Gillon Property Group unveiled a $1.5 billion redevelopment plan for Kansas City’s historic Country Club Plaza, aiming to inject new life into the struggling retail hub. The proposal includes 750 apartments, 645,000 square feet of office space, and 278 hotel rooms, alongside infrastructure upgrades and a park. The plaza, America’s first outdoor shopping center, faces challenges like one-third vacant storefronts and aging systems requiring hundreds of millions in repairs.

Critics argue the plan risks altering the area’s suburban character with taller buildings, while neighborhood groups push back against using public funds for private projects. Mayor Quinton Lucas framed the effort as critical to competing with nearby suburbs poaching economic activity.