Parkville is not only the second fastest growing city in the metropolitan area, but also has acquired the monikers of “quaint” and “Hallmark movie”-esq. The combination causes pause for city officials as they grapple with how to balance growth while keeping the “charm,” says Mayor Dean Katerndahl.
A planned multi-family residential development located near Price Chopper at Hwy. 45 will allow the city to diversify its housing options, offering much-needed housing for first-time homebuyers or for retirees who want to down-size, Katerndahl said.
Village on the Green is a 240-unit development featuring some attached units, similar to townhomes. The subdivision is located in two sections with slightly different designs: the western portion consists of more traditional row homes while the eastern area consists of some attached units encircling a common driveway. The sections will share a clubhouse.
The project, which first was proposed in 2021, has encountered many delays, but city officials hope to finalize the plans at an upcoming planning and zoning meeting, Katerndahl said.
A recent obstacle has been the plan to construct a special entrance secured by a gate that would provide access to emergency vehicles responding to calls in the area. The access would be constructed on a dead-end driveway and would be limited to use by ambulance, police, and fire vehicles, said Adam Tholen of Pulse Development, which leads the project.
Residents have voiced concern that the entrance later could serve as a public street, increasing traffic into the area. But Katerndahl and Thoren agreed that access would be limited to emergency vehicles with a gate that would be signaled to open by emergency sirens. Thoren said the drive is only about 12 feet wide, which is too narrow for access by other vehicles.
Thoren said he is meeting with area homeowners in an effort to convince them of the viability of the plan.
For city officials, a conundrum occurs with a trend many have long noticed in which residents consistently list the serene, picturesque setting as the main reason they chose to settle in Parkville. The city includes walking trails and dog trails and other amenities nestled near the Missouri River. Special recreational areas for pickleball, volleyball and basketball are available at English Landing Park, where playgrounds for younger and older children also are located.
In the Creekside development, developer Brian Mertz and crews have constructed between 600-800 new housing units, and he plans to construct about 200 more, Katerndahl said.
“It filled up pretty quickly,” he said.
This has resulted in the city’s population growing from about 7,100 during the latest census in 2020 to an estimated 8,500 since, and the number continues to climb. Katerndahl noted that while much of the vacant land has been developed, a portion of undeveloped property exists near Interstate 435 and Missouri 152, but there currently are no plans to develop that area, Katerndahl said.
Even with the recent growth, the number of city employees has remained steady at about 40 people. However, some changes are needed to manage the growth and to accommodate residents’ desire for trails and other outdoor amenities.
As such, officials plan to ask for an increase in the local use tax on the Nov. 7 ballot. The tax is expected to generate as much as $300,000 per year and will be applied to online purchases from out-of-state vendors, on goods shipped to Parkville, according to a city pamphlet explaining the tax.
The tax is applied like city sales tax, charged on local store purchases, according to a brochure provided by the city. Twenty percent of the tax will be used for construction, maintenance and repairs of trails, and pedestrian corridors, while 80 percent will go toward transportation, infrastructure, and capital improvements.
If the tax generates $300,000 city officials estimate the money will be divided as follows: transportation, $216,000; reserved, $24,000; and trails, $60,000. The multi-use and recreation trails funding will be used on the city’s existing 18.35 miles of trails, in which several different types of materials will be used for construction, the pamphlet states. The average cost to construct one mile of concrete trail is $900,000, the brochure states. In addition, maintenance of existing trails costs the city about $55,500 each year.
Katerndahl said city officials also have additional means for managing the city’s growth while protecting the charm, including reviewing, and updating city processes, including guidelines for new development, such as those specifying building materials and landscaping. They also are beginning the process of updating the city’s parks plan, where they are in the process of selecting a planning firm, Katerndahl said, and added that those measures should allow for Parkville growth while doing “a good job of maintaining what we have.”