hill Neighborhood Director At-Large: Nancy Wormington - Irish Center of Kansas City Director At-Large: DuRon Netsell - Street Smarts Design + Build

DIRECTORS Ruben Alonso - AltCap / Union Hill Neighborhood Gina Anderson - KC Life Insurance Company Laura Burkhalter - SFS Architecture / Southmoreland Neighborhood Jeff Dobbie - Trapp & Company Lauren Euston - MOSS Salon MaShonda Harris - Westport Public Library Lauren Hruby - Keller Williams Real Estate / Southmoreland Neighborhood Jim Keeney - The Whole Person Wade Kerrigan - Husch Blackwell Jon McGraw - Buttonwood Financial Group Alex Munyard - Economic Development Corporation of KC Thomas Platt - Westport Land & Management / Heart of Westport Neighborhood Michael Raunig - Kansas City Art Institute Debra Robinson - Old Hyde Park Historic District Bob Russell - Westport Presbyterian Church Dana Strueby - Shook, Hardy, & Bacon Melanie Yearta - Crown Center / Hallmark Cards, Inc. Steven Waterman - Nelson Atkins Museum of Art

EX-OFFICIO Dan Musser - Newmark STAFF Veronica Sellers Gerald Williams - City of KCMO Kevin Klinkenberg - Executive Director Leigh Blumenthal - Community Engagement Manager Stan Henry - CID Operations Manager

ANNUAL REPORT 2020 2020 DONORS

Midtown KC Now is a donor funded organization. Thank you to the following individuals and organizations that supported our work in 2020.

CHAMPION ($15,000+) $250+ American Century Investments AltCap Aquarius ADVOCATE ($5,000+) AV-RH / Boston Apts Balocca-Clemens Family Foundation Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers Hallmark, Inc. Kay & John Callison The Whole Person Car Wash 103 Decision Insight INVESTOR Exact Partners $2,500+ Greg Patterson & Associates Capitol Federal Bank Heart of Westport Neighborhood Association EDC of KC Jack Holland MAC Properties Hutchings Carrier Jerry Riffel KC Irish Center Shook, Hardy, & Bacon KC Urban Potters Keller & Associates $1,000+ KKFI Boulevard Brewing Co. Lauren Hruby Real Estate Buttonwood Financial Group The Madrid Theatre CBRE McGilley Midtown Chapel Confluence Midtown Family Medicine HDR Mill Creek Park Association JE Dunn Construction Old Hyde Park Historic District KC Streetcar Authority Pryde’s KC Streetcar Constructors RE/MAX State Line Commercial Real Estate Kissick Construction Veronica Sellers LISC of Greater Kansas City Kite Singleton Newmark Grubb Zimmer Street Smarts Design + Build Nutter Home Loans Sustainable Development Partners Redeemer Fellowship Union Hill Day School Saint Luke’s Health System Upcycle Piano Craft St. Paul’s Episcopal Day School Westport Presbyterian Church St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Doris Yonker Starbucks David & Ann Thurston RESIDENT ($120) Ruben Alonso & Shannan Jaax 500+ Laura Burkhalter ABC Cyber-Proof Storage, Inc. Laurie Chipman Ability KC Jim Edson Bautista LeRoy LLC Beth Gottstein & Gary Thompson Community Christian Church Andrew & Kristen Johnson Development Initiatives Paul Mesler Evolution Audio Tom Platt Great American Bank Mike & Deb Robinson Haren Companies Robert & Elaine Russell Kansas City Art Institute Michael Santschi Kansas City Regional Association of Realtors Kansas City Young Audiences IN-KIND/FRIEND Reeves-Wiedeman Vern Barnet SFS Architecture Kansas City Artists Coalition Union Hill Animal Hospital The Roasterie Union Hill Development Co. Van Trust Real Estate Vireo Westport Land & Management