Creating economic equity in Kansas City goes hand in hand with building a sustainable city, said Mayor Quinton Lucas.
“We will not be the city that we need to be — we won’t have the workforce, the entrepreneurs that we need — if we’re not actually investing in equitable tools in any number of ways,” said Lucas, who was inaugurated Tuesday, Aug. 1 into his second term as mayor.
Mayor Quinton Lucas in his office at City Hall; photos by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
“Economic development, for example, shouldn’t just be a conversation about how many big towers we can build,” he told Startland News in an interview. “We also need to make sure that someone who has a startup idea is supported. We have to think of incentives not just from the basis of real estate [and] property taxes, but also onboarding more employees; being able to get the special tools to work in the city and make it more attractive. It speaks to, frankly, having a more diverse city and opportunities for people of different backgrounds.”
The City of Kansas City partnered with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation for an inclusive ecosystem research project, Lucas noted.
“The idea there is to see what impediments exist in City Hall right now,” he explained. “Simple impediment examples are permitting. We used to require liquor cards for somebody to become a bartender — that was often a cost that slowed down the ability to hire, the ability to staff up and certainly the ability of people to work. How can we remove those impediments that exist in any number of areas of our code of ordinances? So we’re doing an intense study of that right now.”
Editor’s note: KC BizCare, the small business office of Kansas City, Missouri, is a partner of Startland News. And the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a financial supporter of the nonprofit newsroom. This story was produced independently by Startland News.
Lucas is set to appoint a Small Business Task Force later this month. The task force will be responsible for reviewing the small business community in Kansas City and provide recommendations to City Council to strengthen the local small business ecosystem.
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Lucas also has a goal of filing 7,500 new business permits each year by 2027. In 2022, there were 5,149 new business permits filed. In 2018, the city filed 4,814 new business permits.
“I think this will probably be the most pro-business council that we’ve ever had, and by pro-business, I mean pro-small business,” Lucas said. “… We realize that there are thousands of jobs in Kansas City, thousands of new jobs, that will grow and build a future for this city; and they’re not in gigantic buildings or ones that would splash on the cover of the newspaper.”
Mayor Quinton Lucas in his office at City Hall; photos by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
During Lucas’ inauguration speech, he touted his goal of full carbon neutrality for city operations by 2030. In return, carbon neutrality would positively impact business, he said.
Mayor Quinton Lucas in his office at City Hall; photos by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
“Too often, when we look at sustainability and carbon neutrality and beyond, people try to look at it as a negative,” Lucas said, noting that people thought previous pro-environmental building codes were going to destroy Kansas City barbecue. “… What we’re really doing is reducing utility costs. We’re making businesses more efficient. We’re actually making sure that we are a market leader among regions.”
The Solar Array Project at Kansas City International airport is part of the city’s goal for carbon neutrality, Lucas continued. “We want people to know that Kansas City is a place where they can have good access to renewable energy sources,” Lucas said. “I think that this actually only positions Kansas City to be a leader in the next generation.”
Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, Lucas and his team are working to ensure that local businesses and entrepreneurs are highlighted during the global event, he said, acknowledging that the NFL Draft was a shortcoming for some small businesses.
“So much of the NFL Draft focus was: where the Draft was, the fan area right next to it and kind of saying, ‘That’s everything!’ And telling the world that it’s all shut down around it,” Lucas recalled. “I think, long term, that was actually regrettable.
“My hope for the World Cup is that we spend more time marketing our businesses across the metro,” Lucas continued. “We need to ask, ‘How do we make sure — either through wayfinding, marketing, communication — that we’re able to tell people about exploring areas around the city and the opportunities here?’ That’s how I think we’re going to do something different.”
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