A part of the Historic Northeast Kansas City, the Lykins Neighborhood is a culturally diverse, economically disadvantaged neighborhood located between Independence Avenue and Truman Road, Benton Boulevard and Hardesty Avenue. The neighborhood is conveniently located near downtown and with a growing interest from the development community in the Historic Northeast neighborhoods, Lykins, with just over 1,600 households and more than 200 vacant lots, needed a plan to help guide conversations with the KCMO Land Bank and private developers. 

Since 2018, Hoxie Collective has worked with the Lykins Neighborhood and their partners, including Gregg Lombardi of Neighborhood Legal Support. The collaboration started with a strategic development plan to guide neighborhood change. In the Lykins neighborhood, our initial planning process surveyed the neighborhood’s assets and investments including local businesses, residential rehabilitations, city investment, social service providers, and faith-based community anchors. We also analyzed the challenges of the neighborhood, including crime hotspots, dumping, vacancy, abandoned and unsafe properties, and polluting land uses. 

The goal of the planning process was to establish an understanding of the neighborhood’s assets and challenges and to provide information for proactive collaboration with future development partners, particularly the Land Bank. The plan also provides suggestions for investment opportunities, establishes a preliminary focus area, and encourages the next steps of increased engagement. During this process, the standing Lykins Housing and Development Committee formed to guide an increasingly comprehensive neighborhood strategy over time. Additional topics to address as capacity increases include:

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• Mobility

• Economic Development

• Health

• Infrastructure

• Social and Cultural Systems

• Environmental Systems

The Housing and Development Committee determined a need for a set of performance guidelines to establish expectations and agreements with rehabbers and developers working in the focus area. See Lykins Performance Guidelines HERE

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Following both the plan and development guidelines, the neighborhood worked on a design for park improvements in collaboration with Eco Abet and the KCMO Parks and Recreation Department. Current work includes establishing Metrics for Measuring Success as the neighborhood progresses. These projects have helped to establish neighborhood goals and have ensured residents are guiding the ways their community evolves.