Arbor Villa Park
Arbor Villa Park is a beloved asset in the heart of Armour Hills. Maintained by KC Parks, this public park features playground equipment and tennis courts and is where Armour Hills Homes Association holds certain annual events, such as the Ice Cream Social. Learn more about the park from KC Parks.
An article on the park’s dedication on July 22,1924 described the park as an “’outdoor home to all who live or expect to live in Armour Hills” and quoted J.C. Nichols as saying “It is our hope that this little park may become a common meeting place for both parents and children, and the medium through which many lifelong friendships may be established” and suggested that the inspirational value of a beautiful park included “the encouragement of better landscape design, the greater planting of trees, flowers, and shrubs on every lawn, but the vital effect of beauty upon the lives of all who come under its influence.” A judge who resided in Armour Hills also remarked that “he regarded that the presentation to home owners of such a park as not only an innovation in residential development, but a distinct asset to Kansas City.” The Nichols Company concluded with the hope that “this little park may grow into affections of all who enter it, and that sunset of July 22, 1924, may see it grown even more beautiful through the careful safeguarding of it by those to whom Arbor Villa has been given.”
The Arbor Villa Park Pool has been closed indefinitely by the KC Parks Department. Guidance from the KCMO Health Department regarding disease risks from pools that don’t filter and recirculate the water, such as Arbor Villa, is behind this decision, which applies to other pools of this kind in the city. View AHHA’s position letter to the City here, including AHHA’s proposal for reopening of the pool.
In May 2023, there was a neighborhood meeting with a City representative on Arbor Villa Pool. AHHA residents had the chance to give feedback and view proposed plans for the pool. In October 2023, the City shared a draft of its Aquatics Master Plan, which included recommendations for Arbor Villa Pool. The pool is listed as in very poor condition, and needing “substantial improvements or modifications of service.”
Click here to view the Aquatics Master plan (the Arbor Villa Pool overview begins on page 52).
Trolley Track Trail
The Trolley Track Trail is a recreational trail running along the entire western edge of Armour Hills on its six-mile path from Volker and Brookside Boulevards on the north to 85th and Prospect on the south. The trail runs along the right-of-way of the last streetcar line to operate, the Country Club line.
This trail is owned and maintained by the City of Kansas City, Missouri. Armour Hills Homes Association works with the City to help fund the maintenance of the section of trail that runs along the edge of the neighborhood, pursuant to a Maintenance Agreement dated January 1, 2012, as amended on April 22, 2015. The agreements, originally entered into with the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA), were assumed by the City when it purchased the Country Club Right of Way in 2019, as reflected in the Cooperative Agreement for Country Club Right of Way.
Pocket Parks and Islands
One of the more unique sets of amenities that make Armour Hills special are our landscaped islands and three “pocket parks”. The islands, many of which feature original or reproduced versions of statuary, fountains, benches and other amenities originally placed when the neighborhood was created. Armour Center, the largest island, was originally planned to be a commercial center, as described in this article from 1924. The Grand Avenue pocket park has a children’s sandlot baseball field. All of the islands and parks are either (i) public property, (ii) private property of Armour Hills Homes Association but publicly-accessible, or (iii) private property of Armour Hills Homes Association and accessible only to homeowners in Armour Hills in accordance with the applicable covenants. Regardless of the legal status, the islands and parks are maintained by the Armour Hills Homes Association.
Per the applicable Armour Hills plat documents, the islands were dedicated to the public for park purposes (“All tracts of land at street intersections, designated on the plat by the word “park” are hereby dedicated to the public for park purposes.”) Per the 1977 memo prepared by the City Attorney’s Office, Armour Hills Homes Association, as the successor-in-interest to the original dedicator (JC Nichols Company), owns the property, subject to an easement granted to the City (no deed was granted to the City and Kansas City, Missouri Parks and Recreation did not accept the property as park land).
The “plat documents” hyperlink should be to this page: https://armourhills.org/restrictions
Download the PDF version of the map.
Signage
Because the entrance monuments and the islands provide open space in high visibility areas, they are a popular place for real estate, political, nonprofit event, garage/estate sale or other signs to be placed.
Signs at the entrace monuments and in the islands and pocket parks are not permitted by policy of the Armour Hills Homes Association and, for those on public property or in the right-of-way, by city ordinances (view here and here) and will be removed.
Armour Hills Homes Association will not enforce its policy with respect to real estate open house and garage/estate sale signs placed on Saturdays and Sundays. Only one sign is permitted per event and must be limited to a standard-sized sign. Over-sized signs and streamers, balloons and other accompanying items meant to draw attention to the sign are not permitted.
In accordance with the applicable covenants, Armour Hills Homes Association prohibits the construction or maintenance of billboards, or advertising boards, or structures exceeding five square feet in size for the display, painting or posting of signs, or advertisements, on any lot in Armour Hills.