City Manager suspended, new emergency facilities, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum on the move and new density in the Plaza.
- Blue Valley
- Hospital Hill
- Blue Hills
- Holmes Park
- 18th and Vine
- Wendell Phillips
- Plaza-Westport
- Northland
- Town Fork Creek
City Manager Brian Platt suspended after city loses costly lawsuit. On Thursday March 6th, Mayor Quinton Lucas informed City Manager Platt of his suspension via memo. The memo also names Assistant City Manager Kimiko Gilmore as interim City Manager. Since March 6th, the City Council has been evaluating a permanent outcome for Platt. In Thursday’s legislative session, the full City Council voted to extend Platt’s suspension and officially appoint Assistant City Manager Kimiko Gilmore as interim City Manager. Mayor Lucas made a statement to the media, saying that the final decision should take “days as opposed to weeks or months”. Stay up to date with This Week at City Hall to keep updated on this issue.
Former Kansas City employee wins lawsuit. A day prior to Platt’s suspension, a court awarded a former city employee nearly $1 million in a whistleblower lawsuit. Former Director of Communications Chris Hernandez stated in the lawsuit that Platt encouraged the inflation of numbers and to openly “lie to the media”. In 2022 Hernandez was demoted and removed from a management position. Hernandez eventually filed a lawsuit against the city for emotional distress and retaliation for whistleblowing.
Why do City Managers matter? While positions like the Mayor and City Councilor are elected to approve budgets, set taxes, and make decisions about the city’s future, the City Manager is responsible for enforcing the Council’s decisions. In a large place like Kansas City, the municipality needs coherent organization and management to accomplish tasks effectively. The City Manager is in charge of these day to day operations.
Many city ordinances include the language “… directs the City Manager to …”. These ordinances, once adopted by the council, essentially tell the City Manager approximately what the Council expects to happen, but leaves the details unspecific. Depending on the issue, the ordinance can be very detailed or somewhat sparse, leaving lots of room for interpretation by the City Manager. An effective City Manager is important for ensuring that everyone’s voice is heard and accommodated.
City Planning Commission
Wednesday, March 19th at 9am
The City Planning Commission (CPC) was attended this week by Chairperson Coby Crowl, Commissioner Tyler Enders, Commissioner Matt Hasek, Commissioner Luis Padilla, Commissioner Betsy Lynch, and Commissioner Sean Arkin. Commissioner Forestine Beasley attended this meeting via Zoom.
CD-SUP-2024-00055 requested the approval of a Special Use Permit (SUP) which allows a mechanic shop to operate at 6000 E. Truman Rd, within the Blue Valley neighborhood. City planner Andrew Clarke presented this case with applicant Jimmy Castanon and property owner Rene Briseno.
According to Clarke, this corridor has been oriented towards auto uses since 1940, when mechanics shops and other repair shops popped up. City staff recommended that the commission approve this Special Use Permit for ten years. The Blue Valley Neighborhood association expressed their support for this project by submitting a letter to the city. The board unanimously voted to recommend approval of this case.
CD-SUP-2025-00006 requested the renewal of a 2 year Special Use Permit (SUP) for an existing halfway house, located at 1534 Campbell St, within the Hospital Hill neighborhood. City planner Stephanie Saldari presented this case with applicant Kyle Mead from the Heartland Center for Behavioral Change.
Commissioner Crowl asked Saldari why this SUP was limited to a period of two years and could not be extended past that. According to Saldari, it is Missouri state law that Halfway Houses must have their SUP’s reapproved every two years. The board unanimously voted to recommend approval of this case.
CD-CPC-2024-00178 requested a rezoning from AG-R (Agriculture) to B3-3 (Community Business) at 9200 NW 119th Ter, within the Northland. According to city planner Ahnna Nanoski, this rezoning is necessary to reflect Midwest Sign Company’s current use of the site as a storefront. This case was introduced at the City Planning Commision meeting two weeks ago, but was continued when the applicant failed to attend.
Midwest Sign Company sought this rezoning so they wouldn’t have to comply with residential sign standards when placing advertisements on their building. The board unanimously voted to recommend approval of this case.
CD-CPC-2025-00016 approved a major amendment to a previously approved plan, located at 6735 Holmes Rd, within the Holmes Park neighborhood. This plan approves the construction of Brookside Emergency Care Hospital, an extension of the existing Research Medical Center ER of Brookside.
According to city planner Ahnna Nanoski, this amendment allows the center to redevelop part of their parking lot into the emergency care center. This amendment supported the code’s recommendation to place all “intensive” uses, such as “hospitals and government office buildings”, should be limited to a specific area. According to applicant Wesley Blissard, this facility will replace the existing emergency services in the hospital. The board unanimously voted to recommend approval of this case.
CD-CPC-2025-00020 and CD-CPC-2025-00014 approved a development plan for 1616 E 18th Street, within the 18th and Vine neighborhood. This address, a former historic YMCA, is planned to be the new home of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, which plans to move and expand their facilities. The plan also includes a hotel on the north end of the site. City planner Genevieve Kohn presented this case to the commission with applicants Andrea Young, Bob Kendrick (president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum), and Emily Harold (from Multistudio).
According to Young, the development group held a public meeting and received good attendance and feedback. Kendrick stated “This is an exciting opportunity to evolve the district into an entirely different level of interest, development, and tourism”. According to Young, this project is planned to be completed in early 2027. The board unanimously voted to recommend approval of this case.
CD-CPC-2024-00123 and CD-CPC-2024-00104 approved a plan amendment and rezoning for nine lots along 20th Street between Brooklyn Ave and Olive St, within the Wendell Phillips neighborhood. Applicant John DeBauche, from the Land Bank of Kansas City, requested the plan amendment in anticipation of the lots being sold and redeveloped. The Land Bank hopes that the plan amendment and the accompanying rezoning will give potential buyers more flexibility in their redevelopment plans.
City planner Justin Smith gave a presentation on this case, outlines the nine lots up for redevelopment. Redonda Sawyer represented the Land Bank staff for this presentation, and justified the need for the rezoning by giving the history of the Heart of the City Area plan. Commissioner Forestine Beasley expressed her support and appreciation for the project and “increasing the housing stock in Kansas City”. The board unanimously voted to recommend approval of this case.
CD-CPC-2025-00013 approves a development plan for an apartment building at 4545 Wornall Rd, within the Plaza-Westport neighborhood. The new Lewer Plaza Apartments is limited to a maximum of five stories, but requested a deviation to add an additional three stories. City planner Larisi Chambi expressed her support for this change due to the nature of the Plaza as a neighborhood.
Applicant Jeremy Tinkler, included some 3D imagery which helped the commissioner understand their request. During public testimony, Robert Martin, president of the Plaza-Westport neighborhood, outlined the specific aspects of the plan that the neighborhood did not support.
These included increased density, the increased height, and a supposed lack of parking. Martin stated his belief that there should be one parking spot per bedroom, which would be a substantial increase from the proposed amount of parking. Several other residents testified about their concerns, many of which echoed Martin’s testimony. The board unanimously voted to recommend approval of this case.
CD-CPC-2025-00037, CD-CPC-2025-00008, and CD-CPC-2025-00004 approved a development plan at 2416 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, near the Blue Hills and Town Fork Creek neighborhoods. City planner Justin Smith presented this redevelopment to the commission, which is being called the Emmanuel Science and Technology Center. According to Smith, this major redevelopment has been split into phases.
Phase one will include the creation of six learning spaces, a gathering room, commercial kitchen, and staff offices, all connected to existing trails. These amenities will be serviced by a parking lot. The green space included in the redevelopment will be closed during the operating hours, but will be open to the public after hours. Phase two and three will include a gym building and housing (nine to twelve units) respectively.
Applicant Kevin Wineinger detailed the two functions of this building. The center will include an after school program for children, including education and recreation. In the morning, the building will host a workforce training program to “teach the next generation of early education educators”. The building will also host a summer school program in the summers. The board 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 three 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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