KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In light of a recent rash of crime, the Crossroads Arts District is pushing for the same security measures utilized by surrounding neighborhoods.
According to the Kansas City Star, the area has experienced a series of burglaries and property crimes, as well as an armed robbery at a coffee shop on Southwest Boulevard. As a result, the Crossroads Community Association is launching a new anti-crime initiative and making a final push to create a community improvement district for the area.
This grassroots anti-crime initiative is based on the slogan “Put Your Junk in Your Trunk,” which serves as a reminder for people to lock up their valuables as a way to avoid car break-ins. Merchants are advised to install parking lot and alley security cameras, as well as better lighting in these areas. Additionally, an anti-graffiti campaign to remove all the graffiti in the neighborhood is planned.
This initiative is leading up to a push to create a community improvement district with distinct boundaries surrounding the Crossroads. The district will be established from the Kansas City terminal railroad tracks on the south to the Interstate 670 trench of the north and between 1-35 on the west to Troost Avenue on the east. By designing a patrolled district like this, the Crossroads will be following the footsteps of the neighboring River Market, central business district and Crown Center areas. However, the Crossroads is proposing a smaller budget than utilized by these other community improvement districts as a result of the plan to hire less staff members.
In order to fund this extra security, each merchant will have to pay a fee based on their property size.
In order to make the community improvement district a reality, the Crossroads Community Association must get 51 percent of the people or entities who own properties to approve the idea, as well as 51 percent of properties based on their assessed values.
A formal petition drive is expected to start in the next couple months.
