Kansas City, MO's Green Impact Zone Heralded as a National Model

Secretary Shaun Donovan joins Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, White House Urban Affairs Director Aldolfo Carrión and Dept. of Transportation Deputy Secretary John Porcari for a walking tour through the Ivanhoe Neighborhood, an area included in Kansas City's Green Impact Zone.

In Kansas City, MO's urban core there is a 150-block area between Troost and Prospect avenues and 39th and 51st streets that has been identified as the Green Impact Zone; an area targeted for home weatherization, bus rapid transit and more sustainable energy technologies. The initiative caught the attention of the White House and on September 1st, White House Urban Affairs Director Adolfo Carrión, Jr. arrived in Kansas City, along with Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan and Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary John Porcari to see first-hand the initiative that was included in the Administration's Sustainable Communities Tour. The Federal officials joined Congressman Emanuel Cleaver and Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council Director Margaret May in a walking tour through the Green Zone area that was followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open the Green Impact Zone Assistance Center at 4600 Paseo Blvd. The goal of the center is to ensure that federal and local policies are enforced and that public-private partnerships create the intended opportunities in the Zone. Later, in the afternoon, the Federal officials joined Cleaver in a town hall meeting to talk about the reinvestment and new employment opportunities the initiative will bring to Kansas City's "urban core."

The Green Impact Zone was one of six projects selected by the White House Office of Urban Affairs as a national example of a city using federal and local money to create jobs, promote progressive development and revitalize the central city utilizing a green approach.

Congressman Emanuel Cleaver introduces WH Urban Affairs Director Aldolpho Carrión, DOT Deputy Secretary John Porcari and HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan at an afternoon town hall meeting to discuss urban renewal, energy efficiency, green jobs and community sustainability.

Kansas City Power Light President and CEO Mike Chesser announced that KCP and its corporate partners planned to spend $24 million on new technologies in the area that will include a midtown substation, installing smart technologies and more advanced appliances in some homes and businesses and installing advanced meters throughout the Zone. Kansas City Area Transportation is also involved in the initiative and has started on a new Troost Avenue bus rapid transit line, with help from $24 million in Recovery Act dollars. Mid-America Regional Council is coordinating the planning and implementation of the Zone.

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