Timeline of Events - KCAI Academic Building

January 27 2018
KCAI holds public presentation to share Master Plan Proposal. It is announced that after construction projects are complete, KCAI will be selling Mineral Hall and Advancement House into single-family residence.

March 14 2018
Meeting with KCAI , Polly MacRoberts (immediate neighbor and SNA VP), Scott Heffley (SNA Neighborhood Preservation Chair) and Laura Burkhalter (SNA board president) to discuss site inclusion on the MPD (it was removed by KCAI to give neighbors more time to work with KCAI on mass, scale, style, materiality, etc).

April 16 2018SNA sends letter of support to City for KCAI MPD, after negotiations with the school. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lvROHa5ciM_fbp681-_H5wwBA46u8Zt9/view?usp=sharing

May 17 2018
Public meeting - discussed new Residence Hall and discussed 44th and Oak site.

June 14 2018
July 18 2018
October 3 2018
Charette Meetings - the SNA board then decided, along with KCAI to have a series of meetings with the Architect, Landscape Architect, other immediate neighbors, Rockhill, Brad Wolff from the City’s Historic Preservation Office, and KCAI. The very first session, was a listening session where Hufft reviewed the program for the building, then listened and documented what the neighbors thought was important, what should be included, and what should be avoided for the project. In subsequent meetings, we discussed massing, scale, setback, lighting, security, style, materiality, etc). After the last of these meetings, the group agreed that the design and concept was at a point that should be shared with the entire neighborhood. That meeting is taking place this Tuesday, December 4th at Epperson Auditorium on the Campus of KCAI, at 5:30 pm.

To read the minutes from those meetings, view the link below: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1nbRKL6zscwz4KD3tcvc6gRK1Z-5RdWJr

October 8 2018
Polly and Stacey Kenyon (SNA Planning and Development Chair) met at the Hufft office with KCAI rep and the Architect to look at the architectural model, give feedback, and view the building from the perspective of Polly's property.

November 16 2018
Proposed project is reviewed by the Historic Preservation Commission, and was a approved in a 6-0 vote, and was provided a Certification of Appropriateness.

View the presentation to the Historic Preservation Commission here:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1olxvyCM43k2GSLXn9oPHHYIE7IDRQxgB
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1LLhBzVmjuSN8pxkXunneMKg5fAnfRC_y

December 4 2018
Public meeting for proposed project, which requires a Special Use Permit by The City. SNA Board of Directors will meet immediately after presentation, at Epperson Auditorium.

View the submittal to City here:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=11NqfN1XTTF6tQqPxhmoOZ91qX39czxCk

Monday, November 12th: SNA Board Meeting - SPECIAL LOCATION

Please join us for our monthly meeting to engage in the happenings of Southmoreland. The board will meet this month at St. Paul's Episcopal Day School, 4041 Main Street @ Maker's Space. We will be touring St. Paul's recently renovated school facility, and learning about their plans for new projects on their campus. The meeting begins at 6:30pm. Enter school building through Main Street Entrance.

City Plan Commission Moves to Advance Re-Zoning of Westport High

On Tuesday, November 6th, the Kansas City City Plan Commission voted to approve the re-zoning of the former Westport High School property. The sale of the property to Kansas City Sustainable Development Partners was approved by Kansas City Public Schools in 2015, and the sale was completed in 2016. A master planning effort by the Developer has been underway over the past 14 months. During that time Southmoreland neighborhood leaders have had an ongoing dialogue with the Developer about their goals and offered feedback. A public meeting was held on October 1st where the Developer presented its development plan and sought neighborhood feedback. Re-development plans include renovating the existing school building, building multi-family and single-family housing along the East side, facing Locust, between 39th and 40th Street. The site is also under consideration for the UMKC Conservatory project. Similar functions would take place if the site were chosen for that use.

While some questions understandably have been raised about traffic flow and protecting on-street parking for existing neighbors, most members of our community are supportive of the direction planned and believe this use will add to the overall vitality of the area. And in an effort to address these concerns, the Developer has committed to the following items:

1. Support in implementing permit parking with neighbors on McGee between 39th and 40th through the City's Public Works - Traffic Division, as homeowners on this block rely on on-street parking.

2. Continued study of the traffic along McGee, Oak, Locust, 39th Terrace (new) and 40th Street, to achieve a traffic solution residents are comfortable with.

3. Implement traffic calming mechanisms on McGee between 39th and 40th by means of raised tables and additional calming mechanisms as recommended by Architect and/or City.

4. Further assessment of proposed signal at 39th and McGee. There is concern regarding the distance between the signal at 40th and Warwick and the proposed one a block away.

5. Pedestrian-focused hardscape on Developer's grounds including walkways, lighting, and trash/recycling.

6. Southmoreland Neighborhood Association to give review and input of new buildings / parking structures prior to submitting to the City.

7. Participation in Southmoreland Neighborhood Association's Security Patrol Program, which hires off-duty KCPD Officers to patrol the neighborhood.

Neighborhood leaders believe the development team has positive history given their successful redevelopment of the former Westport Junior High property. The Re-zoning request will next be heard by Planning, Zoning and Economic Development Committee. You can view staff report and plans here.

SNA Endorses Question 1

Approximately 75% of Southmorelanders are living in rental units - in both multi-family and single-family homes.  Since so many of our residents are renters, our board agrees that it is our duty to help advocate for renters, in addition to homeowners.  Question 1 will work to protect the health and safety of rental units throughout the city, by requiring all landlords to secure a permit for rental apartments and homes. It will allow the Health Department to conduct random interior inspections and respond to complaints about dangerous and unhealthy conditions like chipping lead paint and mold. Landlords who refuse to correct these conditions will be subject to fines and suspension or revocation of their permits.  Landlords who fail to get a permit may be prosecuted.  Read more about the Healthy Homes Initiative here. Read the ballot language here.