The Parkville Planning and Zoning Commission will consider proposed residential and commercial development on about 300 acres of vacant land near Interstate 435 and Missouri 45 during a public hearing next Tuesday.
The proposals, submitted by developer Brian Mertz of Parkville Development, call for residential, mixed-use residential and commercial and industrial developments. Planning and zoning members must approve preliminary plans before they are sent to the Parkville Board of Aldermen, whose members will consider them for final approval.
A similar but more densely-populated development plan for the area was scrapped in 2006-’07 due to a downturn in the economy, said City Administrator Joe Parente.
The public hearing proposal is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 11 at Parkville City Hall, 8880 Clark Avenue, Parkville.
The commission will take public comments and questions at the hearing. But commissioners may or may not immediately make a recommendation to the Parkville Board of Aldermen, Parente said during a telephone interview. He added that the commission could also call for an additional meeting to address public and commissioner concerns and questions before making a recommendation to the board.
“I think there’s already been some negativity and controversy,” Mertz, the developer, said during a telephone interview. He said much of the controversy, he believes, is due to misconceptions and a reluctance to embrace change.
Parente said city staff also had received some questions and concerns, mostly from those who live in subdivisions immediately adjacent to the proposed development, most of which are in unincorporated Platte County. He had no idea how many such communications the city had fielded but said the city’s process is designed to allow for public input.
“The city has been soliciting development proposals for this area for the last few years,” he said. “We’ve been pro-actively marketing the development and the proposals will be scrutinized through the process,” he said.
Mertz said he has read, mostly on social media, that residents fear the developments will lead to increased crime and diminished property values. But such opinions are, in his opinion, unfounded and he hopes that once the proposals are fully disclosed such fears will dissipate.
“We’ve held ourselves to some pretty high standards because we know this is the western gateway to the city of Parkville,” he said.
A timeline is as follows: moving dirt and making infrastructure improvements to things such as roads and sewers will begin this winter. Such improvements are required before building can take place, Parente said, adding that he estimates building will be complete in about four to six years.
Parente said Parkville’s population is expected to climb by about 2,000 once development is complete, adding to the city’s current population of about 6,700. The proposed developments are as follows:
–Creekside, a residential and commercial development, is proposed for the area southeast of Interstate 435 and Missouri 45, along Brink-Meyer Road. The single-family homes and multi-family townhomes and apartments are planned on more than 40 acres and will include some buildings devoted to retail on the bottom floors and apartment living upstairs.
Amenities such as a walking trail on the development’s south side near Brush Creek and a large playground will increase the property’s value and appeal, Mertz said. Plans call for 485 units consisting of more than 200 apartments, 100 townhouses and more than 100 single- family units, Mertz said. Price for the single-family homes will be about $300,000, he said.
Because there is no police presence on the city’s west side, city officials requested that Parkville Development reserve space for a satellite police building, Parente said. The station will provide office space and conference room space for those living in the western area of Parkville and will operate in addition to the current police headquarters in the lower level at Parkville City Hall and will not contain holding facilities or jail cells, he said.
The planned commercial development of the same name calls for hotel, restaurant, grocery/market and other commercial and retail establishments on an additional approximately 40 acres, Mertz said.
•A proposed northwest area development called Lakeside will be residential buildings on 143 acres and will include single-family homes, which will be priced at about $300,000, townhomes and a commercial area planned for use by hotels, restaurants, gas stations, pharmacy/medical offices retail and outdoor recreation. Office/industrial sites on nearly 50 acres will add manufacturing, storage and warehouse space and will be accessed off Missouri 45, Mertz said.
The area is designed to include a large baseball, arena suitable for use by youth through college age athletes for regional and national tournaments, Mertz said.
“A complex like this does not exist in our region,” he said, adding that existing teams are forced to rent fields in various locations throughout Kansas City. “It’s very expensive to build,” he said, adding that he’s aware of a lack of such space because he has a son who plays high school baseball.
•A southwest area will be constructed for use as light industrial, Mertz said. The one-half to one-acre sites will allow for small warehouse and office space. However, about half of the site is not developable, due to “challenges in the terrain,” Mertz said, which include a ravine that offers a slope too drastic for use.