Month: January 2015

An effort to reinstate the waiver for residential home building permit fees moved ahead on Tuesday night.

On a 4-0 vote, the Unified Government Public Works and Safety Committee sent the waiver on to the full commission for a final vote.

Appearing at the committee meeting, developer Rusty Roberts told the UG commissioners that Kansas City, Kan., has roughly about 8 percent of the population of the metropolitan area, and has 3 to 4 percent of the new home building permits.

“So we’re way behind, losing business,” Roberts said, “losing new homebuyers that we should be getting – they’re going elsewhere.

“When you do the math, we’re falling behind,” he said.

This fee waiver program also was discussed at the Jan. 5 Economic Development and Finance Committee meeting. It includes the waiver of some fees for sewer permits. The fee waiver program had previously been in effect and ended Dec. 31, 2014.

UG Assistant Administrator Gordon Criswell showed the commission a chart that said the building and sewer permit fees of Kansas City, Kan., under this program were lower than that in Leawood, Kan., Olathe, Kan., Overland Park, Kan., and Raymore, Mo. They were higher than Liberty, Mo., and Lees Summit, Mo., according to the chart.

Commissioner Hal Walker said the builders’ main argument about continuing the waiver was that the fee waivers had offset the property taxes on a house. The idea of the UG waiving the permit fees had more to do with the property taxes on a $200,000 home here being significantly higher than they are in cities such as Leawood, Olathe and Overland Park, he said.

Walker said he did not have a problem with extending this waiver program another year because the city has shown an increase in building permits since it was implemented.

UG officials asked if the commission wanted to extend the fee waiver program just to streets that had already been platted, or for all areas.

“I want it to be a level table,” Commissioner Walker said. He wanted approval for all home building permits.

Why can’t a Walmart Neighborhood Market in Argentine have a pop machine in front of it, while some stores at The Legends Outlets can?

That question was pondered tonight at a Unified Government Administration and Human Services Standing Committee meeting at City Hall.

Commissioner Hal Walker pointed out that while the city has hammered the Argentine Walmart for having a pop machine in front of it, at the same time, it has done nothing about the Legends, where there are several stores with pop machines in front. The issue was brought up at a previous meeting by Commissioner Ann Murguia.

UG Planning Director Rob Richardson explained that some of the rules applying to the Legends were negotiated with the shopping center when it was built, and there are variances on signs and vending machines. He said that the interior part of The Legends Outlets is private property, not seen from outside streets. Legends businesses that can be seen from the outside, such as Jose Pepper’s restaurant, would need a permit for a vending machine outside, according to Richardson.

Commissioner Angela Markley said she thought the two issues here were first, whether the ordinance should apply throughout the city, and second, how the UG feels about vending machines in general. She favored the same rule applying throughout the city. Also, she said she didn’t mind pop machines in front of grocery stores, and they might be convenient for people waiting for the bus to grab a pop.

Commissioner Jane Philbrook said she believes the rules should be the same across the board. However, she was concerned that a change would result in more work for code enforcement and police, as they might be making calls about machines that are damaged. In a perfect world, these machines would not be broken into, but they could possibly be a big target, she believes. She said at the Legends, there are cameras on these machines, and regular patrols.

Commissioner Walker said that at another grocery store in Kansas City, Kan., where he shops, there are two old outdoor pop machines that have been there for more than 30 years. Out in front of the store, the store is selling wood, gardening plants, propane, salt, dirt and gardening supplies. Outdoor vending in front of stores is very common around the city, he said.

He said it didn’t make any sense to ban vending machines in front of Walmart when there were vending machines within a half-mile of it that have been in Argentine for years. The city needs either to enforce the ordinance or not. He said it was one of those ordinances that looks good on paper, but not in reality. While he understands that city planners generally do not like vending machines in front of stores, he said that what is good for other cities such as Leawood and Overland Park isn’t necessarily good for Kansas City, Kan.

“It’s wrong for businesses in this community to be deprived of an opportunity that enhances their revenues,” he said.

The committee voted 4-0 to advance the issue of an ordinance change to a future full UG Commission meeting for discussion and a recommendation. The UG staff was directed to look into it and prepare an ordinance that permits vending machines in front of grocery stores. Philbrook voted in favor of the motion, saying she’d like to see where this issue goes.

According to UG officials, if the full commission recommends an ordinance change on this topic, it will then have to go through the Planning Commission and then back to the full commission for final approval.