Council members decide how to fund transit, a new Bill of Rights, and updates on new developments.
- Leeds
- Clayton
- Plaza-Westport
- Blue Hills
- Town Fork Creek
Transportation, Infrastructure, and Operations Committee
Tuesday, June 4th at 9am
The Transportation, Infrastructure, and Operations Committee (TIO) includes Chairperson Kevin O’Neill, Vice Chair Melissa Robinson, Councilmember Johnathan Duncan, Councilmember Lindsay French, and Councilmember Eric Bunch, who attended the meeting via ZOOM.
Ordinance 250367 was sponsored by Councilman Curls, and directs the City Manager to develop a “Towed Vehicle Owner Bill of Rights”. This piece of legislation aims to create a website which would facilitate records of towing city wide. This site would assist the City in identifying predatory towing practices. This ordinance directs the City Manager’s office to report to the committee in 30 days.
This ordinance was presented to the committee by the Manager of the Parking Division, Matthew Muckenthaler, Councilman Curls, and Conner Swanson, and John Harbruker. According to Curls, “this ordinance is about transparency, it’s about fairness, and it’s about protecting working people”. Curls has been working on this ordinance for some time, and has partnered with KCPD, County Officials, the Public Works Department, and the Regulated Industries Department.
This ordinance will repeal the existing regulations around towing in the City, and replace them with new codes that aim to address the concerns KC has about towing. This ordinance addresses both private towing (towing done on private property) and public towing (towing solicited by KCPD). Some specific changes include the creation of an electronic database that monitors the location, time, and specifics of any towing incident. By requiring all towing to be thoroughly documented, the City can address predatory practices and specific areas which might be targeted.
The ordinance will also create a “Towed Vehicle Owner Bill of Rights”, which answers questions about which companies can tow your vehicle, when they can, how to find your vehicle, and what specific rights you have as a towed vehicle owner. While this “Bill of Rights” has not been finalized, you can find a draft on the City’s website. The maximum allowable charge for towing is controlled by the City, and is specifically set by the Director of Neighborhoods, Forrest Decker. Councilwoman Robinson asked Muckenthaler to send the “Bill of Rights” through the City’s Language Access Office to ensure that all residents of KC are served.
The Muckenthaler team received lots of questions from the committee, but finally received a positive recommendation.
Ordinance 250368 and Ordinance 250369 directs the City Manager to identify a funding source for the IRIS rideshare program within the next two weeks. The City Manager’s office must also negotiate with the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) in order to provide temporary funding for the next two months of IRIS service.
Terry O’toole, president of zTrip and Iris transportation services, presented this ordinance to the committee. Councilwoman Robinson began the conversation by stating that she believed this ordinance should fund IRIS for a full year, rather than six months. “This is the only one of our contracts that we don’t sign for a full year”. According to O’toole, he has been operating IRIS since the City put out a request for this service in 2022. IRIS is an important service because it “augments fixed route transit”, like buses and streetcars. Today, IRIS has an average of 1,048 trips a day, 22 new users daily, and a total of 441,112 trips completed. Trips are rated by passengers, with the average trip rating being 4.68 stars out of 5.
IRIS’s microtransit also facilitates the KCATA by keeping records of the most frequent trips that passengers request. With this information, the KCATA can plan for updated and new routes to serve the people of Kansas City. Several surrounding municipalities, like Gladstone and Grandview, pay a monthly fee to have IRIS services in their city.
According to Public Works Director Shaw, the service costs the City $6 million a year or $500,000 per month to operate. Councilwoman Robinson and Duncan stated their belief that IRIS was an augment to the existing bus system, and should therefore be funded only after buses were funded. Because the City cannot fund both, Robinson and Duncan both voted against approving these ordinances.
During public testimony, many users of IRIS came forward asking the council to fund the service that they need to get around everyday. Many residents spoke about how their status as a disabled or elderly member of the public made IRIS a necessary service. Several who testified were also IRIS drivers who depend on the service for a job. The committee made a recommendation to pass Ordinance 250369, which funds bus services, and a recommendation NOT to pass Ordinance 250368, which funds IRIS. These ordinances will go before the full City Council next Thursday, May 8th, 2025.
Neighborhood Planning and Development Committee
Tuesday, April 22nd at 1:30pm
The Neighborhood Planning and Development Committee (NPD) includes Chairperson Ryana Parks-Shaw, Vice Chair Eric Bunch, Councilmember Melissa Patterson Hazley, and Councilmember Nathan Willett.
Ordinance 250327 approved two amendments to the Zoning and Development Code. Amendment #1 reduces the required radius of notification when amending a plan. Previously, applicants would be required to notify homes miles away when modifying their homes or business, even when the changes were minor. This amendment changes that requirement to a 300 foot radius. Amendment #2 allows duplexes to be constructed on corner-lots in the R-6 (residential) zoning district. Corner lots, lots located at the intersection of two streets, have historically been given fewer restrictions because they have twice as much street access as typical homes.
PREVIOUSLY APPROVED CASE. The Neighborhood Planning and Development Committee committee heard several cases already approved by the City Planning Commission or the Board of Zoning Adjustment. After receiving approval from the NPD Committee, these cases will be heard before the full City Council.
Ordinance 250343 approved a rezoning and development plan for a single-family residential subdivision at the southwest corner of Northwest 108th Street and North Platte Purchase Drive. This plan will include 295 detached homes across 77 acres, and will also include the construction of several public streets through the site. The homes will range between 1,500 to 1,800 square feet and start at $450,000. Read this previous edition of This Week at City Hall for more details about the projects (CD-CPC-2024-00194 and CD-CPC-2024-00195).
Ordinance 250344 approves a development plan for an apartment building at 4545 Wornall Rd, within the Plaza-Westport neighborhood. The new Lewer Plaza Apartments is limited to a maximum of five stories, but requested a deviation to add an additional three stories. Read this previous edition of This Week at City Hall for more details about the project (CD-CPC-2025-00013).
Ordinance 250359 and Ordinance 250464 approved a development plan at 2416 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, near the Blue Hills and Town Fork Creek neighborhoods. City planner Justin Smith presented this redevelopment to the committee, which is being called the Emmanuel Science and Technology Center. According to Smith, this major redevelopment has been split into phases. Read a previous edition of This Week at City Hall for more details (CD-CPC-2025-00037, CD-CPC-2025-00008, and CD-CPC-2025-00004).
Ordinance 250361 approved a non-residential development plan for 6817 Stadium Drive, within the Leeds neighborhood. The site will be used by Union Pacific for warehousing, wholesaling, manufacturing, production, industrial services, and freight movement. Read this previous edition of This Week at City Hall for more details from the City Planning Commission meeting (CD-CPC-2025-00027).
Ordinance 250365 approved a development plan for a single-family subdivision located at 6717 N Holly St, within the Clayton neighborhood in the Northland. City planner Mattew Barnes presented this case with applicant planners from Olsson Studio. Currently, the subject site remains undeveloped, but is surrounded by other single family subdivisions. The plans call for 57 homes, a dog park and walking trails, and three entrances to the subdivision. Read this previous edition of This Week at City Hall for more details (CD-CPC-2025-00038, CD-CPC-2025-00034, and CD-CPC-2025-00033)
Ordinance 250325 requested a rezoning from AG-R (Agriculture) to B3-3 (Community Business) at 9200 NW 119th Ter, within the Northland. According to city planner Ahnna Nanoski, this rezoning is necessary to reflect Midwest Sign Company’s current use of the site as a storefront. This case was introduced at the City Planning Commision meeting two weeks ago, but was continued when the applicant failed to attend. Read a previous edition of This Week at City Hall for more details (CD-CPC-2024-00178).
After receiving a positive recommendation from the Neighborhood Planning and Development Committee, all six of these cases were fully adopted by the City Council, giving full approval to these projects.
Author’s Bio
Grayson Johnston is the author of This Week at City Hall and an Urban Planning and Design Student at UMKC. He moved to Kansas City two years ago and has loved it ever since. Grayson became interested in community and neighborhoods while still in high school, when he discovered the field of Urban Planning. As he learned about the theory of walkability, transit, and strong communities, Grayson became committed to going to planning school and starting a career growing his community.
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