On Monday evening, more than 100 neighbors, business owners, and community stakeholders gathered at the Plaza Library for an informative public engagement meeting regarding the proposed new symphony venue in the South Plaza area. It is expected that the project will go before City Planning Commission on May 20th.

Hosted as part of ongoing community outreach efforts, the meeting provided attendees with an overview of the project, as well as an opportunity to learn more about its scope, anticipated operations, and timeline.

The proposed project is a 70,000-square-foot amplified music venue to be developed by the Kansas City Symphony. The facility would be managed by MEMI Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and is currently projected to open in 2028.

Plans presented at the meeting indicate the venue would accommodate up to approximately 4,600 attendees and host more than 100 events annually, with events scheduled mostly on weekend evenings. Programming is expected to include a mix of touring artists across genres, along with select Symphony performances designed for amplified or enhanced production formats. While Helzberg Hall at the Kauffman Center will remain the definitive orchestral home of the Kansas City Symphony, the new venue will dramatically expand the Symphony’s reach.

Several project representatives presented during the meeting, offering insight into different aspects of the development:

• Danny Beckley, CEO of the Kansas City Symphony, shared an overview of the organization’s vision and the role the venue would play in expanding performance and programming opportunities.

• Brian Mirakian, Senior Principal at Populous, presented on the design approach and considerations for the venue.

• Jeff McKerrow, Traffic Engineer with Kimley-Horn, provided information related to transportation, access, and traffic planning in the surrounding area.

The meeting focused on sharing current plans and data, as well as outlining next steps in the planning process. Topics discussed included parking, event scheduling, venue capacity, and traffic considerations. Attendees had the opportunity to ask questions of the project representatives and gain insight about how the proposed venue might integrate into the South Plaza Neighborhood. The venue plans to have parking available for 1,400 cars, or more, at existing parking structures one block to the west and north.

The Plaza District Council will continue to share updates as the project progresses and additional information becomes available.