Riverside Community Development
L-385 Levee Project

Planned and implemented by the Quindaro Bend Drainage District and the U.S. Corps of Engineers, the 87+ million dollar Riverside-Quindaro Bend L-385 Levee project was completed in 2005. Riverside now has state of the art flood protection.

The Riverside-Quindaro Bend Levee consists of 4.7 miles of earthen levee along the left bank of the Missouri River at Riverside, Missouri.  The levee system averages about 20 feet in height, varying from 15 feet to 23 feet. About 2800 large tress were planted in the borrow areas.

The levee protects approximately 1,200 acres of land in the Missouri River valley, including undeveloped property, farm land and a border area of light industrial development. The levee brings 500-year floodplain protection to this key part of the City. The undeveloped property in this flood-protected Riverside site is the location of the Horizons Projects. Bounded by I-635, with railroad access and near downtown Kansas City, this portion of Riverside possesses some of the greatest growth potential of any region in the metropolitan area. The Master Plan calls for mixed use development, with new urbanism predominating. Horizons and the surrounding areas are an unparalleled development opportunity.

L-385 is the first levee in Missouri to integrate a trail for walking and running atop the levee. The Missouri Riverfront Trail wends through trees, and past wetlands and bluffs~ connecting E.H. Young Riverfront Park in Riverside, Mo. and English Landing Park in neighboring Parkville, Mo. The innovative Missouri Riverfront Trail is the product of a successful partnership between Platte County, the City of Riverside and the Riverside/Quindaro Bend Levee District.

The Riverside Quindaro Bend Levee District is responsibility of maintaining the structural integrity of the Levee System. As part of this responsibility, development in proximity to the Levee must meet certain U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). This process is defined in the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) as “Levee Critical Zone Regulations”.

The L-385 Levee System received official FEMA approval by a Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) August 31, 2006 (link to PDF). This LOMR has taken this once flood prone land out of the 100 year floodplain with a new designation of “Area Outside 500 Year Floodplain”. If you have any questions regarding the Letter of Map Revision (LOMR), please contact the Planning & Economic Development Department at (816) 741-3993. Click here to download a PDF of the Official Levee Map.

Click here to see specifications and photos at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Kansas City District's L-385 Levee homepage.