Westport Overlay District

Thursday, June 15th, 2023, marked the successful outcome of an eight-year effort by Historic Kansas City and our partners.

The City Council on this day adopted the Westport Special Character Overlay
District Ordinance, which will make sure that the things we all love about Westport are maintained through the implementation and enforcement of consistent, clear standards for new development fronting on Westport Road and Pennsylvania Avenue, addressing building height, setbacks, facade design, and land use.

What steps led to the Westport Overlay District?

Beginning in 2016, HKC undertook a strategic effort working with area partners who were concerned about the pace and scale of development in historic Westport. To inform planning decisions, HKC undertook a GoFundMe campaign and raised over $27,000 to retain Rosin Preservation to complete a survey of 406 historic resources in Westport.

We worked with former Councilwoman Shields to secure the adoption of a 6-month development moratorium ordinance, establishing a non-threatening context for the development of a plan for Westport. During the 18-month planning process, HKC served as a member of the client team that directed the effort, including the Westport Regional Business League and the City Planning & Development Department.

The City Council approved the Westport District Master Plan in 2019 as a sub-area policy plan for guiding future land use, zoning, and character decisions. The top priority of the Plan—the adoption of a Special Character Overlay District for the commercial corridors of Westport Road and Pennsylvania Ave., which would allow Westport to evolve in a way that is sensitive to the existing context and consistent in character.

Following COVID, we and our partners launched a 6-month public process to
develop the overlay district. Resulting in the adoption of the overlay on June 15th, 2023.
HKC’s involvement has had an impact in three major ways:

1) Making sure that the things that we all love about Westport are maintained;

2) Integrated the historic resources survey into planning analysis to inform better planning decisions for Westport, and

3) a clear vision was established for Westport by defining character areas and where change is acceptable.

HKC is pleased to have participated in this major step forward for Westport. HKC’s involvement in Westport is proactive planning to influence preservation in our city.

What steps led to the Westport Overlay District? Get the Westport backstory HERE.

Public Process

Historic Kansas City and our partners, the Westport Regional Business League, the City, and Multistudio, led the effort to develop the Westport District Master Plan. The top priorities of the Plan included the adoption of a Special Character Overlay District for the commercial corridors of Westport Road and Pennsylvania, which would allow Westport to evolve in a way that is sensitive to the existing context and consistent in character, the creation of local register districts in adjacent residential neighborhoods, and targeted downzoning.

Why Did We Create an Overlay District?

The City of Kansas City, Missouri adopted the Westport District Master Plan in 2019. One of the recommendations of this plan was to establish a zoning overlay district for properties fronting on Westport Road and Pennsylvania Avenue in the district. This overlay district would create more consistent standards for future development, managing issues like land use, height, setbacks, and facade design.

Learn more about the process HERE.