This Week at City Hall (December 15 -19, 2025)

New CID leadership appointments, a partnership with Aim4Peace and several neighborhoods, and public space improvements in Brookside.

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Neighborhood Planning & Development Committee

Tuesday, December 16th at 1:30pm

The Neighborhood Planning and Development Committee is headed by Chairperson Ryana Parks-Shaw, Vice Chair Eric Bunch, and Councilmembers Nathan Willett and Melissa Patterson Hazley.

Ordinance 251049 requested approval of a Final Plat in zoning districts UR (Urban Redevelopment) and M3-5 (Manufacturing) on about 28 acres and  located at the southeast corner of East 135th Street and Wornall Road in Martin City, allowing for the creation of 3 lots and 6 tracts for a residential and commercial development known as Tilden Station.

This item was brought before the City Plan Commission on December 3rd as CLD-FnPlat-2025-00018 and was covered in that week’s edition of the blog.

This item was on the Committee’s Consent Agenda, and was recommended for approval with little deliberation.

Ordinance 251046 authorized the Manager of Procurement Services to execute a Central City Economic Development (CCED) funding agreement with Palestine Economic Development Corporation for construction of a 39-bed assisted living facility to be located at 35th Street and Prospect Avenue. Daniel Moye, Vice President of Land Development at the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City (EDCKC) presented this item to the Committee.

The Committee moved to recommend approval of this item with little deliberation.

Ordinance 251054 requested approval of a vacation of a condominium plat in a R-2.5 zoning district located at the northwest corner of East 41st Street and Locust Street in the Southmoreland neighborhood. Staff Planner Matthew Barnes presented this item to the Committee.

This item was brought before the City Plan Commission on December 3rd as CD-ROW-2025-00038 and was covered in that week’s edition of the blog.

The subject site, a series of apartment buildings, was previously subdivided into 24 units in 2007. The applicant on this case owns all units and was seeking vacation of the condominium plat to consolidate all units back into one parcel. 

The Committee moved to recommend approval of this item with little deliberation.

Ordinance 251055 requested approval of a vacation of a condominium plat (Knightbridge Business Center) in a B1-1 zoning district located at 5300 Longview Road in South KC. Staff Planner Matthew Barnes presented this item to the Committee.

This item was brought before the City Plan Commission on December 3rd as CD-ROW-2025-00035 and was covered in that week’s edition of the blog.

The subject site, a series of apartment buildings, was previously subdivided into 20 units in 1988. The applicant on this case owns all units and was seeking vacation of the condominium plat to consolidate all units back into one parcel. 

The Committee moved to recommend approval of this item with little deliberation.

Ordinance 251060 requested approval of a Major Amendment to an existing Master Planned Development (MPD) for the site known as Municipal Farms and located at the southwest corner of Eastern Avenue and Raytown Road in the Eastwood Hills neighborhood, allowing for expanded uses, including Non-Accessory Parking. Staff Planner Larisa Chambi along with Parks Department Planner Ricky Sanchez presented this case before the Committee.

This item was brought before the City Plan Commission on November 5th as CD-CPC-2025-00149 and was covered in that week’s edition of the blog.

This case follows a previous ordinance (140244) which details the previously-approved Municipal Farms Sustainable Reuse Plan. The site had previously been a laydown yard for Evergy, as well as a landfill. The aforementioned plan splits the associated parcels into twenty-one areas. This case, focused on area 20, proposed to add non-accessory parking therein.

The Committee moved to recommend approval of this item with little deliberation.

Ordinance 251056 requested approval of a development plan serving in place of a special use permit to allow a religious assembly development (Journey Church) in an R-10 zoning district for the site located at 9600 NE Reinking Road near the Shoal Creek Valley neighborhood in the Northland. Staff Planner Genevieve Kohn-Smith along with the applicant, Patricia Jensen – Rouse Frets White Goss Gentile Rhodes, P.C., presented this item before the Committee. 

This item was brought before the City Plan Commission on November 19th as CD-CPC-2025-00135 and was covered in that week’s edition of the blog.

The proposed development would include a 22,879 sq ft church with 222 parking spaces, and would have one point of access off of NE Shoal Creek Pkwy.

The City Plan Commission (CPC) had previously modified City Staff’s condition that a water main be extended along NE Reinking Rd and NE Shoal Creek Pkwy to instead only be extended to the portion that serves the proposed development (condition 25). The CPC also recommended removal of Staff’s condition that the west half of NE Reinking Rd be otherwise improved with curbs, gutters, sidewalks, etc. at the expense of the applicant (condition 21). 

The Committee deliberated about these modifications. Councilman Bunch expressed discomfort recommending approval of this item, as the modifications made to Staff’s conditions deviated from the typical requirements of developers to extend utilities. 

Mayor Pro Tem Parks Shaw offered that the ordinance be held to discuss these modifications and come to a clearer consensus. Councilman Willett, however, chose to make a motion to recommend approval which did carry through the NPD.  

Ordinance 251057 requested approval of a major amendment to the Twin Creeks development plan to expand the allowed uses for the site (located at 8601 N Madison Avenue in the Northland) to permit those uses allowed under B3-2 zoning. Approval of this major amendment would also act as a special use permit for Lot 6 of the site to allow for Motor Vehicle Repair. Staff Planner Larisa Chambi and Patricia Jensen – Rouse Frets White Goss Gentile Rhodes, P.C., a representative for the applicant, presented this item to the Committee.

This item was brought before the City Plan Commission on December 3rd as CD-CPC-2025-00172 and was covered in that week’s edition of the blog.

The Committee moved to recommend approval of this item with little deliberation.

Ordinance 251059 requested approval to rezone an area of about 99.00 acres located at the northwest corner of N.W. Skyview Avenue and N.W. 126th Terrace in the Northland from District AG-R to District R-80.

The Committee moved to continue this item to February 10th, 2026, to allow it to be brought before the City Plan Commission first.

Resolution 251061 directed the City Manager to review current City practices

pertaining to grant notifications for neighborhood associations, explore additional

means of raising awareness of such grants and grant application trainings, identify

potentially reliable funding options for such practices, review current City practices

related to grant recipient selection, identify potentially reliable funding options for

the Neighborhood Empowerment Grant program and report to Council on each of

these tasks within 60 days.

The Committee moved to continue this item until January 6th.

Ordinance 251063 authorized the Chief Procurement Officer to execute a $400,000.00 contract with Ruskin Heights Homes Association, Inc. from previously appropriated funds to establish a neighborhood outreach team to engage high-risk individuals and prevent violent conflicts.  Rashid Junaid, Program Manager at the Kansas City Health Department and Marva Moses – Executive Director; Hickman Prevention Coalition presented this item to the Committee.

This item follows last week’s Ordinance 250941, which introduced the same provisions for several neighborhoods, including Ruskin Heights. However, Councilman Curls, whose district includes Ruskin Heights, had had questions regarding the ordinance. In order to facilitate the passage of this legislation for the rest of the neighborhoods included, a new ordinance (251063) was introduced this week, specifically addressing Ruskin Heights.

The Committee moved to recommend approval of this item with little deliberation.

Ordinance 251064 accepted a $40,000.00 grant with the Health Forward Foundation and authorized a contract to support the City’s Connecting Kansas City Program supporting equitable digital connectivity for all residents.

The Committee moved to recommend approval of this item with little deliberation.

Ordinance 251048 authorized the Director of the Water Services Department to execute a $23,800,000.00 design-build contract with Goodwin Bros Construction Co, for the Westside Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) Facility Plan Project – Sludge Screening project. Blake Anderson – KC Water presented this item to the Committee.

The subject site is 1501 Woodsweather Rd in the West Bottoms. 

The Committee moved to recommend approval of this item with little deliberation.

Ordinance 250871 requested to rezone the area located at West 35th Street to the

north, Pennsylvania Avenue to the east, Valentine Road to the south, and Summit

Street to the west (in the Valentine neighborhood) to include an HO (historic) overlay zone in order to designate the area as a local Historic District on the Kansas City Register of Historic Places. Base zoning for the area is R-1.5, R-5, R-6, and UR. Brad Wolf – Historic Preservation Office presented this item to the Committee.

This item was last brought before the Neighborhood Planning and Development Committee on October 28th and was covered in that week’s edition of the blog.

Following previous coverage, Kansas City Life Insurance Company and the Valentine Neighborhood Association had been asked to meet and negotiate this ordinance and what other actions might be taken to satisfy both parties’ goals. A letter detailing the requests of KC Life had been drafted and sent to some of the members of the neighborhood, but had not reached the entire population of the proposed district. 

Mr. David Frantze, an attorney for KC Life, testified on their behalf. He put forth that KC Life was prepared to finally develop the vacant parcels in the proposed district, but that they would ask for a year’s time to complete this process. In order to accomplish this, he requested that the ordinance be held until January of 2027. This, he implied, would allow for an easier development process than would be required should the historic district be approved. Conceptual renderings of colonnaded apartments along Southwest Tfwy have been shared with the public, but no architectural plans yet have.

While much of the Committee’s attention was given to potential new development in the proposed district, members of the Valentine Neighborhood Association and their supporters testified again in support of the ordinance for the protection it would provide them in preserving existing housing stock from demolition. During the proposed continuance of the ordinance for one year, Mr. Frantze said that KC Life would not demolish any more existing structures within the proposed district. 

Why not develop north of the proposed district. Councilman Bunch and Christine Jordan (a member of the neighborhood association) both inquired about KC Life developing their vacant properties adjacent to the proposed historic district. Mr. Frantze gave in answer that those areas’, particularly north of 35th St, are recommended for medium- high-density, and that KC Life is not prepared to commit to such construction at this time.

Committee members suggested that Mr. Frantze’s proposal to continue the ordinance for one year be accepted under the condition that KC Life show good-faith efforts to develop the vacant parcels in the proposed district. This would include request for proposals, develop plans, and regular attendance of KC Life representatives at Valentine Neighborhood Association meetings. Additionally, a 6-month check-in would be held to assess KC Life’s progress and the level of neighborhood support. Mr. Frantze was opposed to this check-in, as it could cause KC Life to incur a waste of funds spent on design services that would become obsolete should their plans be rejected or altered. The Committee chose to retain this condition, however, and moved to continue this ordinance for one year.

Ordinance 250994 requested to rezone the site located at 1100 E. 63rd Street in the 49/63 Coalition and Benoist neighborhoods from districts UR and B4-5 to be only district B4-5 and to approve an associated development plan to allow for a commercial development. Staff Planner Matthew Barnes and Patricia Jensen – Rouse Frets White Goss Gentile Rhodes, P.C., a representative for the applicant, presented this item to the Committee.

The subject site contains a vacant Walgreen’s Pharmacy. The applicant was proposing to convert the existing structure to a laundromat. In addition, they were proposing to utilize the existing drive-through and adjacent interior areas for a potential coffee shop, drink shop (excluding liquor), or personal improvement service. The applicant will also preserve the existing trees and replace those which have since died.

The Committee moved to recommend approval of this item with little deliberation.

Ordinance 250997 requested approval to repeal and replace Section 88-354 of the Zoning and Development Code, titled Marijuana Facilities, for the purpose of allowing marijuana dispensaries located at least 1,000 feet from residential zoning districts to operate 24 hours per day subject to approval of a special use permit.  Staff Planner Sara Copeland presented this item to the Committee.

This item was brought before the City Plan Commission on December 3rd as CD-CPC-2025-00141 and was covered in that week’s edition of the blog.

These amendments would allow dispensaries that are more than 1000 ft from a residential zoning district to stay open 24/7, subject to a special use permit (SUP), with a duration of five years for each SUP. As of right now, this amendment would only be applicable for two existing dispensaries in the city.

Councilman Rea, the ordinance’s sponsor, requested that this item be continued ahead of the meeting Tuesday, but asked that the presentation and public testimony go forward this week.

The Committee moved to continue this item to January 6th.

Resolution 251000 and Ordinance 251019 requested approval of an amendment to the KCIA Area Plan and approval to rezone a site of about 107 acres known as known as The Retreat at Woodhaven and located at the southwest corner of NW 100th Street and N Platte Purchase Drive in the Northland. The requested area plan amendment would change the recommended future land use for the site from Commercial, Residential Low Density, Open Space/Buffer, and Mixed Use Community to Residential Medium Density. The requested rezoning would change the site from districts B3-3, R-7.5, and MPD to only district MPD. Staff Planner Genevieve Kohn-Smith and Patricia Jensen – Rouse Frets White Goss Gentile Rhodes, P.C., a representative for the applicant, presented these items to the Committee.

These items were brought before the City Plan Commission on October 15th as CD-CPC-2025-00130 and CD-CPC-2025-00129 and were covered in that week’s edition of the blog.

The applicants were seeking these items in order to construct a new residential subdivision in a rural context area, totalling 676 dwelling units across a variety of building types (including duplex, town home, rowhouse, and cottage style), both for rent and for sale. 

Ms. Jensen had previously expressed the concern of the applicants with several of Staff’s conditions on approval, mainly related to requiring the developer to construct a waterline extension and providing private stormwater easements. The City Plan Commission had recommended approval of these items with some modifications to the conditions and corrections therein.

The Committee moved to recommend approval of these items with little deliberation.

Ordinance 251018 requested approval of the petition to establish the Hillcrest Community Improvement District, located northwest of the intersection of 83rd Street and Hillcrest Road in the Blue Ridge neighborhood. Mr. Kurt Peterson, a representative for the petitioner: 635 Holdings, presented this item to the Committee.

This CID would support the restoration of the Hillcrest Golf Course, with an estimated project completion year of 2027. 

Councilwoman Patterson-Hazley had previously expressed concern with this request, as the golf course would primarily be membership-based, and would generate relatively low tax revenue, despite covering a large extent of land. She had noted the numerous CIDs in Kansas City, speaking to their benefit as vehicles to address blight, but also speaking to the need for the City to generate taxes to maintain infrastructure like roads, sewers, etc. which support private development and the citizenry at large.

Councilman Willett had also previously asked Mr. Peterson why the golf course couldn’t charge members 1% more to make up the difference, and requested that more details on the petitioner’s financing be provided.

Mr. Peterson had communicated with Councilmembers between last week and this Tuesday, clarifying their concerns, and the Committee moved to recommend approval of this item with little deliberation.

Ordinance 251041 requested approval to authorize the City Manager to execute the Fourth Amendment to the Community Investment Agreement with Community Builders of Kansas City; authorizing the City Manager to execute a Second Amendment to the Escrow Agreement with Community Builders and Preferred Title of Saint Joseph, LLC; and modifying the requirements of Code Section 74-12 as it applies to the Fourth Amendment to the Community Investment Agreement and Second Amendment to the Escrow Agreement. Tammy Queen – Assistant City Manager along with Emmet Pierson and Bob Langenkamp – Community Builders of Kansas City, presented this item to the Committee.

This agreement relates to a previous agreement regarding the Offices at Overlook development in the Town Fork Creek neighborhood. The pre-existing agreement authorized the City  to provide an amount up to $1,600,000.00 to be held in escrow and used if necessary to prevent any shortfalls for the Project. The amendments made to this agreement largely related to measures needed to be taken in order for these funds to be disbursed to Community Builders, so that they can complete the project.

The Committee moved to recommend approval of this item with little deliberation.

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City Plan Commission

Wednesday, December 17th at 9am

The City Plan Commission was attended this week by Chair Coby Crowl and Commissioners Forestine Beasley, Matt Hasek, Tyler Enders, Luis Padilla, and Todd Forbes. 

CLD-FnPlat-2025-00032 requested approval of a Final Plat in a B3-3 zoning district located at the northeast corner of Northwest Prairie View Road and North Congress Ave in the shopping center known as Zona Rosa in the Northland.

This item was on the Commission’s Consent Agenda, and was recommended for approval with little deliberation.

CLD-FnPlat-2025-00031 requested approval of a Final Plat in a B3-3 zoning district located at the northwest corner of Northwest 86th Street and Northwest Prairie View Road in the shopping center known as Zona Rosa in the Northland.

This item was on the Commission’s Consent Agenda, and was recommended for approval with little deliberation.

CD-CPC-2025-00132 requested approval of a Final MPD Plan for private open space on about 80 acres generally located on the west side of N. Skyview Avenue approximately ¾ of a mile north of the intersection of NW 108th Street and NW Skyview Avenue in the Northland.

This item was on the Commission’s Consent Agenda, and was recommended for approval with little deliberation.

CLD-FnPlat-2022-00034 requested approval of a Final Plat in zoning districts AG-R/R-1.5 to create 10 lots and 7 tracts on about 29 acres on the site located north of Northwest Barry Road and east of North Childress Avenue, south of Highway 152 in the Northland.

This item was on the Commission’s Consent Agenda, and was recommended for approval with little deliberation.

CLD-FnPlat-2022-00212 requested approval of an extension of the approval time period for an MPD Final Plan by one year for a site on about 52 acres and located at 5800 N Brighton Avenue in the Northland.

This item was on the Commission’s Consent Agenda, and was recommended for approval with little deliberation.

CD-SUP-2025-00022 requested approval of a special use permit for outdoor warehousing storage for commercial vehicle, equipment parking, and material storage (All Storage KC) in zoning districts M1-5 and M3-5 and located at the terminus of E 78th Street west of the Union Pacific Railroad, specifically located at 3901 E 78th Street near the Marlborough, NOBLE, and Gregory Ridge neighborhoods. Staff Planner Staff Planner Larisa Chambi presented this item to the Commission.

The Commission moved to recommend approval of this item with little deliberation.

CD-CPC-2025-00164 requested approval of a rezoning from B4-5 (Heavy Business) to MPD (Master Planned Development), along with an associated Development Plan and amendment to the Plaza Bowl Overlay District, for the site located at 4710 Jefferson St in the Country Club Plaza. Staff Planner Ahnna Nanoski and Gerald Williams – Division Manager of Community Planning, along with members of the applicant team Roxsen Koch and Jim McClure – Polsinelli, Dustin Bullard and Chris Harren – Gillon Property Group, presented this item to the Commission.

As part of the proposed MPD, the applicant team had produced a design guidelines document that outlines elements such as building height and form, streetscapes, signage, lighting, and transparency (amount of windows or glazing on a building’s facade). This document is publicly available as an attachment to this item on the Compass KC website. Click on the hyperlink for this case to see the associated attachments. Please note, this document is subject to alterations prior to final approval.

The applicant team explained that their goals with this MPD were to preserve the Plaza’s historic character while also facilitating compatible new development. The MPD seeks to address bicycle and pedestrian access and safety, adding more street trees and dedicating more right-of-way to non-motorized travel. In addition, while most parking space will be retained, the applicants stated that they are proposing to replace the parking garage at 301 W 47th St with public green space. The quality of existing parking is also of concern, they said, and several of the existing garages need to be updated for contemporary use. The applicants were adamant, however, that they were not asking for road closures or full pedestrianization of any streets.

Related, however, was their request for the City to vacate the sidewalks within the proposed MPD. This would allow the Plaza owners to update or maintain them to the standards they put forth. Commissioners Forbes, Lynch, and Beasley voiced concerns over this, however, as it takes regulatory power away from the City and does not guarantee good stewardship should ownership change hands.

This MPD also seeks to bring a mix of uses to the Plaza, including office, hotel, and residential, which requires a greater degree of density in the area. In order to accomplish this, the applicant team was also proposing an amendment to the height restrictions for several properties within the proposed MPD district. Details regarding the proposed amendment are available in the guidelines document, but put simply the applicant team was proposing a “stepback” or “wedding cake” model for buildings as they approach taller heights. Stepbacks are architectural recesses, like steps, where upper floors are set back from the lower ones. 

Last week, several community members voiced concerns over the proposed height amendments for the disparate scale and massing they may bring to the Plaza’s existing character. Among them were Dominique Davidson (representing the Kansas City Chapter of the American Institute of Architects), Amelia McIntire (Plaza/Westport Neighborhood Association), Kate Marshall (CEO of Plaza District Council), and Vicky Noteis (President, Historic KC). While they voiced support for the new Plaza owners, they urged City Staff and the City Plan Commission to further review the proposals on height prior to making their final recommendation.

The applicant team also explained the review process for new buildings within the proposed MPD. Essentially, any development of significant impact, would require a review process that allows for public input. More specifically, any new development that adds square footage would be required to go through the following processes:

• Up to 8,000 sq ft: site plan review
• 8,000 – 40,000 sq ft: project plan review
• 40,000+ sq ft: final plan review

Mr. Williams gave the Community Planning Division’s perspective on this item. Among their concerns was the compatibility of new structures with the Spanish-Mediterranean Revival Style of the Plaza. Their proposed solution for this was to add design guidelines for buildings above 45 feet and up to 6 stories to be compatible with historic architecture south of Brush Creek. Additionally, he proposed that in order to better adhere to the codified Plaza Bowl overlay, the developers reduce the heights of the proposed buildings on blocks F, M, and O, and to increase stepbacks on Nichols Rd. 

Additionally, to address the risk of losing historic character-contributing elements on projects where these guidelines don’t apply, he asked that major facade replacement for character-contributing buildings be only 10% instead of 30%. Understanding that the applicants want to provide flexibility for tenant storefront needs, however, he added an exception wherein ground-floor tenant facades could be replaced at a higher percentage.

Mr. Williams also added that language in the design guidelines ought to be more robust. Words like “consider” should be replaced with more committal language. 

The Historic Preservation Office had also scrutinized the developers’ list of character-contributing buildings, adding to the areas outlined in red in the picture below.

Several other recommendations were made by the Community Planning Division Office, including those regarding facades, design criteria for public gathering spaces and public art, and activation of pedestrian space and limitation of auto-oriented and heavy commercial uses. 

The Commission moved to recommend approval of this item with several modifications related to the height of buildings and largely following the recommendations of staff regarding other design criteria outlined in the presentation.

CD-CPC-2025-00168 requested approval of a rezoning from district DC-15 to UR with a preliminary development plan for four sites to permit a mixture of commercial and residential uses. The first site is located at the southeast corner of W. 8th Street and Broadway Boulevard, the second site at the northwest corner of Central Street and W. 9th Street, the third site at the southwest corner of W. 9th Street and Central Street, and the fourth site at the northeast corner of Central Street and W. 10th Street. All sites are within the Downtown Loop.

The Commission moved to continue this item to January 7th, 2026, without fee, ahead of the meeting, Wednesday.

CD-CPC-2025-00178 requested approval of a rezoning from zoning district MPD to B2-2 for the site located at 9820 N Oak Trafficway in the Northland.

The Commission moved to continue this item to January 7th, 2026, without fee, ahead of the meeting, Wednesday.

CD-ROW-2025-00036 requested approval to vacate a portion of public right-of-way of about 35,000 square feet generally located on North Olive Street between Rochester Avenue and Nicholson Avenue in the Riverfront Industrial District. 

The Commission moved to continue this item to January 7th, 2026, without fee, ahead of the meeting, Wednesday.

CD-ROW-2025-00037 requested approval of a vacation of all sidewalks in a proposed MPD (Master Planned Development) zoning district, within the Country Club Plaza.

The Commission moved to continue this item to December 30th, without fee, ahead of the meeting, Wednesday.

CD-SUP-2025-00041 requested approval of a special use permit for the expansion of a school use in zoning districts R-5 and B1-1 on about 14 acres and located at 3301 E 75th Street in the Marlborough and NOBLE neighborhoods.

The Commission moved to continue this item to January 7th, 2026, without fee, ahead of the meeting, Wednesday.

CD-CPC-2025-00179 requested approval of a rezoning without plan from R-2.5 to B3-2 for the site located at the northeast corner of E 26th Street and Holmes Street in the Longfellow neighborhood.

The Commission moved to continue this item to January 7th, 2026, without fee, ahead of the meeting, Wednesday.

CD-CPC-2025-00151 and CD-CPC-2025-00152 requested approval to amend and update the Major Street Plan, and to amend Chapter 88, the Zoning and Development Code, by enacting a new section, 88-559 – Major Street Plan, to outline the process, procedure and establishing criteria for amending the major street plan.

The Commission moved to continue these items to January 21st, 2026, without fee, ahead of the meeting, Wednesday.

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Ben Robinson is the author of This Week at City Hall, and an Urban Planning and Design Student at UMKC. He is a Kansas City native, having lived on both sides of the state line. From a young age, Ben has been interested in neighborhoods, communities, and the built environment, but only discovered the field of Urban Planning in college. He is now committed to a career in the profession, and is excited about using his education to support and grow the city he grew up in.