A city-led and funded effort to fill vacant storefronts in downtown Kansas City ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is still taking shape, officials said this week, noting that crafting the infrastructure for the program alongside private property owners is expected to extend through the summer.
“The World Cup is just the beginning of Kansas City’s time on the world stage,” said Wes Rogers, 2nd District Councilman for Kansas City, Missouri, and chair of the Small Business Task Force. “When visitors from all over the world visit next year, we need to be open for business, so they come back to Kansas City again and again.”
The City Council recently approved $1.4 million in funds, setting the stage for the Small Business Storefront Vacancy Revitalization Pilot Program, which is being coordinated by the KC BizCare Office and partners at the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, Missouri…