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/
