An inclusive playground will be built over I-670 downtown
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The I-670 "trench" from 11 stories up. Photo: Travis Meier/Axios
An inclusive playground will anchor Roy Blunt Luminary Park after a $30 million donation to Variety KC.
Why it matters: The children's charity is trying to make KC the most accessible city in the world, and it's starting with a highly anticipated development in the heart of downtown.
Driving the news: It's the first of Variety KC's Ten Parks Project announced Tuesday.
- The charity will use the donation to build 10 inclusive playgrounds for children with disabilities, with a goal of having one within 10 miles of any metro resident.
- $5.1 million of the $30 million will go toward the downtown park.
Follow the money: The donation comes from Peter and Veronica Mallouk of the Mallouk Family Foundation.
- Peter Mallouk is the richest man in Kansas City, with a net worth of $16.1 billion as of March, per the Kansas City Business Journal.
- Mallouk, president and CEO of local wealth management company Creative Planning, bought a majority share of Sporting KC earlier this year.
What they're saying: "We feel very privileged to be in a position to be able to make an impact," Mallouk said Tuesday. "It's going to be an example to all other cities in the United States of what's possible."
- "As a father of two, I want to say thank you," Mayor Quinton Lucas said.
Angie Griffith told Axios her 12-year-old son, Kaden, who has spinal muscular atrophy, didn't get to experience many playgrounds growing up.
- "It's a matter of getting to actually be part of the other kids," she said.
- She added the playgrounds will help other kids "not see disabilities as something to fear."
Zoom in: The playground's centerpiece is a play tower with a wheelchair accessible ramp, plus speaking tubes and view lenses that will connect kids across vertical levels.
- "The play tower is the most iconic feature in this park," Variety KC chief executive Marc Harrell said Tuesday, adding it will be visible from all around.
- Other playground features include a sensory garden, water play, climbing walls, rock scrambles and caregiver seating.
Catch up quick: The plan to build a four-block park over the South Loop, known by some as "the trench," publicly launched in 2022.
- Construction is expected to cost $315 million. City staff in March said $224.7 million in public and private funding is anticipated so far.
What's next: City spokesperson Sherae Honeycutt tells Axios pre-construction work on Roy Blunt Luminary Park is underway. Construction is set to begin by the end of the year.
- Variety KC is encouraging cities around the region to reach out if they're interested in partnering to build one of the other nine playgrounds.