This Week at City Hall (February 23 – 27, 2026)

Locarno Apartments on the Plaza to build amenities space on roof of parking garage, Urbavore Urban Farms seeks several zoning variances, and Off-street Parking Ordinance held for two weeks.

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Neighborhood Planning and Development Committee

Tuesday, February 24th 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. 

Resolution 260216 appointed Matthew Muckenthaler, Michael Coddington, Sean Carroll, Kellee Madinger and Gabriel Robinson as successor directors to the 1200 Main/South Loop Community Improvement District in the Downtown Loop.

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

Resolution 260217 appointed Kristen Campbell, Kelby Hopkins, David Scott Knisley, Keley Brandt and Karson Bennett as successor directors to the Ward Parkway Center Community Improvement District.

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

Ordinance 260194 requested acceptance of recommendations of the Housing Trust Fund Board to appropriate $2,979,450.00 and to authorize the Manager of Procurement Services to execute various funding agreements for several housing projects. Evan Chiarelli – Division Manager of Local Initiatives in the Housing and Community Development Department and Catherine Nace – Board Chair, Housing Trust Fund presented this item to the Committee.

The projects that received awards as part of this ordinance were Cardinal Ridge, Prairie-Style Flat Renovation, Linwood & Troost Apartments, and Loma Vista Apartments.

The Committee moved to recommend approval of this item.

Ordinance 260195 requested approval to remove two parcels from the Crossroads Community Improvement District (CID). Doug Stone, an attorney representing the Crossroads CID, presented this item to the Committee.

Mr. Stone explained that the two parcels requested for removal from the district were erroneously added to the map when first drafted. The consent of the property owners has been given as well as that of the CID Board as to the removal of these properties.

The Committee moved to recommend approval of this item.

Ordinance 260196 requested to amend Chapter 28, Code of Ordinances, titled Floodplain Management, by repealing and replacing Sections 28-51, 28-52 and 28-53; implementing changes required by Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Community Rating System. Uday Manipelli and Robert Lawler, both from City Planning and Development, presented this item to the Committee.

The amendments to the Code as part of this ordinance were minor changes that kept Kansas City in compliance with FEMA’s Community Rating System. These mainly require that certain mechanical and electrical utilities in buildings are located above the Base-Flood Elevation.

These changes also allow Kansas City to maintain its Class A status under FEMA, which allows purchasers of flood insurance to receive reduced rates.

The Committee moved to recommend approval of this item.

Ordinance 260212 requested approval of a development plan in an R-0.5 zoning district located at 32 E. 46th St in the Southmoreland neighborhood to allow for the construction of a multi-unit residential building. 

The Committee moved to continue this item to March 3rd ahead of the meeting, Tuesday.

Ordinance 260213 requested approval of a major amendment to a previously approved master planned development (MPD) known as KCI29 Logistics Park on about 2,500 acres and located on the north side of I-29/I-435 and Northwest 128th Street in the far northwest of the Northland to allow for expanding the district boundary by 167 acres to allow for 20 million square feet of commercial, office and warehousing uses.

This item was previously brought before the City Plan Commission as CD-CPC-2025-00169 on January 21st and was covered in that week’s edition of the blog.

The Committee moved to continue this item to March 3rd ahead of the meeting, Tuesday.

Ordinance 260219 Amending Chapter 88, the Zoning and Development Code, by repealing and replacing Section 88-420, “Parking and Loading”, for the purpose of updating parking and loading standards to support more walkable development and reduce on-site parking requirements. 

This item was previously brought before the City Plan Commission as CD-CPC-2025-00143 on November 5th, 2025 and was covered in that week’s edition of the blog.

The Committee moved to continue this item to March 10th ahead of the meeting, Tuesday. However, the Committee did hear public testimony from members of the community who came to speak on the case. 

Members of the Midtown Neighborhood Alliance gave testimony in opposition to this ordinance. Residents expressed concern regarding dwindling parking supply as infill development brings more residents and greater activity to the city. Additionally, discontent was expressed with the City’s public transportation infrastructure being inadequate to support the more dense, walkable development that this ordinance aims to gradually achieve.

The MNA asked that the ordinance be amended to:

• distinguish between large and small developments
• limit the urban core boundary to those areas which are already within Transportation Development Districts (TDDs)
  • As written, the ordinance proposes an “urban core” boundary of State Line Rd to the west, the Blue River to the east, 85th St to the south, and the Missouri River to the north, in which parking minimums are no longer required for new development.
• implement this plan in phases (starting north of 31st st)
• implement a dedicated and consistent funding source for rapid transit
• implement a funding source for small business development 

Community member Shawn Tolivar also spoke; he in support of this ordinance. Existing residents don’t want to lose their parking to new residents, he claimed. As a city, he continued, we have goals to address climate change, vision zero, and more. However, some inconvenience may be necessary to reduce our car dependency and achieve these goals.

As the author of This Week at City Hall, I would like to disclose that I also gave public testimony on this ordinance. Speaking on behalf of the UMKC Planning and Design Students’ Organization (PDS), of which I am the President, I gave our support for this ordinance’s passage. Some of the aspects highlighted in my testimony related to the ways in which this ordinance benefits students.

Among them were the potential benefits to housing affordability (by allowing a greater density of development) as well as to human health. By allowing for greater density in development, a greater number of people can use active transportation to get to work or school. Additionally, reducing car use by making other forms of transportation more attractive reduces the volume of pollutants put out by cars (such as carbon monoxide and particulate matter). It also reduces the likelihood of traffic collisions like those that led to the death of UMKC student Yuxi Wu in September of 2024. While crossing Troost Ave at 51st St, she was struck by a car and later died in the hospital.

Please be aware that my views are my own, and do not necessarily reflect those of CFN.

Ordinance 260220 requested to amend the Major Street Plan for Kansas City to revise the alignment of Mexico City Avenue, from connecting to Highway 92, to connecting to North Bethel Avenue (in the far northwest of the Northland). 

This item was previously brought before the City Plan Commission as CD-CPC-2025-00170 on February 21st and was covered in that week’s edition of the blog.

The Committee moved to continue this item to March 3rd ahead of the meeting, Tuesday.

Ordinance 260221 requested to revise a previously approved street name plan known as the Barryview Townhomes Street Name Plan (at 8199 NW Milrey Dr, near the Oaks at Prairie View neighborhood in the Northland) to align with the currently assigned addresses and street names.

The Committee moved to continue this item to March 3rd ahead of the meeting, Tuesday.

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.

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.

The Committee moved to continue this item to March 3rd ahead of the meeting, Tuesday.

Ordinance 260142 directed the City Manager to submit a response to the Missouri Department of Revenue’s Request For Proposals for license office operations; and directed the City Manager to develop a yearly funding plan in an amount not to exceed $750,000.00 for operational costs and report back to City Council in 30 days.

The Committee moved to continue this item to March 3rd ahead of the meeting, Tuesday.

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Board of Zoning Adjustment

Wednesday, February 25th at 9am

The Board of Zoning Adjustment was attended this week by  Members  Emerson ‘Jaz’ Hays, Theresa Otta, Randi Mixdorf, Michael Meier, and Gonzalo Venture. 

CD-BZA-2025-00199 requested approval of variances for an accessory structure in an M3-5 zoning district for the site located at 5301 Brighton Ave near the  Sheraton Estates neighborhood.

The applicant did not appear at the meeting, Wednesday. Development Management Division Manager, Sara Copeland, informed the Board that the applicant and staff were requesting this item be dismissed, as the applicant was looking into a different approach to the case.

The Board moved to dismiss this item.

CD-BZA-2026-00008 and CD-BZA-2023-00049 were companion cases related to the property at 5500 Bennington Ave (zoned R-80) in the Brown Estates neighborhood, otherwise known as Urbavore Urban Farm. The latter case (CD-BZA-2023-00049) requested an appeal of City staff’s determination related to zoning violations issued for the subject site. 

The former case (CD-BZA-2026-00008) requested approval of several variances related to gravel vehicular use areas, accessory structures in the front yard, and temporary portable storage containers on the subject site. This case pertained to many of the same violations present in the request for appeal. 

Mr. Daniel Heryer, the applicant and property owner of the subject site, had requested that the Board continue both cases. Staff’s recommendation was to dismiss the request for appeal and to continue the request for variances. 

The reason staff was making these recommendations was twofold. For the first case, regarding the request for appeals, staff were recommending dismissal on the grounds that it had been continued ten times over nearly three years. Additionally, the second case, requesting variances, covered the majority of the cited violations, making it relatively obsolete.

Staff also recommended that the request for variances be continued as Mr. Heryer had failed to post notice of the hearing within fifteen days of the meeting. 

Several neighbors gave testimony in opposition to these cases. Complaints were levied against Urbavore Farms regarding continued zoning violations and public nuisances that these violations resulted in. Furthermore, neighbors were opposed to continuance of these cases on the grounds that the applicants had “kicked the can down the road” for several years by requesting that cases be continued instead of heard outright. 

Eventually, the Board moved to continue CD-BZA-2026-00008 (regarding the requested variances) to March 11th with fee, in order to meet the requirements for posted meeting notices.

The Board also moved to dismiss CD-BZA-2023-00049  (regarding the requested appeal of zoning violations).

CD-SUP-2025-00041 requested approval of a special use permit and several variances for the expansion of the Satchel Paige School to build Success Academies at Satchel Paige, located in an R-5 and B1-1 zoning district at 3301 E 75th St in the Marlborough and NOBLE neighborhoods. Staff Planner Genevieve Kohn-Smith and members of the applicant team, Shannon Jaax – KC Public Schools and Shelli Ulmer – DLR Group, presented this item to the Board.

This item was brought before the City Plan Commission on February 4th and was later brought before the Board of Zoning Adjustment on February 11th.

At the last hearing for this item, the applicants and staff presented the different variances related to this case. The Board was largely amenable to these, but requested that the applicant return the following meeting with other options regarding their request to deviate from the City code’s ordinances on wall signage size.

Originally, the applicants were seeking two variances to wall signage. The first sign, facing 75th St, was requested to measure 299 square feet, deviating from the permitted size of 20 square feet. This sign would be at least 180ft away from the right-of-way and would be integrated into the metal panel building material and would be non-illuminated.

The second sign would be on the rear side of the building and would not face any right-of-way, but would be visible from some abutting properties. The requested size for this sign was 210 square feet, while the maximum permitted size is 20 square feet. This sign would be similarly integrated into the building and non-illuminated, as in the first sign.

Ms. Jaax explained that this project will relocate two of KCPS’s alternative academic programs. One of these is elementary-level and the other is middle and high school level. The two programs will be housed in separate buildings on the subject site, so clear signage for the elementary entrance vs the middle and high school entrance is of significant importance to the development.

Ms. Otto had informed the applicants that the Board has denied several similar wall sign size variances related to schools. She understood the need for a larger sign, but given the deviation from the code as it is written, could not personally support the requested size increases. 

This week, the applicants returned with more design options for the requested signs. They presented options for both the middle/high school and the elementary school at 200% and 400% increase of what the code allows. 

Understanding the practical hardship of the applicants regarding visibility and separation between the students at both school buildings, the Board moved to approve the requested items, including a sign with 200% size increase (40 sq ft) for the elementary school and a sign with 400% size increase (80 sq ft) for the middle/high school.

CD-SUP-2025-00047 requested approval of a special use permit to allow a used vehicle sales dealership in a B3-2 zoning district located at 7345 Troost Ave in the Marlborough, Waldo Tower, and Rockhill Gardens neighborhoods. Staff Planner Alec Gustafson and the applicant, Jason Higgs -ABCars LLC, presented this item to the Board.

This item was brought before the City Plan Commission on February 18th and was covered in that week’s edition of the blog.

The subject site has previously operated as a vehicular sales use. The applicant provided a development plan for the site which would allow enough space for 27 vehicles. The plan also provides landscaping/screening around the west, south, and east sides of the subject site. The applicant was proposing to remove the existing chain-link fence surrounding the property, and replace it with a wrought-iron fencing around the north, south, and west property lines, and 6 ft privacy fence on the east property line, which abuts a residential district. The requested special use permit has a renewal deadline of two years.

The property has received several code violations over the past year and a half for unauthorized vehicles on the site. Mr. Higgs explained that he has been working to lease the site from the property owner and to enhance it with better paved surfaces, parking stalls, landscaping, and screening. Prior to that time-frame he reported that he was not involved with the site. Requesting the special use permit and bringing the site closer into code compliance would help mitigate the property owner’s standing code violations. 

Mr. Higgs has business experience in car sales elsewhere. He also stated that he plans to use the site strictly for used vehicle sales. No vehicle maintenance would be performed onsite.

Diane Hirschberger, the Executive Director of the Marlborough Community Coalition, spoke in opposition to this case. She spoke to the abundance of used car lots on Troost and Prospect Avenues as well as on the Paseo. She also expressed concern with the pre-existing code violations tied to the site.

The Board moved to approve the requested special use permit.

CD-BZA-2026-00012 requested approval of a variance to the required front setback to permit a covered porch on the site located at 7006 E 86th St in the Blue Ridge area of South KC.

The Board moved to continue this item to March 11th  ahead of the meeting, Wednesday.

CD-BZA-2026-00013 requested approval of a variance to the setback of a parking space on a residential lot located at 3514 NE 54th St near the Sherwood Estates and Davidson neighborhoods of the Northland. Staff Planner Connor Tomlin and the applicant, Melissa Shields, presented this item to the Board.

Ms. Shields explained that the garage on the subject site has not been used to store vehicles for several years. Instead, her family intended to remodel the interior as liveable space. No physical change was proposed to occur with the parking spaces of the driveway, but because the garage would no longer be considered a vehicular use area, the driveway would technically encroach on the front setback. 

The Board moved to grant the requested variance.

CD-BZA-2025-00214 requested approval of a variance to the required setbacks and a special exception to the fence height to permit a duplex on the site located at 3721 N Olive St in the Hills of Rock Creek neighborhood of the Northland. Staff Planner Liz Collins and the applicant, Kenneth Blessie, presented this item to the Board.

The two variances for the setbacks were originally approved by the BZA on January 28th. However, the mailed notice from the third-party vendor did not correctly notify the surrounding properties. City staff became aware of this after the case was heard on January 28th. Thus, this case had to be reheard, with the addition of a special exception to permit a greater fence height.

The subject property already contains a single-family dwelling. The applicants were seeking variances to the front and rear setback requirements to allow the existing structure to be converted to a duplex. The subject site was previously two lots, but were merged into one, and one of two dwellings on the site were demolished. The merging of the lots changed the legal definition of the front yard. Instead of fronting N Olive St, the site now fronts NE 37th Ter. The remaining single-family dwelling was built on the lot that used to front N Olive St. The setback for the remaining dwelling is now 17ft for the rear yard and 100 ft for the front yard. The existing building is considered legal nonconforming, because it was built prior to the lot merging, but converting the dwelling to a duplex triggers the need for a variance.

The required setback for the front yard is 43 ft and the required setback for the rear yard is 30 ft. Denial of the requested variances would require the applicants to redesign, keep the building as a single-family home, or demolish and start over. 

In addition, the applicants were seeking permission to construct a six-foot tall privacy fence, including a gate, around a portion of the property. This would deviate from what the code permits by an addition of two feet. The purpose of this fence would be to provide privacy which would be expected from a traditional backyard.  

Dotted blue line represents proposed fenceline.

The Board moved to grant the requested variances, but failed to approve the proposed six-foot fence height. The applicant may still construct a fence as tall as four feet, by right.

CD-BZA-2026-00015 requested approval of a variance to allow for stairs to encroach on the front setback of the site located at 235 Ward Pkwy (also known as The Locarno apartment building). in the South Plaza neighborhood. Staff Planner Stephanie Saldari and the applicants, Christine Brewood and Stephen Elkin, presented this item to the Board.

The proposed stairs would lead to the roof of an existing parking garage. The applicant was also seeking to obtain a special exception for a fence height of six feet on W 48th St that will act as a gate to the proposed stairs.

The property owners wished to use the roof of the parking garage, which is at-grade where it fronts 48th St, into an amenities space with a gazebo. The amenities space will also be accessible from inside the building, but the owner wished to have two points of access in case of fire.

The Board moved to grant approval of the requested items.

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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.