Month: August 2020

UG sale of 24 acres near Woodlands moves ahead

A project to sell 24 acres of Unified Government-owned property near The Woodlands to Scannell Properties, a developer, moved forward on Monday night.

The Economic Development and Finance Committee voted to approve the purchase agreement for Scannell Properties to buy 34 acres of UG-owned land, and donate 70 acres to the UG Parks Department in the Woodlands redevelopment project.

This was a smaller part of the overall Woodlands sale to Scannell. The dog and horse racing track at 97th and Leavenworth Road closed in 2008 while awaiting a better deal from the Kansas Legislature on its proposed slots revenue, and never reopened.

The larger deal is a private one, where owner Phil Ruffin is selling around 400 acres to Scannell Properties for a warehouse redevelopment, with some small neighborhood retail planned at 99th and Leavenworth Road. Scannell has an agreement to purchase the Woodlands property.

Katherine Carttar, UG economic development director, said the agreement would allow Scannell to purchase 34 acres from the UG at 99th and Leavenworth Road, for a price of $2,031,495.78, based on $59,055.11 per acre. The UG had acquired the land in a tax sale, according to Carttar.


As part of the deal, Scannell would donate 70 acres to the UG for parks land. The land is close to Wyandotte County Lake Park and would be used for parks and trails, according to Carttar. That land will act as a buffer for the warehouse development.

Rezoning for the project and a master plan change has already been approved.

The first phase of the project is around 100 acres, with a 1 million square foot building, Carttar said, then there is 94 acres of undeveloped property for park land on the east side, and over 200 acres is still available for future development.

There is no request for tax abatement, Carttar said. She said the taxes today would be about $400,000 on the 415 acres. Once the first building is complete, they would be looking at over $2 million in taxes on the building, and an additional amount for the land, she said, estimated at $2.2 million a year in taxes.

Laurie and Adrian Torrez, who live near the Woodlands, spoke at the meeting.

Laurie Torrez said the Woodlands’ owner should not set the price on the land, and they should have an independent appraiser look at it. Adrian Torrez said he felt like it was already a “done deal” and his neighborhood had become a sacrificial lamb because of the need for the UG to do a development.

In answer to a question by committee member Jeff Bryant, Carttar said the UG did not have an independent appraisal done, but the appraisal was done by the UG’s own appraisal department.

The UG decided the purchase price for the land should be the same rate as the Woodlands land, according to Carttar. She said she thought it was a fair price. To the $2 million the UG will receive for the land will be added the land being donated for parks, and also $75,000 Scannell is donating to help with improvements to a shelter and improvements to trails on the park land, she said. At the rate they are paying for the other property, the donated land would be worth about $6 million, she said.

The project now goes to the full UG Commission for approval.

19-year-old candidate responds to criticism

Aaron Coleman

Aaron Coleman, a 19-year-old candidate for Kansas House of Representatives, 37th District, has responded to recent criticism.

Coleman leads long-time legislator, Rep. Stan Frownfelter, by five votes in the Democratic primary, after totals reported on Friday. On election night, he was ahead by one vote.

There are reportedly hundreds of provisional ballots that may be considered on Aug. 17 during canvassing, although it is not certain how many ballots are in the 37th District. The county Board of Canvassers will decide if the provisional ballots will be counted.

Coleman wrote this response recently to an opinion published in another newspaper, which discussed a social media comment he made earlier concerning Herman Cain and Republicans who didn’t wear masks deserving to become ill or die. Coleman has since said that he is “learning from mistakes.” His response:

‘Respect the decision of the voters’

“As a 19-year-old college student defeating a seven term Democratic incumbent for a legislative seat in the Kansas House of Representatives, I expected that I would feel the wrath of party insiders and establishment Democrats. But I did not expect that the media would enter into the dogpile.

“I was saddened to read a recent opinion-editorial from another local newspaper that sets a false equivalency between my legitimate, though poorly communicated, policy positions and the illegitimate, un-American, and anti-Semitic viewpoints of a Missouri Republican legislator.

“My Grandpa Charles’ mother was the only survivor of our family from Auschwitz. I have spent a great deal of time since my election victory this week reflecting on my family’s challenging journey from the Holocaust to the Kansas Legislature. There is a certain pride to know that, if elected in November, I may be both the only Jewish representative and the youngest member of the Kansas House.

“I recognize that the local newspaper’s opinion writers may not have understood or appreciated the anti-Semitic false equivalency displayed in their opinion editorial. I firmly believe in a robust First Amendment that protects free speech and a free press. Legitimate disagreements about my policy positions should always be the centerpiece. Sadly, the local newspaper’s opinion editorial was nothing more than unfortunate, anti-Semitic ‘bile,’ even if unintentional.

“I am young, and I acknowledge that I have made mistakes. I cannot promise that I won’t make more mistakes, but I can promise that I am learning from my mistakes, like every young person does.

“Despite those mistakes, the Democratic voters of Kansas House District 37 have exercised their fundamental right to be heard at the ballot box and elected me as their nominee for the November ballot. It is my sincere hope that the Kansas Democratic House Caucus, the Kansas Democratic Party and the media will respect the decision of the voters in Kansas House District 37.”

Aaron Coleman
Democratic nominee for Kansas House 37

Woodlands purchase agreement on tonight’s UG committee meeting agenda

The purchase agreement for Scannell Properties to buy 34 acres of Unified Government-owned land, and donate 70 acres to the UG Parks Department as part of the Woodlands redevelopment is on tonight’s agenda for the Economic and Development Financial Committee.

According to agenda documents, the proposed purchase price is $2,031,495.78, based on $59,055.11 per acre.

The EDF Committee meeting will begin after the completion of the Neighborhood and Community Development Committee meeting, which begins at 5 p.m. Monday, Aug. 10. It is a remote Zoom meeting.

Also on the EDF Committee agenda is a purchase agreement for the sale of three UG-owned parcels on 18th Street Expressway, totaling 1.68 acres, to the new Rodriguez Mechanical headquarters at 1900 Osage.

A third amendment to the development agreement of Scavuzzo’s KC Foodie Park, and a first amendment to an acknowledgment and assumption agreement, modifying phase 1 minimum improvements commencement date, is also on the agenda. The development is on the former Indian Springs mall location at 47th and State Avenue.

Also on the agenda is setting a public hearing for the Yards II Apartment redevelopment plan, an apartment complex west of State Line Road and east of the Kansas River, north of Kansas Avenue and south of I-670.

Also, a discussion of the Homefields project was on the agenda.

The UG agenda has instructions on how to connect to the Zoom meeting and how to follow the meeting on cable TV and YouTube at https://www.wycokck.org/Clerk/Agendas.aspx.

NCD Committee meeting

The Quindaro Ruins project is on tonight’s Neighborhood and Community Development Committee meeting agenda.

The remote meeting will be at 5 p.m. Monday, Aug. 10, on Zoom.

A memorandum of understanding between Western University Association of the AME Church and the Unified Government stated that the two intend to form a trust to own property, seek grants and donations and develop the Quindaro Ruins project.

Also on the NCD Committee meeting agenda are a Land Bank application from Rogelio Avalos for new construction at 2725 Farrow Ave., and an update on the Land Bank rehab program.