Ordinance No. 231047, related to certain Chapter 88 amendments, was introduced on December 14, 2023.
For over a year, HKC worked with staff to minimize damage. HKC’s concern is that modifications increase the risk of Pandora effect if development plans carefully put in place are not followed and allowed to be unilaterally modified by the Director of City Planning negotiating directly with developers. Once a serious deviation is approved, every developer after that will replicate it and go even higher. It could lead to a collapse of overlay ordinances in Kansas City neighborhoods and is a threat to area planning.
HKC submitted supplemental written testimony and a form of Committee Substitute. The focus of the Committee Substitute was to uphold public engagement efforts by HKC and neighborhoods with developers and strengthen Council oversight on previously approved development plans. HKC offered oral testimony in support of HKC’s request for a Committee Substitute.
As introduced, Ordinance No. 241093 would recategorize more amendments to development plans as “minor” that could be approved only by City Planning staff, without any public engagement. The Neighborhood Planning and Development Committee unanimously recommended Ordinance No. 241093 for passage, it was approved by the City Council on January 9th.
See HKC’s testimony at the Neighborhood Planning and Development Committee hearing on January 10th HERE.