Kansas City is in the middle of a quiet but major transformation: The riverfront is becoming a destination, not just a place you drive past on the highway or a dumping ground.
At the moment, one of the most exciting pieces of that story is Current Landing, a new development taking shape on the Berkley Riverfront, anchored by CPKC Stadium, the city’s newest sports landmark and home of the Kansas City Current. However, it’s not meant to be just a stadium district; it’s supposed to feel like a waterfront “front porch” for the city, according to its website, with public gathering spaces that promise town square-style events along with direct access to riverfront trails and parkland.
And developers, most notably Palmer Square Real Estate Management and Marquee Development, who announced the development’s official name a few months ago, promise that many of the restaurants, apartments and open spaces will be up and running by early spring, just in time to greet World Cup visitors.
If you’ve been to a game at CPKC Stadium, you already know the energy is different. Described as the first privately financed stadium built exclusively for a professional women’s soccer team, it’s not just the river views and teal-colored seats that make it feel special.
The stadium was developed by the Kansas City Current ownership group, led by husband and wife team Angie and Chris Long, who are also helping drive the riverfront’s new era through their investment in both the team and the surrounding area. “This is the next 100 years of Kansas City,” Angie was quoted as saying in Chris’ hometown newspaper, the Standard-Speaker of Hazleton, Pennsylvania. “We’re creating an area of Kansas City that didn’t exist before, and hopefully it will be one of the reasons people want to come to Kansas City. I mean, we think it’s just such a special area . . . The river is the reason Kansas City is here.”
The stadium, which was designed by Generator Studio and constructed by J.E. Dunn, sits on land owned by Port KC, which has played a major role in shaping and enabling riverfront development, including the stadium site, over time via a long-term 50-year lease arrangement. Current Landing is not the first major development for that slice of river shore land. Already built and now sitting adjacent to Current Landing are two luxury apartment complexes, the beer garden Two Birds, One Stone, and a hotel with a restaurant called Show Pony and a bar named Moonstone.
Developers want you to think of the area as a new kind of walkable riverfront neighborhood, designed for living, gathering, celebrating and spending real time outside and along the river.
What’s Nearby: Your Riverfront Itinerary Starts Here
Berkley Riverfront Park (Right There)
If you’ve never spent real time along the Berkley Riverfront, this is the push you needed. The park offers big open space, river views and room to roam. It can be accessed via Current Landing.
The Riverfront Heritage Trail
Current Landing also sits along the Riverfront Heritage Trail, a 15-mile walking/biking route that stretches through downtown’s riverfront areas and connects you to other parts of the city.
River Market (The Closest “Neighborhood Feel”)
A short hop away, River Market brings the best kind of Kansas City weekend energy, with local shops and food stops.
Getting There: Parking Now, Transit Soon
If you’re headed to the area for a match, concert or a casual river day, logistics matter.
Parking
Parking around the stadium and riverfront is guided heavily by event planning, and the Kansas City Current provides official match-day parking resources and accessibility details.
Streetcar Connection (Coming)
One of the most anticipated improvements is the KC Streetcar Riverfront Extension, planned as a 0.7-mile extension designed to connect the streetcar system down to the Berkley Riverfront area. It’s expected to be complete this spring, according to the KC Streetcar Authority.
