West Bottoms May Get First Residents in Nearly 50 Years

KANSAS CITY-New residential construction may soon be coming to the industrial West Bottoms area now that the city council has approved a loft development plan. The West Bottoms, often called the Central Industrial District, is largely used for manufacturing and storage and has not seen a residential component since the 1950′s when a flood wiped out the sparsely populated area.

The new loft development is a controversial plan. Many area business owners have expressed opposition, citing spot zoning. Other landowners in the area, some with prominent locations, support the idea. Among them are Faultless Starch/Bon Ami Co. and National Farms Inc., which owns land where the city recently agreed to build a parking garage to be used by Butler Manufacturing and patrons of Kemper Arena.