Blue River Parkway Master Planning

• Phase One – Data Collection & Needs Assessment

  This initial step will include a comprehensive collection and review of all existing plans, reports, and technical data surrounding the Blue River Parkway.  This data will be useful in fully understanding current conditions and infrastructure, as well as future plans for projects and programs surrounding the park.  Information collected will include a review and inventory of physical and natural infrastructure, utilities, watershed studies, the regional MetroGreen Trails Plan, and past park planning studies.

• Phase Two – Stakeholder & Partner Input
  This step will launch the comprehensive public input that will guide the plan’s development.  Feedback will come through numerous special meetings with a wide variety of stakeholders, partners and groups interested in the park, including:

  • Neighborhood Residents and Business Owners, including homeowners and community leaders from areas surrounding the park, such as Calumet, Red Bridge Terrace, Santa Fe, and Loch Lloyd as well as business organizations such as the South Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
  • Public Partners, including Kansas City Parks, Public Works, Planning and Water Services, the Missouri Department of Conservation, and others
  • Recreation Focused Stakeholders – including volunteers from the Urban Trail Co. who manage trails within the park, and soccer and other sports groups who host practices, games and tournaments at the park, as well as leaders from area schools and equestrian groups
  • Natural Resource Stakeholders and Partners, including staff and volunteers from the Heartland Conservation Alliance, Conservation Fund, Bridging the Gap and the Blue River Watershed Association
  • Equity and Accessibility Stakeholders, including community advocates and experts from UMKC, the Jackson County Board of Services, and the YMCA, to help focus needs and opportunities for diversity, equity, and inclusion
  • Park Operations stakeholders, including sessions to hear directly from the associates and volunteers who keep the park well maintained and safe
  • Park Safety stakeholders, including Park Rangers and other state and local law enforcement agencies who have responsibilities for public safety in and around the park
• Phase Three – Public Engagement and Needs Assessment

  This critical step includes the launch of the Public Survey and full rollout of the dedicated webpage presence for the project.  The survey, which will be available both online and in-person, will include informative questions on perceptions of the park, usage, and priorities for future improvements and programming.  Parks staff will be offering opportunities at local centers, such as Mid-Continent Public Library locations near the park, for citizens to complete the survey, ask questions, and learn more about the park and planning efforts.  The dedicated webpage, that you are now viewing, includes information about the park, the planning process and an instant opportunity for you to provide us feedback through the link: Blue River Parkway Master Plan Study

• Phase Four – Data Synthesis and Conceptual Plan/Program Development                     
  This phase of the planning process will look at all of the data and needs assessment information that has been collected to begin synthesizing and prioritizing opportunities and alternatives into conceptual plans in the following area:

• Establish Draft Goals & Priorities (draft ideas, review, vetting, and setting)
      1. Enterprise Recreation/Program Priorities and Standards
      2. Land Management/Natural Resource Protection Priorities and Standards
      3. Development/Improvement  Priorities & Standards (Capital)

•  Phase Five – Plan Refinements & Final Documents

     This final step in the master planning process will include the refinement of our highest priority Goals, Standards, and Implementation/Funding      Opportunities.  As the draft goals and priorities are developed, feedback and input will be sought from citizens, stakeholders, and partners to           ensure that we are on the right track, and developing the best actionable recommendations to meet the needs of the community.

• Master Plan Document Components will Include:
  1. Summary of Process and Base Data
  2. Summary of Public, Stakeholder, and Program Participant Input
  3. Partnership Opportunities, Grants, and other Funding Opportunities
  4. Recommended Goals, Priorities, Standards, and Potential Projects/Initiatives
  5. Mapping, Graphics, & Images
  6. Implementation Plan

• The Blue River Parkway was first envisioned in a book published in 1932 at the direction of the Jackson County Circuit court entitled “Results of County Planning, Jackson County, Missouri”.  The park was the vision of then Jackson County presiding judge Harry S. Truman.  He had a grand idea of a system of improved roads throughout the county and with it a goal “of recreational parks and lakes within a few minutes by motor car of every resident of the county.”  Noted for its scenic qualities, land along the Blue River was proposed to be acquired as a park beginning at the southwest corner of the county running 10 miles north to Swope Park.  The road system was built, but the park system did not materialize at that time. 

• In 1953 a plan entitled “A system of Parks and Scenic Parkways” was done by Hare and Hare, a prominent landscape architectural and park planning firm in Kansas City, to develop a park system along the Blue River.  The new plan drew from and built upon the concepts envisioned in the 1932 Truman plan.

• In 1964, Hare & Hare completed an update to the plan for Jackson County for development of the Blue River Parkway.  In 1966, that vision started to become a reality when acquisition of property for the park began.  A $2.2 million dollar grant through the Department of Housing and Urban Development provided matching funds that were used to obtain properties between Swope Park and Blue Ridge Boulevard. Protecting green space for future generations was a major component of the funding application. A “Park Bond Construction Fund” was established in 1967, after passage of Proposition No. 4 in a county wide vote.  This fund was established for the express purpose of providing funding for acquisition and development of park land for many years.   In 1971, another $1.1 million HUD grant provided funding for acquisition of property from Blue Ridge Boulevard south to Kenneth Road.  In 1978, a Land and Water Conservation Fund grant was secured for development of football, soccer and softball fields, as well as picnic areas within the park.

• In 1991 the Prairie Gateway Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects proposed a “MetroGreen” plan for a system of trails and bikeways across the Kansas City area, including trails along the Blue River.  In the late 1990’s these trails began to be developed.  Today, a network of over twenty-five miles of mountain bike and equestrian trails, and four miles of walking trails complements the sports and picnic areas in the Parkway.  These trails have been built and are maintained through partnerships with the City of Kansas City, the non-profit Urban Trail Co. and others, leveraging the resources of the Parks Department to continue to offer recreation and outdoor enjoyment for the citizens of the county.

The Blue River Parkway Master Planning process was launched in the Fall of 2021 with the initial steps of data collection and review of comprehensive plans that related to the park. Stakeholder and Partner feedback began in October 2021 and continued through early 2022.  The Parks Department hosted seven different Stakeholder Groups to provide detailed input on use of the park and future needs.  In April 2022, the public survey and website were launched, and the in-person sessions around the community began to be scheduled.  Four in-person meetings were held to gain citizen feedback and share information about the planning process.  Over 800 responses to the survey were received from residents and park patrons.  The planning process continued through the spring with additional feedback and needs assessments, and the development of preliminary goals, objectives, priorities and implementation plans. 

We hosted two "Open House" forums for the public to attend on Wednesday, October 26, 2022 at the Kansas City South Patrol Headquarters; and on Thursday, October 27, 2022 at the Linwood YMCA. More than 80 interested individuals attended to learn more about the future of the Blue River Parkway and to provide feedback on the highest priorities. This feedback was used to further refine the final Master Plan document and the priorities of protecting our natural resources, providing new and improved recreational opportunities, and serving traditionally underserved populations through new partnerships and nature-based engagement programs. The Blue River Parkway Master Plan was adopted by the Jackson County Legislature on December 5, 2022 and will guide the protection and development of the park for generations to come.