Rosedale Development

As cities struggle to re-define urban living in an age of expanding suburbs, evaporating tax bases, and competing municipalities, Wendy Wilson makes a simple case for the appeal of Rosedale: it’s an inviting place where you can get to know your neighbors.

Interconnectivity is one of the main selling points of Rosedale, the small neighborhood surrounding KU Medical Center. Wilson, executive director of the Rosedale Development Association (RDA), says the prospects for Rosedale are, well, quite rosy.

"We are centrally located and have a very diverse community," she said. "Our housing stock is great, and we have a lot of artists moving in. If you want to be close to the Plaza, Westport, 39th Street, and downtown, and live in a closely knit community, Rosedale is perfect."

The RDA is a resource center for the entire Rosedale community and an essential local partner for the Medical Center. The association offers services for residents, businesses, and institutions and attempts to fuse connections among those entities. This work can include assisting the elderly, pooling volunteer services, and implementing public infrastructure improvements in cooperation with local government.

"Groups like the RDA are integral in our larger effort to work with and improve our community," said Ed Phillips, the Medical Center’s vice chancellor for administration. "As we continue to grow and expand in Rosedale, the RDA’s input and assistance have been, and will remain, invaluable."

Serving a small portion of a post-industrial city is not without its challenges, though. The paramount task of Rosedale’s future, Wilson says, is moving toward a higher density of home ownership. Currently, the immediate area around the Medical Center sees rental rates of 85 to 90 percent – an obvious problem in Wilson’s eyes.

"Higher owner occupancy is a main goal," she said. "We need both population density and diverse economic levels."

The symbiotic relationship between residents and services for those residents is clear – thus the emphasis by the RDA on attracting high quality retail businesses to the area. The most likely spot for such retail, Wilson says, is the nerve center of Rosedale and the hub of Medical Center operations: the corner of 39th and Rainbow.

"Eighteen thousand cars go down Rainbow every day," Wilson said. "That kind of traffic should drive new retail opportunities and expand the tax base. We need to consolidate property and bring in that kind of quality retail. When we start to see that happen, and I’m confident it will, Rosedale will really take off."