choice neighborhood initiative

The Choice Neighborhoods program of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) leverages public and private dollars to support locally-driven strategies meant to address neighborhoods struggling with distressed public or HUD-assisted housing.The program prompts collaboration between local leaders, residents, stakeholders, and developers to design and implement a plan (Transformation Plan) to revitalize distressed public housing and the surrounding neighborhoods. Through the Choice Neighborhoods program, critical neighborhood improvements are made, and communities are transformed.

With this grant, Kansas City and the Housing Authority of Kansas City will work with West Bluff Resident Services and many other local stakeholders, schools, business owners, and nonprofits to create and implement a Transformation Plan for West Bluff. The comprehensive CNI planning process will focus on three main elements: People, Housing, and Neighborhood.

Replacing distressed public and assisted housing with high-quality mixed-income housing that is well-managed and responsive to the needs of the surrounding neighborhood.

HOUSING

Improving outcomes of households living in the target housing related to employment and income, health, and children’s education.

PEOPLE

Creating the conditions necessary for public and private reinvestment in distressed neighborhoods to offer the kinds of amenities and assets, including safety, good schools, and commercial activity, that are important to families’ choices about their community.

NEIGHBORHOOD

WELCOME TO WESTSIDE!

Come Explore our Neighborhood

Take a Tour

Hop on board the bus and virtually visit the Westside neighborhood. Along the way you will see the assets of the neighborhood from community centers, churches, schools, parks and restaurants and learn about its significance to Westside!

I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy.

The Westside Choice Neighborhood follows the boundary of Kansas City, Missouri Census Tract 153 with the Interstate 670 on the North, Broadway to Summit Street on the East, 31st Street on the South and the Railroad tracks to the Kansas-Missouri line on the West. Primarily an immigrant neighborhood, the majority population is Hispanic in third and fourth generations family homes. Within this boundary is the West Bluff development, a 12 acre public housing site with homes oriented around cul-de-sacs, on a hilly terrain with very little connectivity to the surrounding neighborhood.

Through the initiative, a comprehensive plan will focus on:

replacing distressed housing with affordable, mixed income housing
quality-of-life support to residents in areas such as health, employment and education
reinvestment in the neighborhoods to bring in grocery stores, transit facilities and other amenities important to the residents.

FEB '25

TIMELINE

DRAFT TRANSFORMATION PLAN

MAY '25

july '24

NOV '23

Project Launch

Existing Conditions Analysis

Community Engagement Plan

SEP '23

GRANT AWARDED

Identify Early Action Activity

Onboard Developer

nov '24

Plan Development

FINAL TRANSFORMATION PLAN

APRIL'24

HUD Site Visit

Needs Assessment Survey Analysis

Housing Market Study

SEP '24

Outline with Content

Meet the Team

lead grantee

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF KANSAS CITY
CITY OF KANSAS CITY
WESTSIDE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION
GUADALUPE CENTERS
HISPANIC ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORTATION
MATTIE RHODES CENTER, INC
WESTSIDE HOUSING ORGANIZATION
WEST BLUFF RESIDENTS
WESTSIDE NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENTS

tony aguirre community center

steering

committee

Planning Coordinator

Join the Conversation

We want to hear from you!

Get Involved