This Week at City Hall (February 9 – 13, 2026)

A proposed garage/greenhouse in Manheim Park, gravel and driveway variances around the city, and rehabilitation of Success Academies at Satchel Paige in Marlborough.

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Neighborhood Planning and Development Committee

Tuesday, February 10 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 260186 requested approval of the plat of Erika’s Place 2nd Plat on about 11 acres and located at the northeast corner of N.W. 95th Ter and N. Line Creek Pkwy in the Northland, creating 45 lots and 5 tracts to allow for a residential development. City Planning Staff presented this item to the Committee.

The Committee moved to recommend approval of this item with little deliberation. It was later passed by the City Council this Thursday.

Ordinance 251059 requested approval to rezone an area of about 99 acres located at the northeast corner of N.W. Skyview Ave and N.W. 126th Ter in the Northland from AG-R to R-80. Staff Planner Alec Gustafson and Patricia Jensen – Rouse, Frets, White, Goss, Gentile, Rhodes P.C., presented this item to the Committee.

The applicant was requesting to rezone to R-80 to allow the site to be split into four lots for single family housing. The minimum lot size permitted in an AG-R zoning district is 40 acres. Rezoning to R-80 would allow the applicant to divide the site into four lots of approximately 25 acres each. 

The Committee moved to recommend approval of this item with little deliberation. It was later passed by the City Council this Thursday.

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

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

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Board of Zoning Adjustment

Wednesday, February 11th at 9am

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

CD-BZA-2025-00154 requested approval of a variance to the location and design requirements of vehicular use areas in residential districts to permit gravel on the site located at 211 E 147th St near Martin City in South KC. Staff Planner Connor Tomlin and the property owners/applicants, Jeff and Tara Stevens, presented this item to the Board.

The applicants had previously constructed a driveway and carport, using gravel for at least a portion of the surface material. The gravel may have previously held legal nonconforming status if it were constructed prior any ordinance prohibiting gravel. However, the expansion of the gravel exceeded its original state and was not granted through approvals by Planning staff. This, therefore, nullified any legal nonconforming status the gravel may have previously held.

Mr. and Mrs. Stevens explained that they had previously gone before the Board to permit the carport they had constructed on the site and were approved. They also explained that the depth of the driveway had been consistent since they’d purchased the property, and they had maintained this depth. They had expanded the driveway’s width for the carport, however. They reported being told conflicting information about whether the gravel expansion for this previously-approved carport was permitted. 

The Board moved to grant the requested variance.

CD-BZA-2026-00005 requested approval of a variance to the residential vehicular standards to permit a wider driveway for a site in an R-7.5 zoning district and located at 9415 Jarboe Street in the West Bannister neighborhood. Staff Planner Stephanie Saldari and the property owners/applicants Steven and Ryan Mueller, presented this item to the Board.

The existing driveway was previously expanded past the permitted width (of 22 ft) without first obtaining a variance, and the applicants were seeking to further expand it along with the construction of a retaining wall. The existing width for the proposed driveway was approximately 26ft and the desired new width was 33.91 ft. 

Ms. Otto explained to the applicant that the permitted width of 22 ft only applies to the driveway’s curb-cut. If the applicants were willing to keep the width of that to 22 ft, they could expand the width out to 33.91 ft for the rest of the driveway. It should be noted that, for this property, the first few feet of the front yard are considered public easement, and the property line for the site begins those few feet deep into the yard. This means that the curb-cut would begin at the street and end where the property line begins. 

An illustration of where the property line begins on the subject site.

The applicants explained that their intention was to only expand the portion of the driveway that is several feet in from the curb, behind the property line. The portion of the curb that is public easement they had no intention to change. This meant that no variance was needed for the applicants to expand their driveway to 33.91 ft (behind the property line). They did, however, still require a variance to permit the current width of about 26ft. The Board moved to grant this variance.

CD-BZA-2026-00007 requested approval of a variance to the required side setbacks to allow for a second-story addition to an existing single family dwelling on the site located at 7744 Grand Ave in the Waldo Tower neighborhood. Staff Planner Liz Collins and the applicant, Patrick Ryan, representing the property owner, S&T Company LLC, presented this item to the Board.  

Prior to the second-story addition, the house had a first and second story with an attached single-car garage (one story). At the time of the meeting, the applicant had already constructed the second story addition over top of the attached garage. The second story addition extends over the garage by about one foot, triggering the need for a variance to the setback requirements. 

Mr. Ryan stated that strict adherence to the code would make it difficult to reasonably improve the property without negatively impacting the surrounding area. 

Board members Otto and Hays concurred, additionally, that while “forgiveness as permission” is not typically ideal, the deviation from the code (1 ft) is relatively negligible. Therefore, the Board moved to grant the requested variance.

CD-BZA-2025-00176 requested appeal of several zoning violations related to an unpermitted use (general auto repair and commercial vehicle storage) for the site located at 7616 Troost Ave in the Waldo Tower and Marlborough neighborhoods.

No applicant or individual representing the applicant appeared for this case. The individual listed as the applicant, Tony Van Trece, was present, but he reported that he was there as an observer and not a representative. No one representing the property owners, Asira Mountains Realty LLC, was present either. 

Members of the Marlborough Community Coalition attended the meeting, in opposition to the request. 

With no applicant in attendance, the Board moved to dismiss the case. 

CD-BZA-2025-00177 requested appeal of a determination related to an unpermitted use (Warehousing, Wholesaling, Storage, and Freight Movement) for a site zoned R-1.5 and located at 8510 Troost Ave near the Rockhill Manor, Waldo Tower, and Marlborough neighborhoods.

The applicant/property owner, listed as Sheoni Givens – New Reflections Technical Institute, did not appear to testify for this case. With no applicant in attendance, the Board moved to dismiss the case.

CD-BZA-2025-00164 requested approval of two variances to the accessory structure standards for a site located in an R-1.5 zoning district at 4145 Forest Ave in the Historic Manheim Park neighborhood. Staff Planner Alec Gustafson and property owner/applicant Bill Drummond presented this item to the Board.

The accessory structure noted above is a detached garage with four car stalls. The subject property is a corner lot with a house, and the detached garage abuts the sidewalk on the property’s side yard. The garage, as it exists today, is in disrepair; having no roof and mainly only containing a facade. There were previous cases filed with the City noting tires and other debris/building materials stored on the site.

Mr. Drummond explained that his intention with the garage was to convert it to a greenhouse/storage/garage space and to repair the facade. No enlargement of the existing building footprint was planned. However, the building sits past the principal building line, and rebuilding the structure nullifies any legal nonconforming status the garage may have previously had in this matter. Thus, a variance was required to permit any rebuilt structure on the same building footprint to sit past the principal building line.

Additionally, were the structure to be rebuilt to the same footprint, it would require a variance to permit a total building footprint of 830 square feet (30 square feet larger than what is permitted by code). 

Several members of the public gave public testimony, most in opposition. Among them were Curtis Wright – President, Manheim Neighborhood Association, Sherita Williams – Vice President, Manheim Neighborhood Association, and Diane Charity – Past President, Manheim Neighborhood Association and President, KC Tenants. They, and several other neighbors, expressed that while they were amenable to Mr. Drummond’s proposed plans for the site, they were concerned that such a development would not be forthcoming. They reported that Mr. Drummond had been working on this project for several years and that in that time, the property (including the interior of the house, the yard, and the garage) had become a dilapidated storage space. 

Three other members of the public spoke in support of Mr. Drummond’s requests for variances. First were Ryan and Kaely Holt, who are building in the neighborhood and received advice for navigating City permitting from Mr. Drummond. Additionally, a Mr. Doug Schaefer spoke in support of the project on the grounds that it supports the character of the neighborhood. 

Board members Otto and Hays expressed concern to the ability of Mr. Drummond to make the proposed improvements in a reasonable timeframe, citing the public testimony from neighbors. However, as they also noted, the Board’s jurisdiction is to interpret the Zoning and Development code, and not to resolve disputes between neighbors. 

The Board asked Mr. Drummond if he would be amenable to moving the facade behind the property line when he builds the new structure, to bring it into compliance. To this he agreed. There was then some discussion over the second variance, which would still be needed should the size of the building footprint be maintained. Mr. Drummond decided that he was amenable to constructing a smaller structure that was within the permitted maximum surface area (800 square feet). 

Therefore, the Board moved to deny the requested variances; Mr. Drummond to submit new plans to the City for a code-compliant structure.

CD-BZA-2025-00196 requested approval of a special exception to permit a greater fence height than permitted in the front yard of the site located at 2333 Quincy Ave in the East 23rd St PAC neighborhood. Staff Planner Connor Tomlin and the applicant, Tereso Buezo Casasola, along with his interpreter, Marcelo Lacour, presented this item to the Board.

The existing fence in the front yard of the subject property was built to a height of six feet; two feet taller than the permitted maximum (four feet). The fence material is wrought iron, allowing for some transparency of the front lawn. Most of the surrounding properties with fences in the front yard are of a compliant height. One of the adjacent properties to Mr. Casasola’s house has a similarly-sized fence, but is zoned B3-2 (meaning such a fence would be permitted).

Mr. Casasola explained that before he built the fence, his yard had been trespassed on and he’d once had someone break a window adjacent to his side yard. 

Ms. Otto inquired about the items discussed above, then, after hearing no further discussion from Board members, entertained a motion. Ms. Wright moved to deny the request for a special exception. This motion was carried, with a vote of 3 – 2. 

CD-SUP-2025-00041 requested approval of a special use permit for the expansion of a school use (Success Academies at Satchel Paige Elementary) in an R-5 and B1-1 zoning district on about 14 acres and located at 3301 E 75th St in the Marlborough and NOBLE neighborhoods. Staff Planner Genevieve Kohn-Smith and a member of the applicant team, Shannon Jaax, Officer of Bond Planning and Construction for Kansas City Public Schools, presented this item to the Board.

This item was brought before the City Plan Commission on February 4th and was covered in that week’s edition of the blog.

Proposed improvements to the site include internal pedestrian connections and vehicular drives, along with additional parking and playground features. A special use permit was needed to construct the rear drive.

In addition, the applicants were requesting a variance to the long-term bicycle parking requirements, the required number of which for the given site would be 13. The applicants were requesting a complete deviation, as they’ll be providing all of the required short-term bicycle parking, more typically used in school facilities. 

Finally, 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.

Additionally, the students that will be in attendance come to school by bus. Therefore, the applicants asserted, this would mean that long-term bicycle parking would be relatively unused.

Ms. Otto 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. 

Diane Herschberger – Marlborough Community Coalition also gave public testimony in full support of the requested items. Furthermore, she supported the large signs because they “state a presence for viability in our neighborhood”. Board member Hays also gave his opinion that community members and school district administrators should speak to City Council if they wish to advocate for changing the Zoning and Development code to create more sign flexibility for schools. 

The applicants chose to return to the Board with other design options for signs that do not deviate as much from the code as were currently requested. The Board, therefore, moved to continue the case to February 25th without fee.

CD-BZA-2026-00006 requested approval of a variance to the required street-side yard setback to allow for a rear deck on the site located at 4200 E 61st Street in the SPENA neighborhood. Staff Planner Liz Collins and the applicant, Jason Hansen – Momentum A+D, representing the property owners Bruce Beatty and Elisa Mccann Beatty, presented this item to the Board.

The front porch and rear deck (which had already been constructed) extended into the street-side yard and rear yards’ setbacks. However, the principal structure itself (the house) extends into these setbacks as well. Therefore, the requested variances do not extend into the required setbacks any more than the existing building footprint.

The house on the subject site was built in 1912, before Kansas City established zoning codes in 1923. Therefore the house as well as the previous front porch and rear deck were legally nonconforming. However, a fire had done significant damage to the structures, and several previous developers had attempted to remediate them (without permits). The present improvements were finished with permits and, the applicant argued, are safe and attractive.

Hearing these facts of the case, the Board moved to grant the requested variances.

CD-BZA-2025-00139 requested approval of a variance to setback requirements for an addition completed without permits on the site located at 401 Lawn Ave in the Indian Mound neighborhood. Staff Planner Connor Tomlin and the applicant/property owner, Ana Maria Cuellar, along with her interpreter, Marcelo Lacour, presented this item to the Board. 

Prior to Wednesday’s hearing, this variance request was heard on December 10th, 2025. At that meeting of the BZA, this item was continued to allow staff time to reach out to the contractor who had done work at the site to discuss options to reduce the total amount of variance being requested. Staff reached out to this individual, but did not receive a response, therefore no changes to the variance request were made at the time of the meeting Wednesday.

The primary requested variance concerned a concrete parking pad on one side of the yard on the subject site (an infill residential lot), and gravel replacing grass on the other side.  These changes to the property cause the lot to exceed the permitted percentage of impervious surface coverage of 75% of the total lot area. With them, the impervious surface coverage of the lot is 100%, meaning that no portion of the lot contains grass or similar ground cover. 

Tied to this was a separate variance to the maximum impervious surface coverage specifically in the street-side yard to permit 100% coverage, where only 20% coverage is typically permitted.

Additionally, another variance to the vehicular use standards in residential districts was requested to permit non-landscaped areas not used for vehicular purposes on the subject site. Residential properties generally throughout the city are required to landscape non-vehicular areas (such as yards) with elements like grass (or similar ground cover plants).

Ms. Cuellar reported that she had removed much of the gravel installed on one side of the yard, and that she had ordered topsoil and seed to replace the grass. When the weather permits, she said, she will plant the grass. This significantly reduced the deviation from code requested in the first variance listed (to the permitted impervious surface coverage for the site as a whole). Now, the total percentage of impervious surface coverage on the site would be 78% instead of the previously requested 100%.

Given this, the board moved to grant all of the requested variances, allowing Ms. Cuellar the increased impervious surface coverage to the street side yard, and the deviation from landscaping on the paved portion of the lot.

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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.