Kansas
Kansas City drops parking minimums for much of the city. Here’s what it means.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Kansas City has eliminated the blanket minimum parking requirements for new buildings across a large portion of the city, but that does not mean new development will suddenly go up without any parking at all.
The Kansas City Council voted 11-2 on Wednesday to amend the city’s development code, removing the automatic requirement that new buildings provide a set number of parking spaces based on size and use. The change applies to all properties within what the ordinance calls the “Urban Core,” a zone far larger than just downtown.
Before the vote, if someone wanted to build something new in the Urban Core, expand an existing building, or change how a property was being used, the city automatically required a minimum number of parking spaces depending on the size and type of the project. That blanket rule is now gone for all three scenarios.
The change of use piece may matter most to small business owners. Under the old rules, something as common as a vacant storefront converting to a restaurant could trigger a parking requirement that was difficult to meet on a dense urban block, potentially killing the project before it started.
The Urban Core boundary runs from the Missouri River to the north, 85th Street to the south, State Line Road to the west, and the Blue River to the east, taking in Midtown, Westport, Hyde Park, the Crossroads, 18th and Vine, the Troost corridor, and large parts of South Kansas City. It is a much larger area than just downtown.
The city’s planning department found that Kansas City has an oversupply of parking, meaning large amounts of paved surface sit underused. The old code applied the same parking requirements to dense urban neighborhoods and rural outskirts alike, a one-size-fits-all approach that often made development in the Urban Core difficult. The ordinance’s stated goal is to promote “public transportation, biking, walking, and rideshare” and to support more walkable development.
A no vote with nuance
Council Member Crispin Rea was one of just two members to vote against the ordinance. He was not against the idea, but wanted to start smaller, with a pilot program in a handful of neighborhoods, before applying the change across the entire Urban Core.
“The reason I prefer that approach is because you have an opportunity to show folks how it can work, if it can work, and work out some of the challenges along the way,” Rea said.
He also offered reassurance to anyone worried the change means no parking will be built at all.
“It doesn’t mean that developers, projects and businesses suddenly don’t have to provide parking,” he said. “It’s more on a case-by-case basis. It still has to go through the city approval process, which includes public engagement. And oftentimes, what happens with these projects is the lenders and the investors in these projects require a certain amount of parking.”
“So what this does is instead of making the requirement the city’s requirement, it’s going to be more market-driven, but with all the community engagement that we ordinarily do,” Rea added.
The Midtown Neighborhood Alliance submitted multiple letters opposing the ordinance during the months-long review process. The Hyde Park Neighborhood Association submitted both support and opposition testimony at different points.
A Midtown restaurant owner who lived the old rules
Laura Norris, owner of Ragazza, an Italian restaurant at 43rd and Main Streets in Midtown, knows the old rules firsthand. She struggled to comply with parking requirements at her first location near Westport. At her current location in a historic building, she had exactly enough spaces with none to spare.
“I’m a proponent of historic preservation and reusing historic properties, which often don’t have the type of parking that is required to get your building permit,” Norris said. “So I’m excited that people can go into historic areas and not have that requirement, because it’s kind of an incubator for small businesses.”
Norris has a large tongue-in-cheek sign at her restaurant that reads: “PLEASE DON’T ASK ABOUT THE PARKING #STREETCAR2025.”
Lack of parking was a common complaint. It still is, but she said that is changing.
“I probably need to update that sign because it’s not as big of a complaint as it was,” she said.
Kansas City isn’t alone in making this change
Across the state line, Kansas City, Kansas took a similar step in July 2025, though the two cities approached it differently.
The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas placed a three-year moratorium on parking minimums east of Interstate 635, covering roughly half of that city. KCK’s reform was narrower: it applied only to commercial construction, business uses and mixed-use buildings of up to six units. Larger residential developments were not included, and the moratorium expires July 17, 2028, or when a new zoning code is adopted.
KCMO’s change is a permanent amendment to the city’s development code and applies broadly across all use types within the Urban Core.
| Kansas City, KS | Kansas City, MO | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | 3-year moratorium | Permanent code change |
| Area | East of I-635 | Urban Core (Missouri River to 85th St.) |
| Applies to | Commercial, business uses, mixed-use up to 6 units | All uses within the Urban Core |
| Expires | July 17, 2028 (or new zoning code) | No expiration |
| Review | None specified | City manager reports back in 1 year |
The Institute for Justice, a national nonprofit that worked with KCK officials on their reform, said at the time: “Parking minimums cost small businesses significant amounts of money, prevent them from using their land in the way they see fit, and deprive cities of connectivity.”
The KCMO ordinance requires the city manager to report back to the city council within one year on how the change is working and to make recommendations on parking enforcement.
Copyright 2026 KCTV. All rights reserved.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) — It’s been a week since the World Cup began in Kansas City, but some local businesses aren’t feeling the expected influx in traffic and are asking for support.
On Thursday, KC2026 provided numbers for the FIFA Fan Festival and the ConnectKC26 transportation system.
From June 11 to June 16, KC2026 said more than 63,000 people attended the FIFA Fan Festival.
There are mixed results for where everyone is from:
- 52% from Kansas or Missouri
- 33% from the United States
- 15% from out of the country
As of 2 p.m. on June 17, ConnectKC26 has a total of 86,540 registered passes.
Breakdown of routes from KC2026:
- Stadium Direct: 57,302
- Regional Direct: 17,284
- Airport Direct: 11,954
As for business traffic, it depends on where you look. Some businesses in the Country Club Plaza said they’ve seen an uptick, especially on the first match day.
“We just had a really fun time with all of the fans, and I think we did a good job preparing for it,” said KC Style Haus Owner, Deserae Minor.
But many businesses are sharing their disappointment online.
‘Ghost town’
Caitlin Benedict, who owns Bisou, a European-style coffee and pastry shop, took to Instagram after shopping at a Crossroads night market.
“We are all in this together, it sucks. It was dead. It’s been dead everywhere,” said Bisou Owner, Caitlin Benedict.
After sharing her disappointment online, she saw an uptick in business on Thursday.
“It’s nice when the community can help out, and you can back up your own hometown at the same time,” said Janet Garciga, who drove in from Lee’s Summit to visit Bisou.
“I don’t want them to just come to Bisou, and I don’t want it to just be for a day. I want them to go everywhere else, and I want them to support everyone else, and consistently, especially for the next month and a half while FIFA is here,” said Benedict.
She heard from businesses experiencing the same issues in Mission, other spots downtown, Kansas City, Kansas, and Overland Park.
Down the road in the Crossroads, Buffalo State Pizza saw fans for the French match on Tuesday.
“But after that, I mean, we even close early on Tuesday because that was, it was dead,” said Buffalo State Pizza Owner, Phillippe Lechevin.
Shopping bags and matchas aren’t filling up at Dear Society either.
“The 10 years that I’ve been here in Kansas City. I have seen a lot of these big events coming into town, and we’ve been told to prepare and get ready for these huge crowds. And to be honest, after the NFL draft and after so many things that I’ve seen in 10 years, I didn’t do anything different,” said Dear Society Owner, Chanel Jezek. “I kind of knew. I had a feeling like we weren’t going to be as busy as they were projecting because they’ve done this to us before.”
Multiple factors = slow traffic
All three, Bisou, Buffalo State Pizza, and Dear Society, said there isn’t really someone to blame, but rather multiple factors that could be part of the issues.
A lot of eateries in town added a 20% automatic gratuity to bills, Bisou and Buffalo State Pizza decided not to take part, but worry that it is keeping locals away.
Visit KC projected 650,000 visitors throughout the entire tournament, and these businesses wonder if the possibility of large crowds and no parking is also keeping residents at home.
“I think we lost a lot of the regular ones. You know, the number was shown earlier back in February, you know, the 600,000 people. People who have the option to work from home, but maybe they didn’t want to deal with the traffic, since there’s no traffic. So hopefully they’re going to come back,” said Lechevin. “People may realize, actually, you know, it’s not as crazy as it is. I can still park in my regular spot and have lunch at my regular spot without being, you know, charged an extra amount.”
Jezek said she’d love to see KC2026 and FIFA add more locally owned businesses on their website so fans know where to find them.
“We are not seeing an increase in traffic on the streets. We are not crowded like they were predicting. You can still come in. You can still support your local businesses, your favorite coffee shops, your favorite places to grab your gifts, or whatever. We’re here. We’re slow. And there are more places to park,” said Jezek.
Benedict said it is an honor to have the World Cup here, but wants to see more honesty and support from leaders.
“I feel like it’s good for our city. It’s recognition. But at the same time, I want leadership to step in and say, okay, we didn’t get as many travelers as we should have,” said Benedict.
These businesses are hopeful that fans, locals, and other owners all come out and support these small shops throughout the metro during the World Cup and beyond.
“I would say just keep coming and supporting us and showing up,” said Jezek.
KCTV5 reached out to Visit KC, but did not have any numbers it could share at this time.
Mayor Quinton Lucas’ office shared the statement below after this story aired on Thursday:
“While the economic impact of a global event of this magnitude will naturally vary by business and by neighborhood, Mayor Lucas is encouraged by what he is hearing from Kansas City’s entertainment and hospitality sectors. Hotels, bars, and restaurants reported strong activity as Kansas City welcomed tens of thousands of guests for the opening match. As we look toward this weekend’s games and the remainder of the tournament, we’ll continue to highlight opportunities for our visitors and residents alike to join in the fun and celebration of this one in a generation moment.”
Businesses are hopeful that the longer the World Cup goes on, the more people will show up. KCTV5 plans to check in with these businesses throughout the tournament to see if traffic picks up.
Copyright 2026 KCTV. All rights reserved.
Cooler temperatures today, but we will keep a chance of thunderstorms going in south-central Kansas this morning. One or two could be strong.
Temperatures stay cooler in southern Kansas thanks to clouds and rain in the area. Warmer temps and sunshine to the north.
Another chance of severe weather will visit Kansas this weekend, with a complex of strong storms rolling across the area Saturday night.
KSN Storm Track 3 Forecast from Meteorologist Jack Maney:
Wichita:
Today: Mostly cloudy. 60% chance of showers and storms. Hi: 80 Wind: NE 8-18
Tonight: Mostly to partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers. Lo: 62 Wind: NE/E 5-15
Tomorrow: Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Hi: 85 Wind: E/SE 5-15
Tomorrow Night: Partly to mostly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms. Lo: 68 Wind: SE 5-15
Wichita Weekly
Sat: Hi: 87 Lo: 73 Partly to mostly cloudy. 50% chance of showers and storms.
Sun: Hi: 92 Lo: 67 Mostly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms.
Mon: Hi: 82 Lo: 65 Partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms.
Tue: Hi: 84 Lo: 66 Partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms.
Wed: Hi: 86 Lo: 68 Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms.
Thu: Hi: 88 Lo: 69 Partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms.
SOUTHWEST: Dodge City, Garden City, Liberal, Greensburg, Guymon
Southwest:
Today: Partly to mostly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Hi: 84 Wind: NE/E 10-25
Tonight: Mostly to partly cloudy. Lo: 58 Wind: E/SE 5-15
Tomorrow: Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Hi: 85 Wind: SE 8-18
Tomorrow Night: Partly to mostly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms. Lo: 62 Wind: SE 5-15
Southwest Weekly
Sat: Hi: 92 Lo: 66 Mostly cloudy. 40% chance of showers and storms.
Sun: Hi: 91 Lo: 59 Mostly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms.
Mon: Hi: 82 Lo: 58 Mostly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms.
Tue: Hi: 83 Lo: 60 Mostly to partly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms.
Wed: Hi: 85 Lo: 61 Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms.
Thu: Hi: 89 Lo: 62 Partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms.
NORTHWEST: Colby, Goodland, Hill City, Oberlin, McCook
Northwest:
Today: Partly cloudy to mostly sunny. Hi: 86 Wind: NE/E 5-15
Tonight: Mostly clear to partly cloudy. Lo: 61 Wind: E/S 5-15
Tomorrow: Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Hi: 86 Wind: S/SE 8-18
Tomorrow Night: Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Lo: 61 Wind: SE 5-15
Northwest Weekly
Sat: Hi: 90 Lo: 61 Partly to mostly cloudy. 50% chance of showers and storms.
Sun: Hi: 84 Lo: 55 Mostly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms.
Mon: Hi: 78 Lo: 56 Mostly to partly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms.
Tue: Hi: 82 Lo: 58 Partly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms.
Wed: Hi: 85 Lo: 59 Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms.
Thu: Hi: 87 Lo: 60 Partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms.
NORTHCENTRAL: Salina, Great Bend, Hays, Russell, Beloit, Osborne
North Central:
Today: Mostly to partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms. Hi: 83 Wind: NE 8-18
Tonight: Partly cloudy. Lo: 60 Wind: NE/SE 5-15
Tomorrow: Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Hi: 86 Wind: SE 8-18
Tomorrow Night: Partly to mostly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms. Lo: 66 Wind: SE 5-15
North Central Weekly
Sat: Hi: 88 Lo: 70 Partly to mostly cloudy. 70% chance of showers and storms.
Sun: Hi: 88 Lo: 63 Mostly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms.
Mon: Hi: 81 Lo: 62 Mostly to partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms.
Tue: Hi: 84 Lo: 64 Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms.
Wed: Hi: 86 Lo: 66 Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms.
Thu: Hi: 88 Lo: 67 Partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms.
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A Kansas fire department is asking people to be more careful about what they throw away.
The Mulvane Fire Department was called to a vehicle fire Wednesday afternoon. The driver of a trash truck had smelled something burning and pulled over to call 911.
When firefighters arrived, they found smoke coming from the back of the truck. In the trash bay, a firefighter discovered a discarded laptop computer with a lithium battery that was heating up.
The department said it was able to remove the battery from the truck and flood the truck with water to cool off the trash. This is the second incident involving a lithium battery crews have responded to this month, according to Mulvane Fire.
Lithium is highly reactive, and when batteries are damaged, they can heat up uncontrollably. The reaction cascades, with the battery getting hotter and hotter until all of the lithium is consumed. In some cases, when exposed to oxygen, lithium can ignite instantly.
The fire department is urging residents to never throw computers or anything with batteries in the trash. Sedgwick County offers this free recycling guide with information on how to properly dispose of a wide variety of household goods and chemicals.
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