Category: Due Diligence

https://youtu.be/W1Cd610H6ME There will not be a homeless shelter in a Lenexa hotel after the city council voted Tuesday night to adopt the planning commission’s denial. The vote was 5-2 to deny the special use permit. A supermajority, six votes from the eight council members and the mayor, would have been needed to overturn the recommendations from city staff and the city’s planning commission that the special use permit for the homeless shelter be denied.   After 30 minutes each of presentations from city staff and proponents of the shelter, the council listened to public comments before discussing the ordinance and taking a vote. The shelter would have been run by reStart and would have been located in the current La Quinta Inn just off Interstate 35 and West 95th Street. The La Quinta Inn would have been converted to 50 non-congregate shelter units, 25 transitional housing units and would have offered support services. Non-congregate shelters offer privacy to people who stay in the rooms.   The plan also included remodeling a former Denny’s restaurant into storage and potential office space. reStart CEO Stephanie Boyer shared a statement with KSHB 41 following the council’s decision. “We are disappointed by Lenexa’s decision to deny the special use permit for the homeless services center. We will continue to advocate for those experiencing homelessness in Johnson County and are committed to working on effective solutions to end homelessness in the area. We are heartened by the majority of public commenters who spoke out in favor of the project,” Boyer said. Like Councilwomen Arroyo and Eiterich, they see their neighbors struggling, affirm the need, and have the belief that this is the right project at the right time. “Your dedication of time and energy has been inspiring and invaluable. Despite strong public support, fear and stereotypes ultimately prevailed. We believe the awareness generated by [this] has been valuable — data supports the growing need. We urge the community to continue to support initiatives aimed at finding solutions and services for this growing population in Johnson County.” The shelter would have been the first in Johnson County to be a year-round, 24-hour-a-day homeless services center, according to an August news release from Johnson County. Lenexa Mayor Julie Sayers also released a statement after the vote. “On behalf of the Lenexa professional staff, planning commission and governing body, I hope our message is not one of failure by the applicant or rejection by our team, but rather a chance to learn from this process how all the relevant stakeholders in Johnson County can work together to find a countywide solution to the problem of homelessness,” Sayers said. “Our hope is that other cities in the county will adopt codes to accommodate homeless shelters similar to ours, so that options for appropriate properties throughout the county will become available for consideration.” Additionally, she went on to say, “With Johnson County’s leadership, we believe it is possible to find a comprehensive solution to this complicated problem and a property or properties that fits this need but is also equitable to the goals, economics and ability for all cities in Johnson County to deliver services to support it.” https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/lenexa-city-council-votes-down-controversial-proposal-for-homeless-shelter-in-city

LENEXA, Kan. (KCTV) – It was standing room only at Lenexa City Hall for the city’s Planning Commission meeting. The biggest item on the agenda: a proposed homeless shelter called the Homeless Services Center at 9461 and 9471 Lenexa Dr. Over 70 people registered to speak during the public hearing that was held before the Commission was slated to vote on a permit for the shelter. Hours of testimony before the Commission was mixed. “These homeless are our neighbors,” said David Eland, who spoke in favor of the proposed shelter. “Many of them grew up here.” “We have watched this go through the process from the county to your desk and it was railroaded through without much thought,” said Jeffrey Lysaught, who spoke against the proposed shelter. Several who spoke against the shelter questioned if the proposed location — the former site of a three-story La Quinta Hotel — was the right location for it, while those who spoke for it say there is a need that has to be addressed in the community. “You’ve heard, or will here folks concerned about property values, tax use, resources of the city, but I just don’t think there is anything more important to discuss than the proximity of the shelter to the elementary school and the neighborhood,” said Weston Mills, who spoke against the proposed shelter. “There would be 50, maybe 75 fewer people who would be homeless who would be in this project and helped by it,” said Gregory Hack, who spoke in favor of the proposed shelter. “This project is not going to create problems. It will help solve them.” Ahead of the public comment, Lenexa city staff went into detail on their reasoning behind recommending to deny the proposed shelter’s permit. The full 540-page report can be found in the Planning Commission’s agenda for the Aug. 26 meeting. “This is a difficult issue,” said Lenexa City Manager Beccy Yocham. “A complicated issue.” Stephanie Boyer, the CEO of ReStart, the organization that has been selected to run the Homeless Services Center, also spoke ahead of the public hearing, going over similar information that was shared at two informational public meetings last week held for Johnson County residents. She also addressed some of the concerns in the Lenexa city staff’s report, such as how the Homeless Services Center would differ from Project 1020, a cold weather shelter in Johnson County, and how Lenexa city staff stated the shelter would be inconsistent with the neighborhood. Just after midnight, by a vote of 9 to 0, the Planning Commission recommended denial of the Special Use Permit. The matter is tentatively scheduled to be heard by the Lenexa City Council on Sept. 17. Just after noon, Tuesday, August 27, Johnson County Chairman Mike Kelly released the following statement in response to the Planning Commission’s no vote: “Over the past 15 months, the county has partnered with Lenexa staff on our efforts to develop a Homeless Services Center. reStart was brought on earlier this year as the owner/operator to develop this application and address all concerns and questions. We committed to partnership, and through our collaboration, I strongly feel that the application submitted is the right solution at the right time. Therefore, I’m disappointed in the vote of the City of Lenexa Planning Commission and disagree with its rationale. There has never been this amount of community consensus on the problem of homelessness in Johnson County and the need to address it now, while it is at a manageable level.  I appreciate that the majority of public opinion, as expressed by Lenexa residents, cities, the faith community, and social service providers has been supportive of this innovative approach to fill a much-needed gap in serving unhoused adults. At this time, the county is weighing all options, which will be discussed among the full board. I look forward to continued conversations on how our county can fill gaps in the housing continuum and ensure everyone who wants to can have a safe place to live and the support they need to thrive in Johnson County.  I welcome all city partners, including Lenexa, to that table.” https://www.kctv5.com/2024/08/27/ahead-vote-lenexa-planning-commission-hears-public-proposed-homeless-shelter/

LENEXA, Kan. (KCTV) – A day after an informational meeting was held in Johnson County, the City of Lenexa says while there is a need to address homelessness in Johnson County and they want to be part of a solution, the proposed Homeless Services Center would place an “unreasonable burden on this area of the community” and its permit should be denied. City staff cited four additional reasons as to why it is opposed to the proposal, which would bring a Johnson County Homeless Services Center into a converted three-story old La Quinta hotel east of I-35 and just off 95th Street. A list of the four reasons was shared on Thursday night: The proposed use is inconsistent with the character of the neighborhood, which has been identified by the City as a key redevelopment corridor, The proposed use, due to its proximity to the only other homeless shelter for single adults in Johnson County, will create a concentration of negative external impacts in this area of the community which will detrimentally affect nearby properties, The City’s current law enforcement resources are inadequate to serve the proposed use and the additional cost to the City to add the necessary staff places an unreasonable financial burden on the City, which is exacerbated by the loss of tax revenue caused by the conversion of the subject property to a tax-exempt use, and That despite the applicant’s best intentions, the extremely abbreviated timeline under which this project has been conceived and developed has resulted in many of the required elements of a binding Management Plan for the shelter use being unfinalized and/or inadequate, thereby creating substantial uncertainty as to important details about the proposed use, its funding, and ultimately, the overall viability of the shelter operation. The report was posted as Johnson County was hosting another packed informational public meeting, the second one this week. Board of County Commissioners Chairman Mike Kelly didn’t have time to read the full report before speaking with KCTV 5 following the meeting, but says Johnson County and ReStart, the organization chosen to run the Homeless Services Shelter, have met with Lenexa leaders several times to answer their questions. “I’m really hoping that process can continue, and we are willing to, and I know ReStart is wiling and hopefully be able to address some of those concerns that have caused the city of Lenexa staff to recommend denial at this point,” said Kelly. “I’ve really been impressed with the way Stephanie Boyer (CEO of ReStart) and her team has been able to address quite a few questions and unknowns so far. So I am really hopeful for what they are going to do even in the short, narrow period of time before Monday.” Kelly added he appreciates the time and effort that has gone into the proposed homeless shelter. “I get it,” said Kelly. “Lenexa is being asked to consider something that is novel and unique and hasn’t ever been done in Johnson County before. Because of that, it has already been as administrative lift on Lenexa. Lenexa is an important partner to the county. Not only on this, but on many things in the future. Lenexa and the county are going to grow together. I’ve found it encouraging the way Lenexa has held itself during this process and how the county has handled it, even when the conversations are difficult.” When asked if there is another location under consideration should the permit be denied, Kelly says he just ‘wants to see the process play out’. “Good, bad, or indifferent, we will be looking to, as always, continue to move forward on that entire housing continuum.” ReStart will be speaking at the Lenexa Planning Commission on Monday, as the organization submitted the application for the permit. Members of the public who want to speak at the Aug. 26 Lenexa Planning Commission meeting — where this will be discussed — are encouraged to register online. https://www.kctv5.com/2024/08/23/lenexa-city-staff-explains-opposition-johnson-county-homeless-center/

https://lenexashelter.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/BOCC-Tax-Increase-Video-on-Fox-4-News.mp4 OLATHE, Kan. — Taxpayers let their frustrations fly in a raucous budget meeting Tuesday night in Johnson County. This comes while the county commission tries to increase the budget for fiscal year 2025 and raise property taxes with it. It sent out higher proposed property assessments a few days ago and many of those property owners voiced their disagreement on Tuesday. Some reacted with outbursts to tax hikes and the stance some commissioners are taking. It lasted nearly two hours. What we do know is that if the budget does pass, which every indication is that it will, the average Johnson County property owner will see a more than five percent increase in their taxes next year. While two commissioners believe this is not the way to go, five others disagree not only with their colleagues but also with the majority of the taxpayers who came to voice their concerns.   Person after person voicing anger as the Johnson County commission is one step closer to approving the budget for fiscal year 2025. The chair of the commission says this is something that must be done. “How we operate this budget, how we operate this county in the most efficient way possible while also meeting that level of service that the people have said that they want,” Mike Kelly, the chair of the Johnson County Commission said. But not all are on board. In fact, an overwhelming majority, only one person out of more than 30 people stood in support of this budget and one county commissioner is standing with them.   “I think tonight was perhaps was a wakeup call – that folks are – they really are at their wit’s end, they cannot afford this,” Commissioner Charlotte O’Hara of the 3rd district said.   So, in the end, what is trying to be accomplished is exceeding the revenue neutral rate which will mean higher taxes for people in the state’s most populous county. The final vote on this will take place on August 29. Currently this budget has five votes in support and only two not in favor. So at this point again every indication is that it will pass. That means an increase in taxes for property owners. But as with everything, things can change between now and then. https://fox4kc.com/news/johnson-county-property-owners-share-frustrations-at-budget-meeting/