West Bottom Flats Phase I

The original downtown of Kansas City, the West Bottoms lies at the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers occupying land in both states. It was the original location for worker housing and the economic center of the city when the railroads and stockyards were its lifeblood.  The area includes hundreds of historic manufacturing buildings dating back to the mid-19^th century.   

West Bottom Flats is the conversion of five historic manufacturing buildings totaling 341,000 square feet into 265 market-rate apartments, including 69 micro units and 7 live-work units, 5,500 square feet of retail, and 265 structured and surface parking spaces in the West Bottoms neighborhood of Kansas City, MO.  

The property offers interior amenities including indoor courtyards, a variety of fitness centers, and community rooms.  Outdoor spaces made up of courtyards and alleys include activity areas such as bocce ball courts, fire pits, and indigenous plants and trees to create an inviting, yet private retreat for the residents.  A hallmark of West Bottoms Flats is the integration of several green infrastructure features including storm water management, permeable pavement, sustainable landscaping, and new streetscape design.

MCM, with assistance from HP Group, LLC., created the West Bottoms North Historic District which not only includes the West Bottoms property, but an additional 29 contributing properties.  The $66.5 million project restored the buildings in accordance with the Secretary of the Interiors Standards for Rehabilitation and generated $10.1 million of Federal Historic Tax Credit equity and $13.1 million of Missouri Historic Tax Credit equity.   

West Bottoms Flats comprises nearly a complete city block in the emerging West Bottoms neighborhood re-establishing modern workforce housing in its original location.  

West Bottoms North Historic District has allowed other contributing properties to access federal and state incentives.  West Bottom Flats was the catalyst to spur additional development in the area that has a large building stock of warehouses that will be transformed to a higher and better use. When the direct, indirect and spinoff or induced impact is calculated, the West Bottoms Flats project will have a cumulative economic impact of $214,276,778 with 1,446 supported total jobs. 

Photography by:
©2020 Kelly Callewaert
@kellycallewaertphoto (social media)