A vacation request, Meat Market renovations, and a grateful goodbye.
- Westside
- Ward Parkway
- Tiffany Springs
- Waldo Tower
- Broadway Gillham
- Northeast Industrial District
- Northland
City Planning Commission
Wednesday, May 75th at 9am
The City Planning Commission (CPC) was attended this week by Chairperson Coby Crowl, Commissioner Tyler Enders, Commissioner Matt Hasek, Commissioner Luis Padilla, and Commissioner Forestine Beasley.
Consent Docket:
CD-CPC-2025-00051 approved a landscaping project at 8199 NW Milrey Drive, within the Northland. This project includes open space landscaping, a pool, and a playground.
CLD-FnPlat-2025-00025 approved a plan for residential platting, which will include eighty lots, 257 multi-family townhomes and a senior living development. The project sits at 201 NW 95th Ter., within the Northland.
CD-CPC-2024-00146 approved a residential plat located at 11145 NW Skyview, within the Northland. The development will include 102 new single family homes.
CLD-FnPlat-2023-00022 requested approval of another residential plat project, located at 2 NW Shoal Creek Pkwy, within the Northland. This development will include 32 separate lots with a mix of single family, duplexes, fourplexes, and multifamily units. In total, this project includes 409 new residential units.
The previous four cases were placed on the City Planning Commission’s consent agenda, and were therefore recommended for approval with little discussion amongst the commissioners.
CD-ROW-2025-00006 approved the vacating of a public right-of-way located at 1804-1812 Mercier St, within the Westside neighborhood. According to city planning Justin Smith, the construction of five homes along 1804-1812 Mercier St. was approved in 2021 by Ordinance 210828. After these homes were constructed, inspectors found that the lots had been constructed too close to the street, and were therefore considered within the public right-of-way.
To correct this mistake, the developers had the option to request a variance to the required size of the lots or request the vacation of the right-of-way. The developers choose the latter option, prompting this case. In total, only seven feet of public land is being vacated and being attached to these lots. The commission unanimously recommended approval of this case.
CD-CPC-2025-00041 requested the amendment to the project plan, located at 1307 W 79th St., within the Ward Parkway Plaza neighborhood. The owners of this site, also known as Fairway Meat Market, are requesting this amendment to allow for the construction of two new commercial buildings.
City planner Ahnna Nanoski presented this case with applicant Judd Claussen, Kobe Pritchard, Andy Meyer, and Mark DeYoung. If approved, this plan would allow developers to demolish the existing building, as well as three adjacent single family homes, and construct two larger commercial buildings. Both buildings would contain around 10,000 square feet of commercial space. According to Nanoksi, the Fairway Meat Market plans to occupy one building, while renting the other a separate tenant.
After hearing the project specifics, Commissioner Enders expressed his concern for the homes that would now be facing commercial buildings rather than other single family homes. Commissioner Enders questioned what could be done to further insulate those homes. Nanoksi showed Enders what that portion of the development would look like, specifically highlighting the extra windows the developers added in response to similar concerns.
According to applicant Kobe Pritchard, during the design team’s neighborhood meeting, no residents had concerns about the change in view from their front yard. Once this project is approved by City Council, the developers will demolish the vacant single family homes, construct the new Fairway Meat Market buildings, demolish the existing market, then finally construct the second new commercial building. The commission unanimously recommended approval of this project.
CD-CPC-2025-00045 requested the rezoning of 9500 NW Old Tiffany Springs Rd, within the Tiffany Springs neighborhood. This case would rezone the site from Manufacturing to Residential, which would allow the developer to construct single families homes.
City planner Justin Smith presents this case with applicant Thomas Freeman and landowner Jared Klein. According to Smith, the owner of the site was previously granted a building permit for the construction of their single family home. City staff only realized after the issuance of the building permit that the site’s current zoning would not allow for a single family home. The land owner was issued a temporary permit to construct their home, but is not going through the rezoning process to bring the site into full compliance with the city’s zoning code. The commission unanimously recommended approval of this case.
CD-SUP-2025-00011 requested the approval of a Special Use Permit (SUP) for 5959 Connecticut, located within the Northeast Industrial District. This permit would allow the applicants to conduct outdoor warehousing and storage on the subject site.
City planner Justin Smith presented this case with the applicant Judd Claussen. According to Smith, a SUP is necessary due to the site’s current zoning. While the site is zoning Manufacturing, it is zoning specifically as M1-5, which calls for lower intensity industrial uses. To conduct higher intensity storage and warehousing on site, the applicant had to apply for a Special Use Permit.
According to Claussen, this site will operate as an overnight truck stop and storage facility. This project will finish construction before the end of 2025. The commission unanimously recommended approval of this project. This project now heads to next week’s Board of Zoning Adjustments meeting for additional approval.
CD-SUP-2025-00007 requested an amendment to a previously approved Special Use Permit (SUP) for 8310 Holmes Road, within the Waldo Tower neighborhood. This amendment would allow the Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ to construct an addition to their building.
City planner Larisi Chambi presented this case with applicants James Marshall, Wendell Tilbert, and Bishop Chavis. According to Chambi, this site used to be occupied by Benjamin Banneker Charter Elementary School. In addition to the building addition, the applicants are proposing an expansion to the church’s parking lot. The commission unanimously recommended approval of this project. This project now heads to next week’s Board of Zoning Adjustments meeting for additional approval.
CD-CPC-2025-00035 approves development plan for 20 W Linwood Blvd, within the Broadway Gillham neighborhood. This plan allows for the construction of six new multi-family residential buildings.
City planner Genevieve Kohn-Smith presented this case with applicants David Rezek, Scott Roseman, Christina Fenwick, and Doug Ubin. The plan proposes 10, three-story, six-unit buildings, totaling 60 units on the site. All units will be for rent. The lot was previously occupied by a funeral home, but that was demolished in 2023.
One requirement city staff placed upon the applicants was that they request a variance from the Board of Zoning Adjustment. This site exists within a transit node (just outside the Main St. Streetcar Extension) and is therefore required to meet a certain level of density. The proposed development is relatively low in density when considering its context area. A variance would correct this and allow the developers to move forward with construction.
According to Rezek, this project has a letter of support from Midtown KC Now, and they expressed support of several other neighborhood groups. Midtown KC Now is an organization that operates three Community Improvement Districts (CIDs) within the midtown area of KC. All units are two bedrooms and two baths, and would be priced around $1,400 per month. The development team anticipates a completion date of fall 2026. The commission unanimously recommended approval of this project. This project now heads to next week’s Board of Zoning Adjustments meeting for additional approval.
Other News
In a session of the City Council on Thursday evening, long-time city employee, Mario Vasquez, was elevated to be the next City Manager, replacing Brian David-Platt. Vasquez has most recently worked as an Assistant City Manager and Director of the City Planning & Development Deparment. We wish Mr. Vasquez the best as he takes on this important role!
As I have been writing this last post as the current author of This Week at City Hall, I have found myself filled with a deep sense of appreciation for everything I’ve learned since I started this journey one year ago. What began as just the next step in furthering my education has become a long term project for which I feel a deep sense of pride. The stories covered, the projects I’ve followed from start to finish, and the connections I’ve made have left me with admiration and respect for this city.
Writing for the Center for Neighborhoods has not only challenged me to grow as a professional, but has also given me the independence to work creatively. Most important has been the enormous support from readers. Witnessing all the work you all do to improve your communities has been a gift.
While I may be graduating and moving past my college education, the importance of this work will continue. I look forward to following the blog as it continues to evolve.
To new chapters,
Grayson Johnston
Grayson Johnston is the author of This Week at City Hall, and a UMKC senior graduating with a Bachelors Degree in Urban Planning and Design. The Center for Neighborhoods would like to congratulate Grayson and thank him for his dedication to the neighborhoods of Kansas City. We will continue to honor his hard work by introducing his replacement later this month. Thanks, Grayson, and good luck as you start your career!
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