Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Holland to unveil plan for Healthy Campus in Downtown KCK

Information:
KANSAS CITY, KAN. ----- Mayor Mark Holland and Gould Evans Architects will unveil the proposed plan for the "Healthy Campus" project site in downtown KCK during a special meeting Thursday, October 9 at 5:30 p.m. in the Commission Chambers at KCK City Hall.

Gould Evans was hired as a consultant to begin a master planning process in May of this year and their proposal includes input received from hundreds of community members and stakeholders.

The presentation of the plan design will occur at 5:30pm. Stakeholder break-out groups will be conducted at 6:15pm.

In 2009, Wyandotte County was ranked last in overall health by the Kansas Health Institute, which kick-started the Healthy Communities Wyandotte Initiative. Addressing the health rankings is a top priority of Mayor Mark Holland.

Of particular concern is the presence of a food desert in KCK's Downtown community. The Mayor's vision for the Healthy Campus is anchored by a new grocery store, a new community center and expanded green space for recreational activity near the intersection of 10th and Minnesota Avenue.

Thursday's meeting will include breakout sessions to gather reaction and input from stakeholders and the public. The presentation will be broadcast on UGTV (Time Warner Ch. 2, WOW Ch. 25, and Google Fiber Ch. 141) and later archived on the Unified Government's YouTube Channel.

The final presentation is slated to go before the Unified Government Planning Commission and Board of Commissioners later in the year after feedback from Thursday's presentation is incorporated.