An approved plan to reinvest in Prospect, and the gig-economy faces backlash from KC’s neighborhoods.
- Independence Plaza
- 18th and Vine
- Washington Wheatley
- Wendell Phillips
- Santa Fe
- Key Coalition
- Oak Park
- Ivanhoe
- Town Fork Creek
- Blue Hills
- Marlborough
- Sunset Hill
- Hospital Hill
- Longfellow
- Westside
FINAL PUBLIC BUDGET HEARING THIS SATURDAY. Make your voice heard! The city will host three meetings open to public questions, comments, and opinions. This is one of the most valuable ways residents can affect city policy and spend. Come prepared to engage with your councilmembers. Below are the times and locations for these meeting:
- Saturday, March 1st | 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 pm
- Goppert Performing Arts Center at Avila University – 11901 Wornall Rd
- Language Access Available
Neighborhood Planning and Development Committee
Tuesday, February 25th at 1:30pm
The Neighborhood Planning and Development Committee was attended this week by Mayor Pro Tem Ryana Parks-Shaw, Councilwoman Melissa Patterson Hazley, and Councilman Nathan Willet. Councilman Eric Bunch did not attend Tuesday’s meeting.
Ordinance 250148 approved the ProspectUS Transit Oriented Development Plan which runs along Prospect Ave, from 12th street until 75th street, passing through the Independence Plaza, 18th and Vine, Washington Wheatley, Wendell Phillips, Santa Fe, Key Coalition, Oak Park, Ivanhoe, Town Fork Creek, Blue Hills, and Marlborough neighborhoods.
According to planners Johnathan Feverston and Andy Clarke, this plan was funded by a federal Transit Oriented Development Grant which was awarded in 2019. The planning process began in August of 2022, and was completed in February of 2024. Feverston outlined the goals of the ProspectUS Plan, including protecting community, increasing business and neighborhood amenities, growing population, jumpstarting reinvestment, and implementing sustainable practices. Policies, specific subsides, and investments will be specifically crafted to develop and support these goals. This plan was previously recommended for approval by the City Planning Commission.
After being questioned by Councilwoman Hazley, Feverston clarified, “This is not a redevelopment plan, the city won’t be taking anyone’s property… This plan doesn’t have funding attached because the purpose is to provide a roadmap so that during budget season, the decision makers have actions that can be taken…There are also grants that could be applied for once this plan is adopted”.
During public testimony, Lamar Vickers, CEO of KCOG’s, spoke of his support of the plan. Another resident, Joyce McGoffin, spoke on behalf of the unified neighborhood leaders of the 5th and 3rd district. McGoffin was concerned that there was no specific funding allocated to this project, not believing that it would truly benefit her community. This ordinance was recommended for approval by the Neighborhood Planning and Development Committee.
Cases covered previously in This Week at City Hall:
Ordinance 250161 and Ordinance 250162 sought to rezone and approve a development plan at 7401 Cookingham Drive, near the city of Fairview. This case was previously covered in This Week at City Hall when the case was presented to the City Planning Commission in November, 2024. For full details of that presentation, view the blog linked above.
City planner Genevieve Kohn presented this ordinance with applicant Lindsay Vogt, who plans to construct commercial and industrial buildings on site. Upon initial review, city staff recommended approval of plans, but the City Planning Commission recommended denial. After a public meeting where the developers heard lots of concern from the nearby residents, Vogt reduced the amount of designated “manufacturing” area and increased the amount of commercially and residentially zoned areas. The Neighborhood Planning and Development Committee unanimously recommended approval of these ordinances.
Ordinance 250168 approved the construction of three homes at 609 W. 49th Street, within the Sunset Hill neighborhood. This case was covered in August, 2024, when the applicants presented to the City Planning commission and were recommended for approval. For full details of that meeting, review the edition of the blog linked here(CD-CPC-2023-00159). On Tuesday, this ordinance was recommended for approval by the Neighborhood Planning and Development Committee.
Board of Zoning Adjustments
Wednesday, February 26th at 9am
The Board of Zoning Adjustments (BZA) was attended this week by board members Randi Mixdorf, Maggie Moran, Emerson “Jaz” Hays, Myeisha Wright, and Tom Gorenc.
CD-BZA-2025-00004 requested the approval of a parking pad in the front yard of 2424 Cleveland Ave, within the Washington Wheatley neighborhood. City planner Stephanie Saldari presented this case with applicant Pablo Castillo Benitez. Benitez accepted a Spanish translator who facilitated his participation in the meeting.
Benitez described his request, using Google Street View to show how his neighbors had similar parking pads in their front yards. The board debated how they could responsibly approve the request, opting to allow for the driveway, but require Benitez to decrease its size. After making this change, the board unanimously recommended this case for approval.
CD-BZA-2024-00196 and CD-BZA-2024-00204 requested an appeal to violations that the city issues at 2730 Holmes Street, within the Hospital Hill neighborhood. This currently operates as a Dashmart (Doordash convenience store) and received violations due to a lack of parking or adequate space to house employees, leading to crowding of the public street.
City staff legally justified their issuance of the violations by reclassifying the site’s use from manufacturing to retail sales. According to city planner Ahnna Nanoski, who presented this case to the board, the “retail sales” classification represents Dashmart’s business. While Doordash simply acts as a “middle-man” between restaurant and customer, Dashmart supplies and delivers their products.
According to the applicant’s lawyer, Roxanne Coke, the city staff were wrong in issuing this violation because they had previously approved the parking when the tenant occupied the site in 2023. The applicant team came with lengthy presentations for all four applicants: James McClure, Roxanne Coke, Arun Gokle, and Wayne McPherson.
McClure argued that the delivery drivers were not “true employees” of Dashmart, so “retail sales” was not the right classification for the site. Because the traffic is mainly created by the “Dasher’s” or independent contractors, and parking requirements only take into account the amount of employees, McClure argued that this site was not in violation.
McPherson gave his presentation, stating “We’re very disappointed to hear some of the complaints about recent Dasher’s behavior. Our growth has outpaced this location. We’re in the process of exploring alternative locations for this Dashmart”. McPherson outlined several steps he believed would address the issue.
During public testimony, Jackie Lamer, a leader from the Longfellow neighborhood, testified in opposition to Dashmart’s operations. Lamer outlined how Dashmart’s operations negatively impacted her neighborhood through blocked driveways, trash and litter in yards, and late night activity centered around Dashmart. Tiffany Moore also testified representing the neighborhood advisory council, in opposition to Dashmart due to its impact on the Longfellow neighborhood. Moore states, “the modern gig-economy continues to challenge us”. Moore outlined the difference between a traditional distribution center, which used larger infrastructure to reduce public impacts, and Doordash, which inefficiently used one vehicle per trip. Several other residents testified in opposition to Dashmart’s operations.
After accounting for all testimony, the board debated amongst itself. Board member Hays stated, “I think a lot of it comes down to this contractor issue. The intent of the zoning code is to prevent situations like this… Suppose I was Walmart, and I had a giant warehouse, tons of employees. But I technically classified them all as contractors. They wouldn’t classify that in the employee count used for the parking space designation… So contractors wouldn’t be considered in the code, under any circumstance”. Hays questioned how the city could reasonably regulate Dashmart if it classified its workers outside all available definitions.
Board member Wright made a final statement before calling for a vote, “I see the convenience of it. If I’m disabled, if I have children, if I am sick, I’m not waiting or having to go out after hours to get it. But we can’t ignore the growth. I believe you could still succeed if you go to a different area, like maybe east of Troost”. Following her statement, the board recommended that the city uphold both of the issues zoning violations, meaning Dashmart will have to relocate or fix their violations, if City Council also rules in favor.
Cases covered previously in This Week at City Hall:
CD-SUP-2024-00054 requested a Special Use Permit (SUP) for a sixplex to be located at 1639 Summit St, within the Westside neighborhood. This case was covered in last week’s edition of This Week at City Hall, when the City Planning Commission (CPC) recommended approval of the SUP.
City staff planner Ahnna Nonoski presented this case with the architect/applicant Grace Broeder and developer Graham Zusi. They each gave a similar presentation compared to the CPC meeting, detailing how the home would fit into the context of the Westside neighborhood. This specific request included a variance to allow an enclosure around the trash and recycling bins, which would obscure them from the view of the general public.
Similar to last week’s meeting, many residents of the Westside neighborhood testified in support and opposition to the project. The supporters of the project stated that they wanted “more urban growth”, and “density that will encourage small business growth”. Several residents also spoke to the applicant, Graham Zusi’s, upstanding character.
Residents in opposition to the project expressed their fear that this could create a precedent for more density and multiunit housing within the neighborhood. They worried about their home values, and stated their belief that this project would make them feel unsafe and decrease their quality of life.
The Board of Zoning Adjustments unanimously recommended approval of this case.
Author’s Bio: Grayson Johnston is the author of This Week at City Hall, but also 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.
Leave a Reply