Environmental Justice in Ivanhoe, restoration in the Blue River, and homeless shelter expansion.
- Western Blue Township
- Ivanhoe
- Nashua
- Northland
- Platte Ridge
- Crossroads
- Parkdale
- Hillcrest
- Hyde Park
Finance, Governance, and Public Safety Committee
Tuesday, December 3rd at 10:30am
The Fiance, Governance, and Public Safety Committee (FGPS) includes Chairperson Andrea Bough, Mayor Quinton Lucas, Councilmember Crispin Rea, Councilmember Darrell Curls, and Councilmember Wes Rodgers.
Ordinance 240986 accepted a $1,000,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Justice to pilot an environmental justice program in the Ivanhoe neighborhood. Andrew Bracker, from the City Planning department, Andy Savastino, from the Office of Environmental Quality, and Alana Henry, from the Ivanhoe neighborhood association, all presented this ordinance to the committee. According to Bracker, this grant will primarily be used to clean-up several vacant lots in the Ivanhoe neighborhood, including lead contamination and surface oils.
In historic neighborhoods, environmental contamination is a large barrier for redevelopment of vacancies, as the cost to clean these sites is significant. The grant also funds a “Environmental Advocate” position within the Office of Environmental Quality, and grants $200,000 to the Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council. According to Henry, this award will fund the management of the newly-cleaned vacant properties, as well as some beautification within the neighborhood. The committee unanimously recommended to approve this ordinance. The City Council passed this ordinance on Thursday.
Ordinance 240999 creates a program which provides financial assistance to Kansas City firefighters diagnosed with cancer. Chair Bough and Finance and Director Queen presented this ordinance to the committee. This program will be funded through an optional annual contribution fee, to be paid out in the event of a diagnosis. The committee recommended approval of the ordinance, and the City Council passed this ordinance on Thursday.
Ordinance 241006 accepted a $1,000,000 grant from Missouri Department of Public Safety for specialized license-plate reading camera equipment. Officer Josh Heinen presented this ordinance to the committee. These new cameras will replace “dead cameras” or cameras too old to function with modern software. The committee unanimously recommended approval of this ordinance, and (City Council).
Ordinance 241013 a $300,000 grant from the Missouri Department of Public Safety to support the City Prosecutor’s Office Domestic Violence Program. According to Finance Director Tammy Queen, the city has received this grant annually for many years. The FGPS committee recommended approval of this ordinance, and the City Council passed this ordinance.
Ordinance 240981 authorized the expansion of the City’s parking program. Matthew Muckenthaler, the Public Works Parking Division Manager, presented this case to the committee. This ordinance proposes to bring paid parking to the Westport, Midtown, 18th and Vine, and Plaza areas, see Muckenthaler’s full presentation on the City’s website. Muckenthaler is also interested in special parking programs such as valets and shuttles for events and parades. In total, this ordinance funds 23 parking enforcement officers, interactive parking maps, and data collection software. Muckenthaler estimates a $1,500,000 return to the city following this program’s implementation.
Mayor Lucas began his statement by stating his “biased concern” with the ordinance. Because the streetcar extension is unlikely to be running with passengers by January of 2025, Lucas was concerned with the swift enforcement of a new parking program in these areas of the city. Lucas didn’t know if the size of the problem matched the scale of the response. Lucas also stated his concern with the confusion between the Police Department’s duties and Public Works’ duties with parking enforcement. Lucas suggested that rather than each department doing a little bit of the job, there should be a comprehensive approach by one department or the other. The Mayor finished his statement by asking Muckenthaler why this change was necessary right now.
Councilwoman Robinson answered Lucas, citing the reported success of the downtown parking enforcement program as the reason for expanding to the rest of the city. Robinson suggested that the City should enforce this program in preparation for the 2026 World Cup. According to Robinson, Kansas City is an outlier in terms of peer cities and how they monetize parking, in that KC has almost no parking enforcement.The committee elected to hold the case until January 7th.
Neighborhood Planning and Development Committee
Tuesday, December 3rd at 9am
The Neighborhood Planning and Development Committee was attended this week by Vice Chair Eric Bunch, Councilwoman Melissa Patterson Hazley, and Councilman Nathan Willet. Mayor Pro Tem and Chair Ryana Parks-Shaw attended this meeting via Zoom.
Ordinance 241011 approved a residential development plan at 1007 NW Cookingham Dr, within the Nashua neighborhood, presented by city planner Andy Clarke. The parcel will feature 121 townhome units with rear facing garages. Despite some concerns from residents about traffic, city engineer Nicolas Bosseneto assured the committee that Public Works was stratified with the road’s ability to handle the new traffic. The council recommended approval of this ordinance, and the City Council passed this ordinance on Thursday.
Ordinance 241012 accepted a $5,000,000 grant, originating from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, for riparian restoration along the Blue River. Jensen Adams, from the Office of Environmental Quality, presented this ordinance with Stephanie Drasen.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, riparian restoration is “a process that sets the stage to allow natural ecological processes to occur and to continue once the riparian habitat is reestablished”. According to Adams’ presentation, this project will restore 200-250 acres of riparian habitat, restore green infrastructure in the Blue River Park, Blue Valley Park, and Alex George park, and plant up to 2,000 trees. While the majority of the project will involve restoration, there are several neighborhood outreach opportunities. Councilman Bunch congratulated Adams on the award and appreciated the opportunity. Bunch stated, “the blue river is a gem in the community, it should be more so. I’m excited for this project”. The committee unanimously recommended approval of this ordinance, and the City Council passed this ordinance on Thursday.
Ordinance 241015 approved an extension to the approval of the Brighton Village master plan, located at 4633 NE Pleasant Valley, within the Northland. Councilman Wes Rodgers introduced this ordinance, which was previously approved by the City Council in 2015. Because development was never started, the applicants requested an extension to the approval’s deadline. The final plan for the site includes 85,870 square feet of commercial development and a 210-unit multi-family residential development. The NPD committee unanimously recommended approval of this ordinance. The City Council passed this ordinance on Thursday.
Ordinance 240979 updated the zoning code involving Community Improvements Districts (CIDs) and their reporting to the city. Abbey Brinkley presented this ordinance at the committee meeting on November 19th, which was covered in a previous edition of This Week at City Hall. On the 19th, Mayor Pro Tem requested that this ordinance be held for two weeks to allow the CIDs to give feedback on the changes. After waiting the two weeks, Brinkley presented the ordinance again, and the committee recommended approval. The City Council passed this ordinance on Thursday.
City Planning Commission
Wednesday, December 4th at 9am
The City Planning Commission (CPC) was attended this week by Chairperson Coby Crowl, Commissioner Tyler Enders, Commissioner Matt Hasek, Commissioner Betsy Lynch, Commissioner Luis Padilla , and Commissioner Forestine Beasley.
Safe Streets program in progress. Bailey Waters, Chief Mobility Officer from the Public Works department, gave the CPC an update on the department’s efforts to update their Safe Streets program. Kansas City recently received a federal grant which funds the overhaul of the Safe Streets program. This update will align the program with Vision Zero, which is an “initiative that aims to make all roads safe for all users”, according to the City’s comprehensive plan, the Kansas City Spirit Playbook. According to Waters, this realignment involves a comprehensive speed limit review and updating the Public Works Street Design guidelines. Throughout the project, residents have stressed the importance of “the difference between the rural, suburban, and urban contexts” of the city. Waters plans to continue developing this update, and eventually present the full changes to the City Council in spring or summer of 2025 for adoption.
CD-CPC-2024-00154 and CLD-FnPlat-2024-00023 approved the final plan for a vehicle repair shop at 5001 NE Barry Rd within the Northland. This use was approved in 2023 by the Board of Zoning Adjustments (BZA) through case CD-SUP-2023-00039. The case was placed on the consent agenda and approved with little deliberation.
CLD-FnPlat-2024-00027 approved seven lots of residential development at 8199 Northwest Milrey Drive, within the Platte Ridge neighborhood. This development will contain four-plexes and six-plexes, accessed through a private road. This case was placed on the consent agenda and was recommended for approval by the City Planning Commission.
CLD-FnPlat-2024-00003 approved the construction of a Sam’s Club at 9001 NW Skyview, within the Northland. The preliminary approval of this plan was granted by the City Council through Ordinance 160508 in 2016. This case was placed on the consent agenda and approved with little discussion from the commission.
CD-SUP-2024-00042 sought approval of a Special Use Permit (SUP) to allow an addition to a building at 1520 Cherry Street, within the Crossroads neighborhood. This addition would expand the building’s group living use. Applicant Nick Kratz and Eric Berger presented this case with city planner Ahnna Nanoski.
Following Nonoski’s staff presentation, Kratz gave a detailed presentation about Shelter KC, the building owners. According to Shelter KC’s website, the site provides shelter to the “poor, homeless, hungry and hurting”. The expansion of the current facility will allow Shelter KC to house more people in more comfortable conditions. According to Berger, one third of the current staff at Shelter KC has previously been homeless.
During public testimony former Councilman Jerry Riffle asked the commission to hold this case for two weeks to allow Riffle to negotiate a “neighborhood agreement” and to explore Shelter KC’s “business and social plans”. Matt Abbott clarified that he and Riffle were not against the expansion, but clarified, saying “We’re for this. We’re just for it being done correctly”. Abbott owns many properties within the area surrounding Shelter KC, hence his reluctance to support the case. Commissioners Enders and Crowl expressed agreement with Riffle’s points, and asked Eric Berger if he would be amenable to the two week hold. Berger stated his intent to meet and work with the neighborhood. The CPC voted to continue the case to December 18th to allow Shelter KC to meet with Abbott and his tenants.
CD-CPC-2024-00043 a Special Use Permit (SUP) which allows Southeast Elementary School, located at 5704 N Northwood Rd, within the Parkdale neighborhood, to construct a parking lot and parent drop-off area to their site. City planner Genevieve Kohn presented this case to the CPC with applicant David Wood, with Call Valley Engineering, and David Rich with the Park Vill school district. The CPC recommended approval of this case.
CD-SUP-2024-00040 requested the approval of an SUP, which allows for the renovation of the Hillcrest Golf Course, located at 8200 Hillcrest Rd within the Hillcrest neighborhood. City planner Alec Gustafson presented this case with applicant Amy Grant. According to Gustafson’s presentation, this course was built in 1950, prior to this section neighborhood being annexed into the city. Since its construction, the golf course has fallen into disrepair. The renovation will include reconfiguration of all holes, as well as rebuilding the clubhouse. The CPC unanimously voted to recommend approval of this case.
CD-CPC-2024-00168 approved an amendment to the Zoning and Development Code of Kansas City, specifically the section involving demolition review. City Historic Preservation Officer Brad Wolf presented this code change to the commission, outlining the specific changes. This change will formalize the process city staff have when reviewing demolition requests. The amendment will include a process which allows the City or residents to propose alternatives to demolition, particularly when the building has historic, architectural, or cultural value to Kansas City. According to Wolf, this amendment received several letters of support, but not opposition.
CD-CPC-2024-00162 and CD-CPC-2024-00161 approved the rezoning of 608 E 34th St, within the Hyde Park neighborhood, from residential to neighborhood-commercial. City planner Larisa Chambi presented this case with applicants Ford Miller, with Oppenheimer Law, Catherine Ross, and Keith Andrews. During Chambi’s staff presentation, she showed historic photos of this site being used for neighborhood businesses, despite its current zoning.
Miller presented this applicant’s plan for the building, which is a coffee shop and bakery. According to Miller, the concept had great support at their community meetings. During public testimony, Hyde Park neighborhood association president Kris Kotch stated the neighborhood’s support for the rezoning. The CPC unanimously voted to recommend approval of this case.
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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