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CBKC 2021: Influencing Change, Impacting Lives
Community Builders of Kansas City staff stayed busy in 2021 impacting underserved neighborhoods through community health and culture events as well as development projects that are transforming the landscape of the urban core. Through CBKC-hosted programs, more than 17,000 people were vaccinated; over 2,000 adults and children received free groceries, diapers and books; and, hundreds enjoyed a free concert, family movie night and The Soul of Santa festivities. More than 145,000 square feet of multi-family and office space projects advanced as well.
The year started off with CBKC being awarded a COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Grant from Kauffman Foundation, which was used to fund vaccination events and grocery giveaways.
In February, CBKC donated retail space at its Shops on Blue Parkway to Swope Health for a vaccine clinic that ran through June. In addition to the clinic, the organization hosted five mass vaccination events at various churches throughout the year.
The May grand reopening of Blue Parkway Sun Fresh was marked with weekend-long festivities including special promotions, prizes and giveaways. In response to community input, the store introduced upgraded and new services and products as well as updated pricing. Also making its debut was the new HomeGrown program showcasing products made by local vendors.
Summer is a great time for family-oriented fun and CBKC didn’t disappoint. In June, community members enjoyed a free Kansas City Symphony outdoor concert and in July were treated to a family movie night at Starlight where the first 100 school-age children received a free backpack and school supplies.
Fall brought a free breakfast and grant writing workshop hosted by CBKC and the Center for Neighborhoods-UMKC at the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center and facilitated by Dr. Stacey Daniels-Young and Murray Woodard.
Turkeys weren’t the only thing given away at the third annual turkey giveaway in November. Groceries, diapers and books were distributed to 1,134 adults and 971 kids and COVID-19 vaccines/boosters were given to 472 adults and 123 kids. Also in November, Blue Parkway Sun Fresh launched its new online ordering and grocery pick-up service offering customers the convenience of 24/7 shopping, time savings, same-day pick-up and groceries loaded into their vehicle.
Closing out the busy year of community events was the CBKC’s first The Soul of Santa tree lighting, community breakfast and toy giveaway bringing the Christmas spirit to The Shops on Blue Parkway.
2021 was a busy year on the development front as well. In December, CBKC was awarded a 4 percent Missouri Housing Development Commission allocation for the redevelopment of the Twin Elms Apartments located at 41st St. and Paseo.
Throughout the year, significant progress was made on The Rochester Apartments on the Boulevard located at 3939 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Construction on the 81,000-square-foot project is on schedule to complete in June 2022. The Rochester features one- (675 square feet), one plus- (750-850 square feet with den), and two-bedroom/two-bath (1,000 square feet) units. Rents range from $985-$1500 depending on size, floor level and views. All residents have access to The Nest, a 2,000-square-foot rooftop indoor/outdoor gathering space featuring a firepit. To reserve a unit visit www.therochesterkc.com.
CBKC’s innovative Offices at Overlook also got underway with demolition of the former site of the Houston Shopping Center and Zion Grove Missionary Baptist Church on the 11-acre plot at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and Chestnut Ave., completing in December. Mass excavation is expected to be done by the end of first quarter 2022 and construction on the 64,000-square-foot office building with three stories and private tenant roof terraces is expected to begin later in the year.
CBKC would like to extend a sincere thank you to all its community partners for joining the charge to influence positive change in the urban core.
Colliers – Committed to CBKC and its Communities
When Community Builders of Kansas City partners with an organization it often is to assist in advancing that organization’s cause. In Colliers Kansas City, CBKC has found a partner that understands, appreciates and works with us to advance our mission while doing exceptional work in the commercial leasing and property management services it provides for CBKC.
“I am very impressed with the commitment Community Builders has to the community – that’s a win-win for me,” said Kim Cronan, senior property manager with Colliers. “I work with an organization that is a good business partner – lets Colliers manage the properties how we think best, is very accessible and involved in decision making, has great MBE/WBE vendor relationships – and I get to participate with them in activities that feed my soul and make a difference in this community.”
Cronan has been hands on supporting CBKC-sponsored activities such as vaccination and food donation events, Kansas City Symphony concerts and, most recently, the Soul of Santa Foundation tree lighting celebration.
“I have been able to help with coordination for things like electrical access for food trucks, event clean up, traffic and security coordination, even table and chair set up,” she said. “I support this community and what Community Builders is out to achieve. These are things I want to do.”
The CBKC team appreciates the relationship.
“Colliers has helped CBKC transform into what we are today through its work in the strategic attraction of tenants relevant to our community, repurposing spaces when our tenants grow and move into a different CBKC property and working with us as we develop new projects like the Offices at Overlook,” said Emmet Pierson, Jr., president and CEO of CBKC. “Kim has even taken the lead in one of our key projects – establishing 2 Gig WiFi access for our community on our headquarters campus.”
Ross Simpson is a senior vice president with Colliers and has worked with CBKC for more than 10 years. “CBKC is focused on its mission to the community and that helps us make sure we are doing the right thing in getting the tenants who bring the quality products and services area residents want and need,” he said.
Simpson noted that CBKC has a great history and future. “CBKC is a long-term owner and manager committed to providing excellent care for its properties, tenants and community,” he added. “My relationship with the organization has made both friends and colleagues of the staff there.”
Hesterberg agrees. “We have good history with Colliers,” she said. “They are very good at what they do, they make it a point to participate and the team we get to work with are just good people. They have taken the time to learn how CBKC works and have come alongside our organization to be part of what is making us better. They set the bar for that and now other organizations are coming to the table, too.”
Pierson Joins IFF National Board
Emmet Pierson, Jr., has joined the national board of IFF, a pre-eminent financial and development services provider of under-capitalized nonprofits. Established in 1988, IFF is the largest Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) in the Midwest having made more than $1.1 billion in loans between 1988 and 2020.
“IFF has been an innovator in finance and consulting to organizations and communities outside of the funding mainstream since its beginning,” said Pierson.
The IFF was created to provide loans that traditionally many banks won’t touch. In Kansas City, IFF has provided funding to projects such as the Emmanuel Family and Child Development Center, an accredited HeadStart and Pre-K Co-operative site, which opened a new facility in May 2020 at 4736 Prospect Avenue.
Headquartered in Chicago with six regional offices, including one in Kansas City, Missouri, IFF has more than 100 employees who provide comprehensive development services including capital solutions with a portfolio of lending products; real estate services including planning, site selection, design, groundbreaking and construction; development; and research and evaluation.
At the end of 2020 IFF had nearly $180 million in projects underway that all started with a quick screen that includes making sure the project will benefit a disadvantaged community.
“IFF is an advocate for underserved communities, as is CBKC,” said Pierson. “Taking on this role is an opportunity to share CBKC’s model and learn from IFF”s model. It’s an honor to be able to serve on this board alongside other leaders throughout the Midwest and nation that have the same mission.”
We are lenders, real estate consultants, real estate developers, community organizers, financial analysts, data analysts, construction managers, storytellers, researchers, and — most importantly — partners to nonprofits. – IFF
IFF was involved in the redefinition of the delivery system for capital in the United States when CDFI was a movement, not legislation. When the CDFI Act did come about, in 1994, creating a fund to promote economic revitalization and community development, it was built around some of IFF’s ideas.
Today, IFF is one of only five CDFIs in the nation to hold the top-ranked Aeris four-star rating for impact management and AAA rating for financial strength and performance.
CBKC Gives Away 1,000 Thanksgiving Turkeys, Hosts The Soul of Santa Tree Lighting Celebration
The holiday season kicked into festive high gear with Community Builders of Kansas City’s third annual Turkey Drop where 1,900 members of the community were treated to Thanksgiving turkeys, food, diapers and books and 500 received vaccines and boosters. Holiday festivities continued with The Soul of Santa Tree Lighting celebration beginning with a spectacular evening tree lighting and continuing the next day with a toy giveaway and free breakfast for Blue Parkway neighbors.
“Community events are at the heart of CBKC’s mission to empower families in the urban core,” said Emmet Pierson, Jr., CBKC president and CEO. “The Turkey Drop and Soul of Santa tree lighting celebration are just two examples of how we are executing on our mission by partnering with other organizations to provide access to resources and cultivate community and inclusion.”
This year’s Turkey Drop was hosted at Friendship Baptist Church, 3530 Chelsea Drive. CBKC’s holiday elves and community partners provided Thanksgiving turkeys, food, diapers and books to 1,134 adults and 971 kids. Together with Swope Health, COVID-19 vaccines or boosters were administered to 472 adults and 123 kids. CBKC is grateful to all the partners who contributed to the success of the event: Blue Parkway Sun Fresh, Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph, the Greater Kansas City Building and Trades Construction Council and the Greater Kansas City AFL-CIO, Happy Bottoms, Harvesters, the Kansas City Public Library and Swope Health.
With families stocked for Thanksgiving, CBKC’s elves turned their attention to Christmas when it hosted The Soul of Santa Christmas Tree Lighting at The Shops on Blue Parkway. The Soul of Santa’s tree lighting delivers an inclusive family-oriented holiday event to members of underserved communities. In its first year the event took place at 18th and Vine and this year was extended to include the Blue Parkway community.
Friday night’s festivities began with Christmas carols followed by a spectacular tree lighting along with free hats, mittens and scarves for those in need and remarks from special guest speakers Mayor Quinton Lucas and Emmet Pierson. The fun continued Saturday morning when 75 families were treated to free hot breakfast and kids were able to write letters to Santa, participate in book readings and receive a Christmas gift.
Thank you to The Soul of Santa for bringing its festive holiday event to Blue Parkway.
CBKC’s First-of-Its-Kind Offices at Overlook Project Underway
Community Builders of Kansas City’s innovative Offices at Overlook project located at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and Chestnut Ave. is officially underway. Environmental abatement is now complete including the successful removal of asbestos containing materials, necessary permits and inspections are secured. Demolition of the buildings on the 11-acre plot of land will begin late November and, with mass excavation, should be completed by the end of the first quarter 2022. Construction on the 64,000-square-foot office building with three stories and private tenant roof terraces is expected to start in 2022. The building is the first of the multi-phase project and will be modern while incorporating historical artifacts including stained glass from Zion Grove Baptist Church.
“Offices at Overlook is another CBKC transformational initiative taking place east of Prospect,” said Emmet Pierson, Jr., president and CEO of CBKC. “There is no other project that includes Class A office space with modern housing and upscale amenities in this community. The project will attract new businesses and services to the area which will enhance quality of life and help our community grow and thrive.”
The multi-use development will transform underused and blighted property into 180,000 square feet of Class A office space, 19,000 square feet of mixed-use space and 155 multi-family units. Other features will include a health and wellness walking trail and outdoor event plazas, making the development the first of its kind in the area.
CBKC announced the project, which falls into Kansas City’s Swope Parkway Opportunity Zone, in April of 2020.
CBKC Shares Its Strategy for Success in the Built Environment at National Conference
Part of the CBKC mission is to grow our organizational capacity so that we might carry out our other strategic goals – develop an entrepreneurial business model, continue to grow our financial strength, empower our community and share what we learn with others. In October, we had the opportunity to share what we have learned and accomplished with others as part of a panel on how Power Shapes the Built Environment at the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) Year 50 Conference in Detroit.
In 2020, a Business Journal editorial addressed CBKC’s Offices at Overlook – the $80-plus million mixed-use property on 11 acres that will transform the corner of Swope Parkway and Chestnut Avenue – stating that the project, “… provides a way for the nation, the city and businesses to do more than just talk about opportunity, equality and justice.” 1
How did CBKC get to where we are today, with the first phase of the Offices at Overlook and The Rochester multi-family project representing $42 million in projects currently underway? In part, it has been through advancing the understanding of the difference between equality, equity and justice as well as growing our own understanding of the many facets of power and its role in the built environment.
Emmet Pierson, Jr., CBKC president and CEO, joined Triveece Penelton, city planner and public involvement innovator; Jeff Williams, director of city planning and development with the City of Kansas City, Mo.; and Phil Dougherty, associate vice president with Slaggie Architects and NOMA KC president, in the NOMA conference presentation which laid the groundwork on how Power Shapes the Built Environment with an exploration of what power is – “… control over valued outcomes or resources…”
The discussion moved through the protective versus withholding role of barriers and their intergenerational impact on planning practices – interstate highway system, restrictive zoning, redlining / Federal Housing Act, restrictive covenants, urban renewal – as well as intergenerational inequity and property loss with more than a dozen exclusionary treaties and congressional acts just through the 1930s and 40s.
For NOMA’s architects in attendance the lesson was in the power they have to acknowledge the barriers, educate those affected and challenge those in entrenched power. It also was about the power of long-term planning to develop and leverage a neighborhood-focused plan as CBKC has done with its Mt. Cleveland Initiative. Started in 1993, the Mt. Cleveland development plan established a successful track record of completion and performance. It continues, now embracing a diversity of elements that have credibility and a future because of what has been accomplished to date.
The panel offered in parting the steps for helping shift the power:
- Recognize the power issues in planning, architecture and development.
- Acknowledge how oppression and difference (racism) have shaped planning, architecture and development outcomes.
- Do something about the barriers.
- Opt-in for hard decision making and prioritizing when it comes to investing in and working with BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) communities.
- Build new relationships with those willing to explore and try new approaches.
- View BIPOC communities as assets.
- Become a partner, resource and ally.
- Open the door to broader, more diversified and inclusive collaboration and investment.
1 Kansas City Business Journal, Editor’s Briefing: $84 million project puts money behind talk of expanding diversity, opportunity. Aug. 22, 2020