Archive for Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Council approves rezoning for apartment complex

By Caroline Boyer

February 29, 2012

Though about 15 residents attended to stage a silent protest, the Bonner Springs City Council unanimously approved a rezoning to make way for an apartment complex at its Monday meeting.

With two property owners of record filing valid protests with the city, the ordinance for the rezoning and change to the comprehensive plan for The Village at Deerfield complex required at least seven “yes” votes to pass, and anyone in opposition needed to identify what factors the rezoning didn’t meet when voting no. But all eight council members and the mayor voted in support of the new development, which is planned as a 232-unit, gated apartment complex.

Council member Jeff Harrington assured residents present that the comments they made at the planning commission meeting were reviewed by the council members.

“It’s been quite a topic for this whole neighborhood, and I appreciate all the concern the whole community has had,” he said. “I want to compliment them on how that has been done… The whole community has been most appropriate in manner in which they participated in this process.”

There wasn’t enough room in the council chambers when came before the planning commission Jan. 24 in a public hearing. While the council’s consideration of the matter did not include a public hearing Monday, some residents still attended the meeting, showing their opposition with large “no rezoning” buttons.

The apartments are proposed by Bonner Springs developer Guy Tiner at Kansas Avenue and 132nd Street. The northern portion of L-shaped development — which on the east would wrap around the commercial development containing Nuts and Bolts True Value hardware store — is already zoned for multi-family development. But about six acres on the south side needed to be rezoned from single-family residential to multi-family.

At the planning commission meeting, residents said the proposed project was not a good fit for their neighborhood and would cause property values to drop and traffic safety issues. The planning commission added a traffic study as a condition of approval for the developer.

Daniel Foster of Schlagel and Associates answered some questions from the council, including concerns about Section 8 housing being allowed in the complex. Foster said Tiner did not want to have it in the complex and added that Tiner had just one Section 8 tennant in his existing complex in Bonner.

Foster also told the council that the complex would be constructed one building at a time, and it would be completed in a maximum of five years.

Council member Racheal Haas expressed concern that an apartment development of lesser quality could locate on the land if this development did not move forward.

Now that the council has approved the rezoning, the development must obtain approval of a preliminary plat, a final plat and a site plan before construction can begin. The final plat is the only one of those items that would be approved by both the planning commission and city council.

In other business, the council also discussed directing the mayor to write a letter of support for the city to join in on applying for a grant for Operation Green Light to coordinate traffic signals along Kansas Highway 7. The item was the topic of a workshop prior to the regular meeting.

Beginning in 2015, participation in the project would cost the city $1,055 more than its current costs for the traffic signal operations, but the signals would be monitored by Operation Green Light, saving city staff some time.

Comments

buddygr 1 year, 2 months ago

i forest green of deerfield village believes that the city council did not do their job as people who were voted in to office by the same people who were saying no to this. One man has an dream of makeing money anyway he can, at the cost of the people around him. He held the city hostage by tell the planing board if he did not get it he would build anyway but a lower class place. As a buiness man he will take his money from whoever comes along, and if he dont then he is stupid. I am going on record by saying now, any one who is up for reelection ( WHICH THERE IS ONE FROM EACH WARD) be not voted in in april and all the people show we do have a voice in this city. I live in ward 3 and i for one plan on running for one spot, and i hope others will replace the people who was to have our best intrest in mind. Edwardsville approved a 510 unit place and now bonner a 232 unit that is 742 units in this area. Does any body believe we are going to be able to fill all of these. And a resident that lives right next to where it going to be built have to put up with construction for the next 5 years. That is also wrong. None of the council members live around this to have to put up with it so why do they care. The only one who lived in the area is moveing out or has moved out ( Jeff Harington). Go figure

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awejse 1 year, 2 months ago

ALL homeowners in Bonner Springs got stabbed in the back this week. Residents in the Deerfield subdivision and residents in the homes facing K-7 across the street from Kerry Roberts Park your homes just got flushed down the toilet. Who will ever want to buy one of these homes with these so called "upscale" apartments being built. All the other homeowners in Bonner Springs, you will not feel the immediate betrayal of the Mayor and City Counsel but give it a few years. 743 new apartments being built in the school district, how will our schools support all of these kids? The answer is they will not new schools will have to be built which means higher real estate taxes for all of us.

The above letter said it all, lets get new people on the City Counsel and in the Mayor's office. People who will vote for what the residents want not what one man DEMANDS with threats of sub-standard apartments if he does not get his way. Also, The Planning Commission, 3 of these people voted no, they knew the right way. The remaining people need to go. As one so "graciously" stated as he slammed down his pencil in anger they volunteer their time for this. Give us all a break UN-VOLUNTEER and go back to your lives and quit ruining ours!!!!!!!!!!!!

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buddygr 1 year, 2 months ago

thank you and i dont know which ward you live in (hope it is mine) but if its vote for me in the next election for my seat on the council

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awejse 1 year, 2 months ago

I live in Ward 4, my husband and I are the residents you are speaking about in your last paragraph. We have lived in our home for 34 years so we have seen alot of changes all around us. Maybe not quite as drastic as this will be, but we will survive. We will keep our eyes open for any problems that arise for our neighborhood as well as yours. We are both retired so we are home most days. All of us must remain strong and stand up for what we believe is not right. Any signs that any NEW potential board member or mayor would like posted down by the highway you are welcome to put them in front of our house come election time. We will get new councel members and a new mayor and in turn they can appoint new planning commission members.. It's a win win for Bonner Springs homeowners.

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buddygr 1 year, 2 months ago

here is the bottom line the mayor and city council is out of touch with the people of bonner springs. they dont care what the people want in this city , it all about what a few ( the mayor, city council, and people who have the most money) want. I had a chance to sit down with the mayor in an one on one at the mayors form this last week . I brought up the fact about all the signatures i had and give them to him, of the people who was against this, and the reaction i got from him was there are 7500 people who dont care about this. But we dont know this for sure as i told him it does not effect all the people including the council and the mayor as they dont live in the area. As i told him one did but he moved out, now this could be due to geting remarried, or what ever but they vary well of could stay in the area to show us it did not effect them. Other things was talked about was how does the city think they are going to fill 743 units in the area and what will it do to the schools. He say taxes will not go up to build a new school becouse that is what bonds are for. We talked for almost an hour, and what i got out of it was it came down to money to all the buiness in the area anf to hell with all the people around this thing. It is time for new blood in our local goverment, to have people who want to represent the people of bonner, not just one person. I tryed to get the women from the paper to meet with me and the people of the area to report on our side of this, but i never got an email back from her either time i sent one to her, i want to know why she never reported the whole truth on the rezoneing night with all the police cars out side, along with other issues. I am going to try to get some one from the kansas city star out here to here our side of this and report the truth

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