Berkley Riverfront Mixed-Use District - Perkins Eastman

Berkley Riverfront Mixed-Use District

Kansas City, MO

Kansas City's new front porch on the Missouri River

This new district builds upon the successful opening of CPKC Stadium, offering a mixed-use development that connects residents and soccer fans to the city’s long-neglected Missouri Riverfront. Perkins Eastman originally established the vision plan for the 40-acre district and continues as design architect for the first phase of its development.

The vision is built upon three core elements that will tie the district together: establishing a central plaza fronting the stadium as a town square; enhancing the connection to the riverfront with a grand promenade; and straightening the existing, curved Riverfront Drive to serve as the neighborhood’s central spine between a new street car station and the stadium plaza.

Extending development to the edge of the river’s levee will activate the promenade with ground-level retail and other activities, drawing the city’s life back to the shoreline. Renamed from Riverfront Drive, the curbless KC Current Way will celebrate the arrival experience as a pedestrian-only “march to the match” on game days, funneling residents and fans into a new Central Plaza fronting the stadium. The plaza is also designed to become a convivial town square for the greater district throughout the rest of the week. The architecture is expressed in the language of a European village, which will set the tone across future phases for new buildings throughout the rest of the district.

Phase I defines the heart of the new district; it is currently under construction and expected to complete in 2026. The first two residential buildings framing the central plaza will offer 429 apartments and 48,000 sf of retail, anchoring more than two acres of placemaking public space, including the first portion of the riverfront promenade.

Centered around the world’s first purpose-built women’s professional sports stadium, the district aims to reactivate the city’s historic connection to the river, spur economic development that will make it a sought-after place to live, and create an exciting destination on game days and every other day in between.

Project Facts

Client:

Palmer Square Capital Management

Size:

District: 40 acres

Phase I: 480,000 sf

Services:

Architecture, Urban Design

Project Partner:

Marquee Development

Practice Areas:

Large Scale Mixed-Use, Planning + Urban Design

Region:

United States

Studios:

Austin, Kansas City

News

"From the Streetcar to Apartments to Hotels, 9 Projects Will Bring New Life to Berkley Riverfront," Kansas City Business Journal, Sep. 9, 2025

"Berkley Riverfront Development: A $1 Billion Project to Revitalize Urban Living in Kansas City," Urban Land, Nov. 13, 2024

Insights article: "Cities score when sporting venues spur waterfront development," Aug. 2, 2024

"KC Current prepares to go vertical on $200M riverfront phase," Kansas City Business Journal, March 26, 2025

"Kansas City Current Breaks Ground on Riverfront Mixed-Use District," KC Current, March 26, 2025

Video: "Berkley Riverfront development to break ground Monday," KCTV 5, Nov. 26, 2024

"These are KC Current's plans for first $200M in riverfront development," Kansas City Business Journal, June 20, 2024

"KC Current, Port KC Reveal Master Plan for $800M Berkley Riverfront," Ingram's, April 23, 2024

Video: "Renderings | KC Current releases plan for riverfront mixed-use district," KSHB 41 News, April 22, 2024