Crossroads Community Association renews focus on increasing the number of street trees
The nonprofit, member-supported Crossroads Community Association (CCA) has renewed efforts to add A LOT of green to what has become one of Kansas City’s hottest neighborhoods! Since we started just two years ago, over 284 trees have been planted in the Crossroads!
Healthy urban tree canopies are critical components of lowering heat island effects, storm water management and economic vitality in dense neighborhoods. Heat island effects are caused by parking lots and other paved surfaces absorbing heat, which can make the ambient temperature feel hotter. Currently, the Crossroads neighborhood has no city parks and limited public green space. A 2018 Urban Forest Master Plan from the city’s parks department noted only 1.2% of the neighborhood consists of tree canopy, compared to 2.5% for the Central Business District and 60% for leafy spots like Crestwood.
In May of 2022, the CCA kicked off a multi-year effort to green the neighborhood by planting 11 2″-caliper street trees. The first phase focused on filling existing tree wells along sidewalks where trees had died or were removed during streetcar construction. Locations included Main, Grand, Baltimore, McGee, and 22nd Street. October of that year saw 22 additional trees planted around TWA at 17th & Main. Then in 2023, grant funding from Evergy enabled the CCA to plant 16 trees at the substation at 18th & Cherry. In April 2023, the CCA, in partnership Heartland Tree Alliance [HTA], community volunteers and ReBuildKC funding, planted an additional 43 trees throughout the entire Crossroads Arts District. October 2023 saw the addition of over 30 trees planted through awarded PIAC funding! And in the Spring 2024, 41 new tree wells that were cut in partnership with Spire/Mears, and Vector Services AND over 40 trees were planted in partnership with HTA, community volunteers and additional awarded ReBuildKC funding. In Fall 2024, we had two community plantings with HTA and community volunteers, the first added over 20 new trees to the Crossroads Community and the second planting added 48 new trees with an additional 45 tree wells cut and prepped by Spire/Mears! Overall, over 284 trees have been planted in two years! Incredible start but we have more to accomplish!
“With climate change threatening to increase the number of hot days in the region, we have to do our part to help mitigate the impact – especially on streets with no open green space,” said Robert Harris, former CCA President. “We appreciate the tremendous support of Crossroads Community property owners, the city, Kansas City Streetcar Authority, KCMO Parks, and Heartland Tree Alliance (HTA) in our efforts.” CCA will provide initial care for the new street trees for the first two years after planting.
CCA is working to fund future tree-planting phases with multiple sources, including the city’s RebuildKC grant program and a long-discussed Community Improvement District, the latter of which is proposed to fund greening the streets using revenue collected within the district.
