Two Unified Government committees will meet tonight in a virtual meeting.
The Public Works and Safety Committee will meet at 5 p.m. Monday, June 21 to discuss three topics: an application by the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department for a federal grant of $369,335 for the victim services unit; a presentation of an expansion proposal by the animal shelter; and a proposed transfer of property agreement between the Mid-America Regional Council Local Emergency Planning Committee and the Kansas City, Kansas, Fire Department, for equipment for the Fire Department’s HazMat unit.
The Administration and Human Service Committee will follow. On the agenda for the AHS meeting is consideration of reducing the coin-operated amusement license fee to $25 annually per device, from the current fee of $75 per device.
The meetings are online at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87623924061?pwd=WmNBS3RXdHVHem9sODM0RHFDMjNBQT09
The passcode is 618137.
To join by telephone, toll-free numbers are 888-475-4499 or 877-853-5257. The webinar ID number is 876 2392 4061.
The meetings also will be on UGTV cable television, on YouTube and on the UG’s website at http://74.62.126.113:8081/CablecastPublicSite/watch/1?channel=1.
For more information, see https://www.wycokck.org/Clerk/Agendas.aspx.
A public hearing is scheduled at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 10, on the amended Village East STAR bond district.
This amendment to the district plan and an ordinance for the amended district are being considered at the meeting tonight.
The STAR bond area includes the former Schlitterbahn water park on State Avenue, and more acreage to the east of 94th Street. The Homefield development is being constructed there.
Also on the 7 p.m. agenda is a resolution to extend the state of the local health emergency for COVID-19 through Sept. 15.
An ordinance is on the agenda for the disposal of wastewater, discharge prohibitions, sewer connections, wastewater discharge permits, service charges, pumping and transport of wastewater, permits for transportation of wastewater, on-site wastewater systems and the fat, oil and grease control program.
Also, the commission is asked to set a public hearing date of July 29 for the public hearing on the Community Development final 2021 annual action plan.
Two plats are on the agenda: One for the Estates of Goodman’s Meadow at 123rd and Parallel Parkway, and one for the plat of Villas of Piper Valley Phase I at 115th and Webster.
At the 5 p.m. UG Commission special session, there will be a presentation on the diversity, equality and inclusion program, followed by a closed executive session on litigation.
The 5 p.m. special meeting will be on YouTube, UGTV cable and on Zoom. The public will not be able to attend in person.
Changes to the STAR bond district in the redeveloped Schlitterbahn area received committee approval and will go to the full UG Commission for approval Thursday. (Drawing from UG agenda documents) The eastern part of the STAR bond district, between State and Parallel east of 94th Street, includes project areas 4 and 5. (Drawing from UG agenda documents)
An expanded STAR bond district for the Village East area was approved at the June 7 Unified Government Economic Development and Finance Committee meeting.
The STAR bond district expansion was “fast-tracked” and added to the 7 p.m. Thursday, June 10, agenda for the full UG Commission.
According to developers for the Homefield project at the old Schlitterbahn property, a 300-acre area is being extended to 350 acres.
Some projects formerly in one part of the development are being moved to another part of the development in this amended project, according to Robb Heineman, with the Homefield development. Heineman also is the co-owner of Sporting KC.
There is an extended area east of 94th Street between Parallel and State Avenue.
According to UG Administrator Doug Bach, the developer has already spent more than $20 million in land acquisition and demolition costs so far.
He said they want to bring in a new development called Perfect Game.
Heineman said Perfect Game is a very high quality operator that runs tournaments throughout the country. He said developers were able to attract Perfect Game to the Kansas City area.
Twelve baseball fields will be built for Perfect Game events, and a 13th will be built for some events, he said. The attraction will add 75,000 room nights a year for hotels in the next 12 years, he said.
Heineman said they have closed on property for the new Fairfield Inn, a 90-room hotel.
They have signed a letter of intent with a water-themed resort-style hotel to have more than 300 rooms, he added. It would be a full-service hotel. Another hotel is possible, with around 100 rooms.
Also in the STAR bond area, two more car dealerships are slated to open in mid-2022.
According to UG officials, the STAR bonds for this project affect only sales tax. Property taxes are not affected.
The EDF Committee also approved an ordinance on the amended project plans for areas 2B, 3 and 5 within the Village East STAR Bond District. This action set a public hearing for the project on June 24.
The committee also approved a resolution authorizing the execution of a supplemental indenture with regard to an industrial revenue bond issue from 2017 for the Dairy Farmers of America project.
In other action, the Neighborhood and Community Development Committee killed a proposal for a development that would have been built with shipping containers at 3119 Strong Ave. The proposal died when no one made a motion for it. It could be brought back again later, according to commissioners.
The applicant, Oliver Tanner, wanted to use Land Bank property to build an area ringed by decorated or painted shipping containers, with an open courtyard in the middle including picnic tables. There would be a food truck, with pizza available.
The idea was held over from a past meeting so that commissioners could hear about it.
Commissioner Jim Walters said he’s not a fan of shipping containers being used for building projects in Wyandotte County. It is a prominent corner at 32nd and Strong, and it would not be the highest and best use of this land, he said.
Ramon Murguia, an attorney, told the committee he had an office across from this location. He said there had been several investments in the area in recent years, including a new library nearby. Offices and a bank are very close to the location.
He said this is not a warehouse or industrial district, where projects with shipping containers have been built, but a business district. Shipping containers are not up to the standards of the business district, he said.
Tanner said he has been looking at ways to bring up the appearance of the shipping containers. He said he wanted to work with the community. He said he would do whatever was needed to accommodate the community and keep up the professional appearance.
Jeff Bryant agreed it was more of a brick-and-mortar neighborhood and not an industrial or warehouse neighborhood. Commissioner Brian McKiernan agreed there were other places where this project would fit in better.
