Kansas City, Mo. – April 13, 2026: Attorney Mark Bryant helped McDonald’s navigate and overcome multiple obstacles over a nearly decade-long period and gain approval to reconstruct its restaurant and drive-thru on Main Street in midtown Kansas City, Missouri.
In 2017, McDonald’s originally sought to demolish its existing restaurant and drive-thru, an aging structure built in the 1980s, and replace it with a modern version. The restaurant, however, was located in the city’s Main Corridor Overlay District, a plan emphasizing walkable development along the streetcar extension route. So while the existing drive-thru could continue to operate, no new drive-thrus were allowed to be constructed in the district.
McDonald’s first asked the city to amend the rules, and while the Plan Commission recommended this change, the City Council never took up a vote on the issue. Next, McDonald’s asked for a special use permit, with Mark successfully arguing that the Plan Commission recommend the proposal. However, the Board of Zoning Adjustment, the other body needed to approve the special use permit, ruled it legally could not hear McDonald’s argument. Mark won a court ruling that ordered the zoning board to take up the hearing and it later approved the permit. The original structure was torn down and construction on the new restaurant and drive-thru is underway.
Mark’s work on behalf of McDonald’s was recently featured in The Kansas City Star.
About Mark Bryant: With 50 years of legal experience, Mark is recognized as one of the best land use and public law lawyers in the Kansas City metropolitan area. As a former member of the City Council in Kansas City, Missouri, Mark’s familiarity with the codes that affect real estate development give him an edge to help developers and public agencies. He works with large retailers, public utility companies, and real estate developers to obtain the land use approvals and entitlements they need to conduct business.
About the Public Law Practice Group: The firm’s Public Law Practice Group attorneys assist clients in obtaining approval of changes in zoning and development entitlements such as variances and the issuance of building permits as well as practicing before administrative bodies on matters related to regulatory compliance. They also assist clients in obtaining the approval of economic development incentives. Click to view a project map of work the firm has completed.
About the firm:
Rouse Frets White Goss Gentile Rhodes offers highly skilled lawyers in many practice areas with vast real world experience. Our clients benefit from blue-ribbon talent unencumbered by mega firm business models.
Choice of an attorney is an important decision and should not be based solely upon a website or advertisements. In reviewing achievements by the law firm or its attorneys, remember that past results afford no guarantee of future results; each matter is different and must be judged on its own merits. Although our lawyers may practice in subject areas, neither the Supreme Court of Missouri nor The Missouri Bar reviews or approves certifying organizations or specialty designations for Missouri licensed attorneys.