Nearly $1.5 million awarded to advance sustainable places

Oct 24, 2024
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Transportation
Gilham Road bicycle lane

Seventh round of MARC Planning Sustainable Places grants will fund 17 area projects

At their September meetings, the Mid-America Regional Council Board of Directors and Total Transportation Policy Committee approved the allocation of $1,498,500 in grant funds to 17 local Planning Sustainable Places (PSP) projects — nine in Kansas and eight in Missouri — that advance sustainable development in the region. These projects were chosen through a competitive process from 20 total submissions.

The PSP program supports community efforts to create:

  • Vibrant places that offer a mix of options for housing, jobs, services and recreation.
  • Connected places with a variety of transportation options. 
  • Green places that support healthy living and a healthy natural environment.

These concepts are promoted in the region’s long-range transportation plan, Connected KC 2050, and in many city and county comprehensive plans. The PSP program was created in 2013 as part of the region’s Creating Sustainable Places initiative.

The 2025 PSP grant awards

  • City of Basehor, Kan.
    Basehor Town Center trail and recreation — A plan for the development of Basehor Town Center that includes transportation, housing and green infrastructure. Awarded $34,000.

  • City of Bonner Springs, Kan.
    Bonner Springs Connectivity and Walkability Plan — A multimodal transportation plan for the City of Bonner Springs. Awarded $58,500.

  • Johnson County, Kan.
    Fast and frequent transit service on the Metcalf corridor — A transit capacity study on Metcalf Avenue from Johnson County Community College to the Plaza. Awarded $135,000.

  • City of Leavenworth, Kan.
    Seventh Street Corridor Study — A transportation corridor study on Seventh Street from downtown Leavenworth to Fort Leavenworth. Awarded $58,500.

  • City of Mission, Kan.
    Martway/Rock Creek Trail Corridor Plan: Martway West — A new flexible zoning overlay district that addresses the relationship between transportation and land use in a key commercial corridor. Awarded $86,400.

  • City of Osawatomie, Kan.
    Mile Zero Trailhead Master Plan — A trailhead master plan for Mile Zero of the Flint Hills Trail. Awarded $36,000.

  • City of Overland Park, Kan.
    Overland Park Wayfinding Master Plan — A wayfinding and signage master plan for the Tomahawk Creek and Indian Creek trails in Overland Park. Awarded $57,600.

  • City of Shawnee, Kan.
    Downtown Shawnee Wayfinding Plan — A wayfinding and signage plan for downtown Shawnee. Awarded $50,000.

  • Unified Government of Wyandotte County and City of Kansas City, Kan.
    UG zoning code update — An update to the Unified Government's zoning code. Awarded $150,000.

  • City of Harrisonville, Mo.
    Harrisonville Downtown Area Traffic and Parking Study — A traffic and parking study for downtown Harrisonville. Awarded $114,000.

  • Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, Mo.
    Blue Ridge TOD and Transit Center Study — A study along the Blue Ridge transit route to identify a site location for a transit center and analyze opportunities TOD. Awarded $142,000.

  • City of Kansas City, Mo.
    Forgotten Homes and Independence Plaza Study — A planning study for the Forgotten Homes and Independence Plaza neighborhoods that includes traffic, access to multimodal transportation, housing, and resiliency. Awarded $150,000.

  • City of Kearney, Mo.
    Connected Kearney Plan — A multimodal transportation study for the City of Kearney including a focus on downtown. Awarded $75,000.

  • City of Lee’s Summit, Mo.
    Rock Island Trail Connectivity and Wayfinding Plan — A study to determine trail alignment, wayfinding and marketing strategies for connectivity of the Rock Island Trail to downtown Lee's Summit. Awarded $40,000.

  • City of Liberty, Mo.
    Leonard/Lightburne Multimodal and Reconstruction Study — A transportation study to establish multimodal connectivity across the corridor. Awarded $142,500.

  • City of Parkville, Mo.
    Parkville Sidewalk Gap Inventory and Rating Plan — A sidewalk gap inventory and rating system for future capital improvement planning. Awarded $19,000.

  • City of Platte City, Mo.
    Historic Downtown Platte City and Courthouse Square — A plan for future improvements of downtown Platte City that includes traffic, transportation alternatives, location of a park, and housing. Awarded $150,000.

The projects are classified into two categories: initial planning for a study area without previous planning, and project development. Fourteen of the currently funded projects fall into the initial planning category, which requires meaningful community engagement.

“The Planning Sustainable Places grant program involves communities in a local government planning process with a focus on creating better places,” said Beth Dawson, principal planner at MARC. “This allocation marks the seventh round of PSP funding and brings the program’s total impact to $8,767,200 awarded to 118 projects. It is exciting to see communities implement plans that increase their vibrancy.”

Funding for these grants comes from the Missouri and Kansas Surface Transportation Programs. Project sponsors are required to provide a local match of at least 20 percent.

Learn more about Planning Sustainable Places
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