New compost dropoff locations, adoption of new gas station regulations, and a controversial apartment building.
- Plaza-Westport
- Blue Valley
- Washington Wheatley
- Shoal Creek
- New Mark
- Old Hyde Park
Transportation, Infrastructure, and Operations Committee
Tuesday, September 24th at 9am
The Transportation, Infrastructure, and Operations Committee (TIO) includes Chairperson Kevin O’Neill, Councilmember Lindsay French, Councilmember Johnathan Duncan , and Councilmember Eric Bunch. Vice Chair Melissa Robinson did not attend this meeting.
Expansion of the city’s composting program. Ordinance 240716 and Ordinance 240718 accepted two grants which fund the expansion of the city’s composting program. With the passing of these ordinances, the city would receive $300,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and $50,000 from the Mid America Regional Council (MARC). Assistant City Manager Melissa Kozakiewicz presented these ordinances to the committee.
According to Kozakiewicz, only the city’s municipal buildings use composting currently. The larger part of these ordinances will fund the expansion of composting to city permitted events. Events like parades, festivals, and concerts will now include composting to gather food waste and promote sustainability. Part of this funding will also go towards a compost education program. Finally, the ordinances will also create ten drop-off composting bins all around the city. Kozakiewicz stated that she chose each location based on the interest level of each neighborhood. Kozakiewicz also requested that anyone interested in hosting a compost bin in their neighborhood to contact her. To review the proposed drop-off locations, read this slide presentation given by Kozakeixicz on Tuesday.
After hearing the presentation, Chair Kevin O’Neill questioned Public Works Director Micheal Shaw and he informed the committee that trash cost $42 per ton, a large portion of which was food waste. Councilwoman Lindsay French requested more drop-off locations within the Northland. The committee recommended both ordinances for approval, which was eventually passed by City Council on Thursday.
After regular business, the committee heard a presentation on the Smart City Kiosk program. Associate Director of Transportation Angie Laurie spoke to the committee about the evolution of the kiosks. Smart City (the company responsible for the kiosk) will implement language services for the upcoming 2026 World Cup in Kansas City. This will include options to receive information in the top ten languages in the region. Smart City also plans to replace thirty of their old units at various locations. The kiosks will soon host a connection to the Transit app, dedicated small business ad-space, and increased security using 360 degree cameras.
After the presentation, Councilmen Bunch spoke, asking Laurie to ensure that kiosk maps did not replace traditional wayfinding and signage at kiosk locations. Chair O’Neill thanked the staff for their presentation and adjourned the meeting.
Finance, Governance, and Public Safety Committee
Tuesday, September 24th at 10:30am
The Fiance, Governance, and Public Safety Committee (FGPS) includes Chairperson Andrea Bough, Vice Chair Quinton Lucas, Councilmember Crispin Rea, Councilmember Darrell Curls, and Councilmember Wes Rodgers.
Ordinance 240852 accepts a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture on behalf of Cultivate KC. This nearly $400,000 grant will be transferred to Cultivate KC to fund a four-year Systems Coordinator position. Jensen Adams, Energy and Sustainability Officer in the Office of Environmental Quality, presented this ordinance to the committee, stating that it aligns with the city’s Climate Protection Plan. The committee recommended approval of this ordinance, and the City Council passed it on Thursday.
Resolution 240857 adopts the 2024 update of the Citywide Business Plan written by the City Manager’s office. Finance Department Director Tammy Queen presented the “capital and debt funding” portion of the update on Tuesday. Queen recommended cautious optimism towards the city’s finances as, generally, revenues were higher than expected and expenditures were lower than expected in the last financial year. As a part of the update, one project within each council district received priority funding. Queen reminded the committee that their funding priorities were set by the City Council, and funded by a one percent sales tax.
Neighborhood Planning and Development Committee
Tuesday, September 24th at 1:30pm
The Neighborhood Planning and Development Committee (NPD) includes Vice Chair Eric Bunch and Councilmember Nathan Willett (who attended in-person), and Chairperson Ryana Parks-Shaw and Councilmember Melissa Patterson Hazley (who attended the meeting via Zoom).
City finally adopts gas station regulations that protect and empower neighborhoods. Ordinance 240861 adopted new standards for the construction and zoning of gas stations. This case has been covered in a previous edition of This Week at City Hall.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Councilman Darrell Curls first introduced the ordinance. Curls informed the commission of his reasons for asking the Planning Department to start this process nearly 9 months ago. Curls was concerned with the heightened health risks associated with living near gas stations, and knew his constituents had had problems with gas stations for years. City Planners Andy Clarke and Sara Copeland, and Officer Jeffrey Krebs presented the zoning update to the committee. Clarke outlined all the changes made by the ordinance, including the addition of buffer zones, stricter design standards, standardization of the Special Use Permit (SUP) process, and many more updates. Read the previous edition for Clarke’s more comprehensive summary.
During public testimony, Patrica Jensen made a presentation on behalf of gas station owners and the larger industry. Jensen and her colleagues opposed the update because of the increased time investment a builder would have to make into the community. Jensen also suggested that these changes would drive business out of the city and into the suburbs. After speaking for longer than her allotted time, Jensen hesitantly took her seat.
Other than Jensen, everyone who testified to the committee supported the ordinance. Many residents felt unsafe around the gas stations in their neighborhood, and supported the increased design guidelines. Several also supported the ordinance because of the health risks gas stations bring into their communities.
In response to the staff’s presentation, the committee generally expressed support of the update. Councilwoman Patterson Hazley reiterated the dangers of underground storage tanks, and Councilman Bunch agreed. Only Councilman Willet had concerns, suggesting the buffer requirement around residential zones was too high. But without further committee support, the ordinance was approved 3-1. At City Council, the ordinance was passed 10-1, with Councilman Kevin O’Neill voting against.
Controversial approval of an apartment is opposed by the neighborhood. Ordinance 240814 approves the construction of a 20-unit apartment building at 4438 Washington St, within the Plaza-Westport neighborhood. City Planner Ahnna Nanoski prepared this case, but the Block Real Estate is the developer. Attorney Douglas Stone and applicant Will Block testified before the committee on the development’s behalf. This case has been covered in a previous edition of This Week at City Hall (CD-CPC-2024-00095).
Stone and Block outlined the development process, including the community outreach process. Anticipating neighborhood opposition, Block attempted to strengthen their defense by showing the similarities between the building they could already build on the lot and the building allowed if this ordinance were approved. Stone also highlighted several other multi-family buildings within the neighborhood, some smaller and some bigger than their proposed building.
During public testimony, seven neighbors from the Plaza Westport neighborhood testified in opposition. Many neighbors had issues with the building’s height, which would stand twenty to thirty feet above the height of their single family homes. Christina Boveri, who’s home is directly behind the proposed site, stated “This is just another rich developer trying to get richer at the expense of the neighborhood”. Despite the numerous testimony, the committee voted to approve the ordinance.
Resolution 240856 established the “City United” program to provide jerseys and uniforms for high school sport teams in Kansas City. This resolution was sponsored and presented by Councilman Nathan Willet. The program will provide city funded and branded jerseys to teams who completed at least two service projects within the city. The resolution was recommended for approval by the committee and City Council adopted it on Thursday.
Resolution 240847 appointed John Cosention, Kylie Stock, and Josephine Njoroge as directors of the Brookside Community Improvement District. With little discussion, the NPD committee recommended approval of this resolution, which the City Council upheld on Thursday.
Ordinance 240842 zoned a one acre site at 73240 E US 40 Hwy, within the Blue Valley neighborhood, from business to manufacturing. City Planner Justin Smith presented this case with applicant representative Patrica Jensen, who stated there were no current plans for the site, only that the owner was looking to sell the land. The Neighborhood Planning and Development Committee recommended approval of this ordinance. The City Council approved the ordinance on Thursday.
Ordinance 240824 and Ordinance 240822 approved the redevelopment plans for Parade Park. Developer Dwayne Williams and his attorney Patrica Jensen presented this ordinance to the committee with City Planner Larisa Chambi. This case has been covered in a previous edition of This Week at City Hall (CD-CPC-2024-00097). The committee unanimously recommended approval of these ordinances. Both ordinances were also passed by City Council on Thursday.
Ordinance 240808 approved $400,000 of funding for the Urbanity housing project, located at 2461 Prospect Avenue, within the Washington Wheatley neighborhood. The Urbanity development will be a mixed-use building which contains commercial space and four affordable units. The committee recommended approval of this ordinance, and the City Council passed it on Thursday.
Ordinance 240813 approved an apartment building development plan at 8601 Wyandotte St, in the Northland. The building will contain 120 units, primarily for housing students. This plan was unanimously approved by the committee, and the City Council passed it on Thursday.
Ordinance 240840 approved the final plan for the construction of new townhomes at 3600 Walnut Street, within the Old Hyde Park neighborhood. This plan creates 9 new townhome lots, with Lance Scott, from Cook, Flatt & Strobel Engineers, as the project lead.
Ordinance 240841 requested the approval of the Staley Heights Development, which includes a clubhouse and swimming pool. The new development will be built at 10310 N Highland Place, within the New Mark neighborhood. The clubhouse will serve the nearby Staley Farms Golf course and is being planned by Andrea Lemken with Renaissance Infrastructure Consulting.
Ordinance 240846 approved the creation of three lots within the Shoal Creek neighborhood. AGC Engineers plan for one lot to become a 13,000 square foot daycare, while leaving the other two for future development. This plan was reviewed by City planning staff Justin Smith.
All three of the previous cases were placed on the committee’s consent agenda, and were recommended for approval unanimously. All three ordinances were also passed by City Council on Thursday.
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.
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