Mar 04, 2025 City Council Meeting

[00:00:05]

AS WE SEE THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS,

[CALL TO ORDER]

JENNIFER, WOULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ANY CORRECTIONS TO THE DRAFT MINUTES OF THE FEBRUARY 18TH CITY COUNCIL MEETING?

[APPROVE MINUTES]

SECOND BY COURTNEY. ALL IN FAVOR? MINUTES ARE APPROVED.

JENNIFER. ANY MODIFICATIONS? NONE THIS EVENING.

OKAY. SINCE SONNY IS THE ONLY GUEST HERE TONIGHT, WE'RE GOING TO READ OUR PROCLAMATIONS FROM OUR SEATS.

[PROCLAMATIONS]

CHEERS, LADIES. WHEREAS AMERICAN WOMEN HAVE MADE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE GROWTH AND STRENGTH OF OUR NATION IN COUNTLESS RECORDED AND UNRECORDED WAYS.

AND WHEREAS AMERICAN WOMEN PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE IN EVERY ASPECT OF THE NATION AS A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THE LABOR FORCE.

AND WHEREAS AMERICAN WOMEN SERVED AS EARLY LEADERS IN THE FOREFRONT OF EVERY MAJOR PROGRESSIVE SOCIAL CHANGE MOVEMENT AND HAVE SERVED OUR COUNTRY COURAGEOUSLY IN THE MILITARY. AND WHEREAS AMERICAN WOMEN HAVE BEEN LEADERS NOT ONLY SECURING OUR OWN RIGHTS OF SUFFRAGE AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY, BUT ALSO IN THE ABOLITIONIST MOVEMENT, THE EMANCIPATION MOVEMENT, THE INDUSTRIAL LABOR MOVEMENT, THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, AND OTHER MOVEMENTS, ESPECIALLY THE PEACE MOVEMENT, WHICH CREATE A MORE FAIR AND JUST SOCIETY FOR ALL.

AND WHEREAS, DESPITE THESE CONTRIBUTIONS, THE ROLE OF AMERICAN WOMEN IN HISTORY HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY OVERLOOKED AND UNDERVALUED IN THE STUDY OF AMERICAN HISTORY.

NOW THEREFORE I. DULY SAYERS, MAYOR OF LENEXA, KANSAS, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM.

MARCH 2025 IN THE CITY OF LENEXA TO BE WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH.

AND FOR MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS EDUCATION MONTH. COUNCIL MEMBER EITERICH.

WHEREAS MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS IS A CHRONIC, OFTEN DISABLING, UNPREDICTABLE DISEASE THAT ATTACKS THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM.

AND WHEREAS MS AFFECTS NEARLY 1 MILLION PEOPLE IN THE NATION AND ABOUT 200 NEW CASES DIAGNOSED WEEKLY.

AND WHEREAS THE DISEASE GENERALLY STRIKES PEOPLE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 20 AND 50.

THE CAUSE OF MS SYMPTOMS REMAINS UNKNOWN AND THERE IS NO CURRENT, THERE'S CURRENTLY NO CURE.

AND WHEREAS COMMON SYMPTOMS OF THIS DISEASE INCLUDE FATIGUE, WEAKNESS, TREMORS, BALANCE AND VISION PROBLEMS, DEPRESSION, NUMBNESS, AND DIFFICULTY WALKING ALTHOUGH THE DISEASE VARIES GREATLY FROM PERSON TO PERSON.

AND WHEREAS MARCH IS WHEN COMMUNITIES LEARN ABOUT AND BECOME MORE AWARE OF THE DISEASE, HELPING THOSE WHO SUFFER LEAD MORE PRODUCTIVE AND SATISFYING LIVES.

AND WHEREAS ADVANCES IN THE RESEARCH AND TREATMENT ARE ONGOING AND PROVIDE HOPE TO THOSE AFFECTED BY THE DISEASE.

NOW, THEREFORE, JULIE MAYOR OF LENEXA, KANSAS, DOES HEREBY PROCLAIM MARCH 2025, IN THE CITY OF LENEXA TO BE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS EDUCATION AND AWARENESS MONTH. THANK YOU FOR THE ADVOCACY THAT YOU DO FOR MS THANK YOU.

THERE ARE THREE ITEMS TONIGHT ON THE CONSENT AGENDA.

[CONSENT AGENDA]

CITY MANAGER OR A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC. IN THE EVENT THIS ITEM IS REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA, IT WILL BE PLACED ON THE REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION.

HEARING NONE. ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEMS ONE THROUGH THREE ON THE CONSENT AGENDA.

MOTION BY CHELSEA. SECOND BY MELANIE. ALL IN FAVOR? CONSENT AGENDA IS APPROVED. NUMBER FOUR TONIGHT.

[4. Consideration of an amendment to Project Plan 2 in the Mining Redevelopment Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District ]

SEAN. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL AND CITY ATTORNEY HERE WITH AMENDMENTS TO THE RENNER 95 PROJECT.

I'M GOING TO START OFF WITH A BIT OF A BRIEF HISTORY ON THE PROJECT ITSELF.

THIS IS A RENNER 95, AS WE'LL CALL IT, AN OFFICE BUILDING AT THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF 95TH AND RENNER.

IT WAS CONSTRUCTED IN 2008, A FIVE STORY OFFICE BUILDING.

AS MANY OF YOU MAY RECALL IN 2023. THIS PROJECT WAS BROUGHT IN FOR A RESIDENTIAL MULTI-FAMILY CONVERSION, INCLUDING A NEW MULTI-FAMILY TO THE WEST, AND THAT WAS APPROVED IN 2023.

[00:05:03]

SO NOW A BRIEF LITTLE HISTORY ON THE TIF AND THE TIF AMENDMENT WE'RE PROPOSING.

OUR ORIGINAL, THIS IS TIF PROJECT PLAN TWO IN THE MINING TIF.

THIS WAS ALSO ORIGINALLY APPROVED IN 2008. THE ORIGINAL TERMS WERE REIMBURSEMENT OF TIF FOR TEN YEARS.

AND THEN THEY HAD AN OPPORTUNITY FOR AN ADDITIONAL 606,000 APPROXIMATELY IF THEY RETAINED THE OFFICE TENANT.

AT THAT AT THAT POINT IN TIME, WHICH THEY DID NOT.

SO IN 2023, IN AN ATTEMPT TO REDEVELOP THE PROJECT, THEY CAME IN AND GOT AMENDMENTS APPROVED, ALONG WITH PLANS TO CONVERT IT TO MULTIFAMILY USE.

SO NOW THE PROPOSED 2025 AMENDMENT WILL TERMINATE THE 2023 AMENDMENT, ADDS OFFICE BACK INTO THE TIF PROJECT PLAN AND THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT, AND THEN REMOVES THE MULTIFAMILY COMPONENT.

AS A RESULT OF THE AMENDMENT, THE DEVELOPER WILL RECEIVE THAT 606,000 TIF REIMBURSABLE PAYMENT, JUST AS THEY HAD IF THEY HAD RETAINED THE OFFICE TENANT AT THE TIME DURING THE END OF THAT ORIGINAL INCENTIVE TERM.

THERE'S A PUBLIC HEARING TONIGHT. STAFF RECOMMENDS APPROVAL OF THE AMENDMENTS TO THE PROJECT PLAN AND TO THE DDA.

I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. A REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE APPLICANT IS ALSO HERE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS.

SO I'LL STAND RIGHT NOW. THANK YOU, SEAN. THERE'S TWO BUILDINGS THAT WERE APPROVED IN 23. YES. AND THAT OTHER BUILDING JUST GOES AWAY.

THE PLAN ON THAT? YEAH. YES. YES. THE FINAL PLAN WAS REVISED LAST NIGHT AT THE PLANNING COMMISSION TO REMOVE THAT.

SO, THE ONLY PLAN THAT ISN'T APPROVED RIGHT NOW IS FOR WHAT YOU SEE.

SO, I BELIEVE AT THE OFFICE TENANT WHO'S PROPOSING TO OCCUPY THE BUILDING, WE'RE ONLY AT TENANT FINISHES.

SO THAT SITE WILL REMAIN RELATIVELY THE SAME.

AND IS THERE ANY MULTIFAMILY ZONING OR ANYTHING ON THE SITE? NO. OKAY. JUST TO CLARIFY THE PLAN, MIXED USE ZONING REMAINS. SO, SHOULD IN THE FUTURE SOMEONE PROPOSE ANOTHER USE BE ESTABLISHED THERE THROUGH THE SITE PLAN PROCESS? THAT COULD OCCUR BECAUSE THE MIXED USE ZONING REMAINS ON THE PROPERTY.

I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT WOULD CURRENTLY JUST COVER THE EXISTING PARKING THAT'S THERE, RIGHT? RIGHT. BUT AS SEAN NOTES, THE PLAN APPROVED LAST NIGHT WAS JUST FOR WHAT YOU SEE HERE, JUST REVERTING BACK TO THE ORIGINAL OFFICE BUILDING WITH THE PARKING SURROUNDING IT.

OKAY, MAYBE THIS IS FOR CURTIS. I KNOW YOU'RE NOT KENNY, BUT CAN YOU TALK TO WHY APARTMENTS DIDN'T WORK HERE? THANK YOU. CURTIS HOLLAND, ATTORNEY FOR BLOCK REAL ESTATE HERE.

APPRECIATE YOUR CONSIDERATION OF THIS MATTER TONIGHT.

TO YOUR PARTICULAR QUESTION. THE PLAN, AS YOU RECALL FOR APARTMENTS, WAS DUE TO THE LACK OF OFFICE INTEREST HERE IN THIS MARKETPLACE. AND IT WAS SORT OF A NOT A LAST GASP, BUT IT WAS REALLY THE ONLY POTENTIAL ALTERNATE USE FOR THE PROPERTY AT THAT TIME THAT COULD WORK ON THE SITE.

THE OFFICE MARKET. A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO WAS NON-EXISTENT, AND FRANKLY, IT'S STILL STRUGGLING TO GET BACK TO WHERE IT WAS PRE-COVID DAYS. AND IT WAS ALMOST BY SHEER LUCK, IF YOU WILL, THAT WE HAD A TENANT, A POTENTIAL USER BUYER OF THE PROPERTY, WHO WANTED TO MAKE USE OF IT AS A HEADQUARTER PROJECT, SHOW UP.

TO OUR DELIGHT, AND I THINK EVERYBODY IS SUPPORTIVE OF BRINGING THIS BUILDING BACK TO ITS ORIGINAL USE.

AND I KNOW THAT IN CONVERSATIONS WITH THE CITY STAFF THERE, THERE'S INTEREST IN HAVING IT BE RETURNED TO THAT TYPE OF USE.

WE THINK IT'S GOOD FOR THE COMMUNITY AND ARE HOPEFUL THAT THIS WILL WORK OUT.

AND SO THAT'S WHY WE CAME BACK TO PRESENT THE OFFICE PLAN BACK TO YOU.

IT'S A LITTLE BIT ODD TO GO FROM OFFICE TO MULTIFAMILY, THEN GO BACK TO OFFICE, WHICH IS WHAT HAPPENED HERE.

[00:10:02]

AND SO, WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE THAT WORK FOR THE POTENTIAL BUYER IN THIS CASE.

THANK YOU. MARK. SCOTT, I HAVE ONE OTHER CLARIFICATION QUESTION.

WHEN IT WENT TO THE APARTMENTS IS THAT WHEN THE ZONING CHANGED OR HAS IT ALWAYS BEEN MIXED USE? CORRECT. THAT'S WHEN THE ZONING CHANGED FROM OFFICE TO MIXED USE TO ACCOMMODATE THE MIXTURE OF USES AT THE TIME.

OKAY. JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT. THANK YOU. AND JUST REAL QUICKLY ON THAT POINT THAT WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE BUYER HAS PLANS INTENTIONS TO USE THE FIRST FLOOR OFFICE SPACE FOR SOME RETAIL MIXED USE KIND OF THING.

AND DEPENDING ON HOW IT ALL WORKS OUT, THERE MIGHT BE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES ON THIS SITE.

SO WE'LL SEE GOING FORWARD FOR THEM. BUT EVERYBODY'S EXCITED TO MOVE THIS ALONG.

HOPEFULLY IT'LL ALL WORK OUT. OKAY. OTHER QUESTIONS BEFORE WE OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING? OKAY. OH, CHRIS. GO AHEAD. EXCUSE ME. CURTIS.

OH. I'M SORRY. NO WORRIES. I KNOW YOU PROBABLY CAN'T REVEAL WHO THE TENANT IS, BUT ARE WE TALKING.

HOW MANY JOBS MIGHT WE BE TALKING? I CAN'T TELL YOU THE EXACT NUMBER OF JOBS.

I CAN TELL YOU, YOU'LL BE SUPER EXCITED. BUT IT'S A IT'S A WELL-KNOWN COMPANY.

MR. HOLLAND, CAN YOU CONFIRM THE POTENTIAL BUYER WOULD OCCUPY NOT THE ENTIRE BUILDING SO THEY'RE THINKING ABOUT OCCUPYING THREE FLOORS WITH THEIR OWN OFFICE EMPLOYEES, AND THEN LEASING THE FOURTH, THE FIFTH FLOOR FOR OTHER USERS? YEAH. THANK YOU. BECKY. YEAH. THE PLAN IS TO OCCUPY THE MAJORITY, I WOULD SAY MORE THAN HALF THE BUILDING, FILL IT UP. AND THEN WITH AN OPPORTUNITY DEPENDING ON GROWTH FOR THEM TO OCCUPY ADDITIONAL SPACE, BUT ALSO TO MAKE IT AVAILABLE FOR OTHER TENANTS.

SO, IT COULD BE A MULTI IT COULD END UP BEING A MULTI TENANT BUILDING.

WHICH IS NOT UNCOMMON FOR. IT WOULD BE PROPERTY OR ANY OTHER.

VERY COMMON FOR THERE TO BE MULTIPLE TENANTS.

OKAY. YES. THANK YOU. THANKS, MAYOR. OKAY, GOOD.

WE'LL NOW OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING. IF ANYONE PRESENT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM, PLEASE COME FORWARD TO THE PODIUM. SIGN IN AND STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE RECORD.

SEEING NONE, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.

MOTION BY COURTNEY. SECOND BY JOHN. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. PUBLIC HEARING IS CLOSED. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? WE HAVE A SERIES OF MOTIONS ON THIS. THE ITEMS B THROUGH C, SO CALL FOR THOSE SEPARATELY.

ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO PASS THE ORDINANCE ADOPTING THE SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED REDEVELOPMENT PLAN TWO.

AMENDING ORDINANCE 5976 AND APPROVE THE THIRD AMENDMENT TO THE DDA WITH RENNER ASSOCIATES, LLC. MOTION BY MELANIE. SECOND BY BILL. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. MOTION PASSES. ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR THE APPROVAL FOR THE THIRD AMENDMENT TO THE DDA WITH RENNER ASSOCIATES, LLC. MOVE. SECOND. MOTION BY CRAIG. SECOND BY BILL.

ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. THOSE OPPOSED MOTION PASSES.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OH, YEAH, THAT'S A DIFFERENT ONE.

THANK YOU. ITEM NUMBER FIVE IS A RESOLUTION AMENDING THE FISCAL YEAR 2025 THROUGH 2029.

[5. Resolution amending the fiscal year 2025-2029 Capital Improvement Program to increase the budget for the Lenexa Old Town Activity Center Project]

LENEXA OLD TOWN ACTIVITY CENTER. MIKE. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL.

MIKE NOLAN, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER. NORMALLY ON SOME OF THESE ITEMS, YOU'D SEE LOGAN WAGLER, PARKS AND RECREATION DIRECTOR HERE.

HE'S GOT SOME FAMILY COMMITMENTS THIS EVENING. AND BEN CLARK, OUR PROJECT MANAGER ON THE PROJECT, IS ACTUALLY SICK TONIGHT. SO INSTEAD, YOU'RE STUCK WITH ME.

BUT I'M SUPPORTED BY CHRISTY TURNER WITH TURNER CONSTRUCTION AND SAM LORING AND MULTI-STUDIO AND MANDY DANGLER WITH PARKS AND REC TO ANSWER ANY KIND OF TIMELINE AND TECHNICAL QUESTIONS FOR YOU. BUT THE REASON WE'RE HERE TONIGHT IS TO ASK THE CITY COUNCIL TO AMEND THE 25 THROUGH 29 CIP TO INCREASE THE BUDGET FOR LOW TECH IN THE AMOUNT OF $325,000. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT WE'RE HERE, YOU KNOW, EXCITED TO BE ASKING FOR.

BUT AS WE'VE BEEN THROUGH THIS PROJECT OVER THE LAST 15 MONTHS IT'S OPENING UP WALLS AND OPENING UP THINGS IN A BUILDING THAT IS 45 YEARS OLD AND DISCOVERING THINGS THAT ARE UNFORESEEN AND UNKNOWN THAT YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH AND REPLACE.

I DETAILED SOME OF THESE IN THE PACKET MEMO THAT WAS WITH EVERYTHING, BUT, YOU KNOW, CONFLICTS IN THE BUILDING PLANS AS IT WAS KIND OF FRANKENSTEINED TOGETHER 2

[00:15:03]

A BIG THING THAT WE HAD TO DO, OBVIOUSLY, WAS TO REMEDIATE MOLD ALL AROUND THE GYM.

THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE DEFINITELY WEREN'T EXPECTING, AS WELL AS SOME OF THE SITE CONDITIONS AND THE SOIL CONDITIONS THAT WE NEED TO MAKE SOME OF THE OUTDOOR SPACES, AND ESPECIALLY THE PICKLEBALL COURTS, WHAT WE INTEND THEM TO BE.

AND SO OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST MONTH, OUR PROJECT TEAM WITH MULTI-STUDIO TURNER AND ALL THEIR SUBCONTRACTORS, AS WELL AS THE CITY, HAVE BEEN KIND OF PEN TO PAPER TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT EXACTLY HOW TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM WITHOUT HAVING TO COME BACK TO YOU THIS EVENING.

BUT UNFORTUNATELY, ALL OF OUR EFFORTS ARE EXHAUSTED.

AND SO WE'RE WE'RE HERE TO ASK YOU TO INCREASE THAT BUDGET, TO BE ABLE TO CLOSE OUT THE PROJECT, WHICH WE INTEND TO FINISH BY SUBSTANTIAL COMPLETION MARCH 25TH.

SO LATER THIS MONTH, WE'RE LITERALLY IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS OF THIS PROJECT, AND THIS IS KIND OF A LAST DITCH EFFORT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE GOT EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE OUTSTANDING COVERED. AND WE KNOW THAT THERE'S PROBABLY GOING TO BE SOME UNFORESEEN THINGS THAT WE SEE IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS BEFORE WE TAKE OWNERSHIP OF THE BUILDING AND START TO COMMISSION IT. SO I'LL LEAVE IT AT THAT.

THERE'S PROBABLY GOING TO BE SOME QUESTIONS, AND I MIGHT INVITE MY PARTNERS HERE TO ANSWER SOME OF THOSE TECHNICAL QUESTIONS, BUT HAPPY TO, TO STAND FOR ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT. QUESTIONS FOR MIKE OR THE ARCHITECTS? NONE. MY ONLY ONE. AND I APOLOGIZE IF THIS WAS IN THE PACKET MEMO.

WAS THERE A CONTINGENCY ON THE PROJECT ALREADY THAT THIS EXCEEDED? YES. THERE WAS THERE WAS A CONTINGENCY ON THE PROJECT THAT STAFF ACTUALLY ADDED TO THAT.

THROUGHOUT. WE HAD SOME SAVINGS IN FURNITURE, FIXTURES AND EQUIPMENT THAT WE ADDED BACK AND JUST THE BREADTH OF THINGS AS WE OPENED UP WALLS, PLUMBING, STRUCTURAL CHANGES. ONE, ONE INTERESTING ONE I DID MENTION IN THE PACKET MEMO IS THERE'S NO VAPOR BARRIER OR INSULATION ON OUR MECHANICAL ROOM.

WE'RE GOING TO PUT THAT BACK AND AIRTIGHT AND WATERTIGHT.

THE BUILDING ON THAT SIDE, WHICH IS A CONDITION THAT NONE OF US COULD HAVE EVER FORESEEN, AND JUST A RELIC OF OLD CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES AND METHODS THAT WILL.

CORRECT. SO. OKAY. YEAH. I WOULD JUST SAY FOR ANYONE WHO EVER WATCHES THIS ONLINE, ANYTIME YOU EVER OPEN AN EXISTING BUILDING, YOU'RE GOING TO FIND THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT. SO WHILE UNFORTUNATE THAT WE WEREN'T ABLE TO PLAN FOR THESE THINGS, YOU REALLY CAN'T PLAN FOR THESE THINGS WHEN YOU'RE DEALING WITH OLD CONSTRUCTION. SO IT IS UNFORTUNATE.

I'M GLAD IT'S NOT ANY MORE THAN $325,000. THAT TO ME SEEMS LIKE IT MIGHT EVEN BE LUCKY, YOU KNOW, SITUATION. IT COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE. SO WE DEFINITELY FEEL LUCKY, MAYOR.

BUT WE STILL, YOU KNOW, WE MADE A PROMISE TO THE GOVERNING BODY WHEN WE HAD A COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE ABOUT THIS IN LATE 23 BEFORE WE DID THE GMP.

AND YEAH, IT COULD HAVE BEEN A MECHANICAL SYSTEM FULL OF MOLD OR SOMETHING EVEN WORSE. SO YEAH, BE GRATEFUL THAT IT'S NOT ANY WORSE THAN IT IS.

YES. I THINK TO YOUR POINT, HAD WE HAD X RAY VISION AND BEEN ABLE TO SEE EVERYTHING, THEN WE WOULD BE AT THIS POINT BECAUSE WE'D KNOW ALL THOSE THINGS WE'D HAVE TO DO AND THEY'D BE PRICED ACCORDINGLY.

SO WE'RE NOT WE'RE NOT ANY WORSE OFF. RIGHT? AND IN FACT, PROBABLY A LITTLE BETTER OFF BECAUSE YOU FIND SPECIFICALLY WHAT YOU NEED TO DO AS OPPOSED TO GUESSING A LITTLE BIT. SO YES, AND CERTAINLY THINGS LIKE VAPOR BARRIER, YOU SHOULD BUILD IT RIGHT THIS TIME SO THAT IT LASTS ANOTHER 45 YEARS.

YEP. CERTAINLY. OKAY. ANYTHING ELSE? OKAY. I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO ADOPT THE RESOLUTION AMENDING THE FISCAL YEAR 25 THROUGH 29 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM TO INCREASE THE BUDGET FOR LOW TECH. SO MOVED.

MOTION BY CRAIG. SECOND BY COURTNEY. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. MOTION PASSES. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU.

ANY COUNCIL MEMBER REPORTS? NOTHING GOING ON, BECKY.

ANYTHING BEFORE SCOTT PRESENTS THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ANNUAL REPORT?

[STAFF REPORTS]

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WILL BE ATTENDING THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES CONFERENCE IN WASHINGTON, DC, THAT'S NO SURPRISE TO YOU. BUT FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC, THAT MEETING WILL BE CANCELED. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, SCOTT, LET'S HEAR THE GOOD NEWS.

THANK YOU. MAYOR AND COUNCIL, SCOTT MCCULLOUGH WITH COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR THIS EVENING.

AND AS I LOOK AROUND, I SEE THE WEATHER IS THWARTING THE USUAL WAVE OF PUBLIC PUSH TO GET HERE FOR THIS REPORT. EVEN SONNY BAILED. SO, EVEN OUR STAFF KIND OF CHECKED OUT.

RIGHT. BUT WITH THAT, WE DO HAVE WE DO HAVE GOOD NEWS TO SHARE WITH YOU ABOUT THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PRODUCTIVITY IN 2024.

AND SO WE'LL JUMP RIGHT INTO IT. SOME NUMBERS FOR YOU.

AND I THINK YEAH GOOD, THIS WORKS. SO TOTAL VALUATION FOR THE YEAR THAT WE'RE PERMITTED APPROACHED $490 MILLION.

[00:20:05]

NOTE HERE THAT THE COMMERCIAL AND RED BAR AND RESIDENTIAL IN YELLOW WERE JUST ABOUT EQUAL AMOUNTS THIS YEAR.

IT'S NOT SO RARE. WHEN YOU LOOK BACK, YOU WILL FIND THAT IN SEVERAL YEARS OF THE CITY CAN'T PUT ANYTHING TO THE TREND.

IT'S JUST KIND OF AN INTERESTING STAT TO LOOK AT THERE.

AND SO WE'VE HAD SEVERAL GOOD YEARS IN A ROW IN TERMS OF VALUATION.

WHEN WE TURN OUR ATTENTION TO THE NUMBER OF UNITS PER PERMITTED.

THAT'S IN THIS CHART HERE, WHERE BLUE IS SINGLE FAMILY, AND THAT WAS AT 219 UNITS OF SINGLE FAMILY AND 64 DUPLEX UNITS AND 274 MULTIFAMILY UNITS. THE TAKEAWAY HERE IS THAT THE SINGLE FAMILY IS GENERALLY POSITIVE EVERY YEAR, ALTHOUGH IT EBBS AND FLOWS WITH THE ECONOMY, MULTIFAMILY KIND OF EBBS AND FLOWS INTO SOME YEARS OF ZERO UNITS PERMITTED. IN OTHER YEARS, WE'LL GET BIG YEAR'S WORTH.

AND SO THIS YEAR 24 WAS ALMOST $250 MILLION IN VALUATION PERMITTED FOR RESIDENTIAL, WHICH IS A RECORD FOR LENEXA. IT'S ALWAYS INTERESTING FOR ME TO SEE WHERE OUR INSPECTORS ARE DOING THEIR DAILY WORK, AND THIS REFLECTS WHERE THOSE NEW SINGLE FAMILY PERMITS WERE PERMITTED IN 2024.

IT'S NO SURPRISE THAT WE'RE IN THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE CITY, WITH A FEW SCATTERED ELSEWHERE.

THIS IS THE FIVE YEAR LOOK AT THOSE SAME PERMITS AND COLORED BY YEARS.

NO SURPRISE THAT SEVERAL OF THESE SUBDIVISIONS ARE NEARING FULL BUILD OUT, AND AGAIN, KIND OF TOWARD THE WESTERN AREAS.

WE TALK ABOUT IN TRACK THE DEVELOPMENT PIPELINE.

IT'S A GOOD INDICATOR OF WHAT WE CAN EXPECT THIS YEAR.

AND SO THESE BLUE BARS REPRESENT THE THOSE PROJECTS THAT ARE ACTUALLY IN FOR PERMIT REVIEW.

SO THEY'VE BEEN THROUGH DEVELOPMENT PLAN. YOU'VE PASSED THEM IN VARIOUS FORMS. THEY'RE IN FOR BUILDING PERMITS. THEY DON'T ALL COME TO FRUITION.

BUT THIS BAR REPRESENTS WHAT THAT VALUATION NUMBER IS ON JANUARY 1ST OF EACH YEAR.

AND AS YOU CAN SEE. AND THEN THE YELLOW IS WHAT WE END UP WITH ON DECEMBER 31ST OF THAT YEAR.

AND SO THE FIRST END IS AN INDICATOR OF WHAT OUR OUTCOME IS.

AND IT'S FAIRLY PREDICTIVE OF WHAT WE CAN ANTICIPATE.

AND YOU CAN SEE THIS YEAR IS PRETTY CLOSE TO WHAT WE HAD LAST YEAR.

AND SO WE CAN PREDICT SIMILAR NUMBERS AT THE END OF THIS YEAR.

WE'LL SEE IF THAT HOLDS TRUE. THE OTHER THING I THINK THIS SLIDE REPRESENTS, WHICH WAS INTERESTING IN 24, IS THE NUMBER OF CRANES YOU ALL WITNESSED IN CITY CENTER.

SO WE HAD THE HOSPITAL WITH A COUPLE OF MAJOR CRANES.

WE HAD KIEWIT WITH A VERY STURDY LOOKING CRANE.

AND SO IT WAS KIND OF THE YEAR OF CRANES ON THE HORIZON IN CITY CENTER.

OUR PLANNING DIVISION AND PLANNING COMMISSION WAS VERY ACTIVE.

PRETTY TYPICAL YEAR. THERE WERE 127 APPLICATIONS PROCESSED IN VARIOUS FORMS. 70 OF THOSE APPLICATIONS WENT TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION FOR THEIR HARD WORK, OF WHICH, OF COURSE, COUNCIL MEMBER HANLEY WAS A PART OF THROUGHOUT ALL OF 2024.

ONE THING I DON'T KNOW HOW I MISSED THIS IN AN ANNUAL REPORT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, BUT I FAILED TO PUT THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, BEING APPROVED IN 2024. SO THAT'S A BIG MISS.

I'LL GO BACK AND THIS IS ON OUR WEBSITE, SO WE HAVE ROOM TO GO BACK AND MODIFY THIS.

BUT OF COURSE, THE PLANNING DIVISION AND PLANNING COMMISSION AND YOU ALL WERE KEY IN THAT WORK AS WELL.

WE TRACK WHERE THE PLANNING COMMISSION'S WORK IS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, AND YOU CAN SEE IT'S EVERYWHERE IN THE CITY.

BUT I JUST THINK THAT'S INTERESTING TO NOTE WHERE THAT WORK IS BEING DONE AT.

OUR LICENSING AND PERMIT DIVISION IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ISSUING AND PROCESSING BUSINESS LICENSE, RENTAL LICENSE, GETTING THE PERMITS THROUGH, YOU CAN SEE THEY DID OVER 4000 BUSINESS LICENSES, 1150 RENTAL LICENSING, DID A GOOD NUMBER OF HOURS IN CONTINUING EDUCATION.

OUR DEPARTMENT BRINGS IN THIS YEAR, JUST OVER $3 MILLION IN REVENUE FOR THOSE LICENSES.

PERMITS THAT WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR ENGINEERING SIDE OF THE DEPARTMENT WAS ACTIVE IN GETTING PROJECTS STARTED, WHETHER THEY BE PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS OR PRIVATE IMPROVEMENTS.

THEY TYPICALLY START WITH SOME SORT OF ENGINEERING PERMIT TO MODIFY A PRIVATE SITE OR PUT IN PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS FOR PLATT'S VARIOUS THINGS

[00:25:04]

WE ALSO HAVE I'D LIKE TO LOOK AT WHAT ENGINEERING KIND OF COMPLETED AND WHAT THEY ARE WORKING ON AND WHAT THEY'RE DESIGNING.

AND SO IN TERMS OF COMPLETED, YOU CAN SEE SOME BIG PROJECTS HERE, INCLUDING A LOT OF INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS, STREET LIGHTING IMPROVEMENTS, SEVERAL INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS THAT WERE DONE IN 2024, SEVERAL THAT WERE ONGOING.

ONE YOU JUST SAW. LOW TECH IS AN ONGOING PROJECT IN THE 95TH STREET SIGNALIZATION PROJECT WAS IS UNDERWAY. THE DESIGN WORK IN 2024 THAT WILL COME TO YOU THIS YEAR IS THE 83RD STREET, CLARE ROAD, GLEASON ROAD PROJECT, THE SANTA FE TRAIL DRIVE PROJECT, AND THE GATEWAY MONUMENT SIGNAGE IS UNDERWAY AS WELL.

SO THAT'S JUST A TIP OF THE ICEBERG IN TERMS OF PROJECTS.

AND YOU SEE MOST OF THEM THROUGH THE CIP PROCESS AS WELL.

OUR TRAFFIC DIVISION INSTALLED 167 NEW STREET LIGHTS, INSTALLED A COUPLE OF KEY TRAFFIC SIGNALS COUPLE IN CITY CENTER AND THEN AGAIN AT 83RD AND MONTICELLO, JUST EAST OF K-7.

I THINK THAT WAS A PROJECT IN PART WITH SHAWNEE.

SO IT'S A GOOD INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS THERE AND ALSO IMPLEMENTED OVER 920 STREET LIGHT NODES, WHICH ARE KEY TO TRACKING DIFFERENT DATA POINTS WITH OUR SYSTEM.

YOU HAD A GOOD PRESENTATION ABOUT STORMWATER LAST WEEK.

THIS KIND OF HIGHLIGHTS THE NITTY GRITTY IN TERMS OF INSPECTING PRIVATE BMPS FOR WATER QUALITY.

WHAT THOSE INSPECTIONS LOOK LIKE, YOU CAN SEE HERE THE NUMBER OF FEET OF PIPELINING AND REPLACEMENT THAT TOM PRESENTED TO YOU LAST WEEK.

AND SO, AGAIN, SOME GOOD WORK THERE. A POPULAR RESIDENT PROGRAM IS OUR COST SHARE PROGRAM, WHERE WE BUDGET AND AWARD $26,000 IN REIMBURSEMENTS FOR ENHANCING PEOPLE'S YARDS WITH IMPROVEMENTS THAT ENHANCE WATER QUALITY.

THAT'S A POPULAR PROGRAM. WE HAVE OUR BUILDING SAFETY DEPARTMENT.

YOU SAW THAT IN 2023. WE HAD A BIG RECORD YEAR FOR PERMITTING, WHILE IN 2024 THEY WERE BUSY INSPECTING ALL OF THAT VALUATION THAT WAS PERMITTED.

AND SO WE DID A RECORD NUMBER OF BUILDING CODE INSPECTIONS IN 2024, CATCHING UP WITH THE WORK DONE IN 2023.

THESE WERE SOME OF THE MAJOR PROJECTS PERMITTED.

YOU'LL BE FAMILIAR WITH MOST OF THESE SEVERAL IN CITY CENTER AND ELSEWHERE ARE PROJECTS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON VERY ACTIVELY THIS YEAR IN INSPECTING.

OUR COMMUNITY STANDARDS DIVISION IS RESPONSIBLE FOR HELPING OWNERS MEET PROPERTY MAINTENANCE CODES AND OTHER IMPORTANT PROPERTY CODES. AND WE DID A LITTLE BIT OF A PIVOT IN 24 TO PAY A LITTLE MORE ATTENTION TO COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES, WHETHER IT BE THEIR BUILDING FACADES AND ROOFING AND SIDING.

A LOT OF PARKING LOT, POTHOLE REPAIR, PRIVATE DRIVES.

WE HAD A MAJOR PRIVATE DRIVE STREET COMPLETELY REBUILT.

TOOK CARE OF SOME STORMWATER ISSUES AND A LOT OF SERIOUS POTHOLING.

AND SO YOU CAN SEE HERE THAT THEY ALSO COMPLETED THEIR TYPICAL RENTAL INSPECTION PROGRAM.

OVER 3250 CODE VIOLATIONS RESULTED IN 55 CHARGES TO MUNICIPAL COURT.

CLOSE TO 100 ABATEMENTS THEY DID. AND 26 MASSAGE ESTABLISHMENT INSPECTIONS THAT THAT DIVISION DOES.

WE ALREADY PRESENTED SOME OF THE EXTERIOR GRANT PROGRAMS, SO I WON'T DWELL ON THIS.

JUST AS A REMINDER, IT'S ALWAYS A GOOD PAYOFF THAT OUR $90,000 WORTH OF GRANT MONEY RETURNS CLOSE TO $250,000 OF INVESTMENT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. THAT'S ALL PUBLIC FACING INVESTMENT.

AND THIS IS WHERE THOSE GRANTS WERE AWARDED IN THE COMMUNITY.

AND THIS ISN'T EXCLUSIVELY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, BUT I'LL END HERE, AND IT'S A GOOD REMINDER TO ME THAT WE ARE SUPPORTED BY EVERY DEPARTMENT IN THE CITY, AND THAT'S WHAT HELPS GENERATE OUR NUMBERS.

AND SO I'M THANKFUL I HAVE A GREAT DEAL OF GRATITUDE FOR ALL OF OUR DEPARTMENTS THAT THAT HELP US GET OUR JOB DONE.

AND THIS WAS THE LAST SUPER BOWL, NOT THIS PAST IMMEDIATE SUPER BOWL.

SO KEEP THE GOOD VIBES GOING. NEXT YEAR WE'LL BE BACK AT IT AND I'LL ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.

QUESTIONS FOR SCOTT. MARK ANYONE SCOTT. THANKS.

WHAT WAS THAT NODE THING THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT? 900 AND SOMETHING, STREETLIGHT NODES. WHAT WERE THE WHAT IS THE SPECIFICS OF THAT?

[00:30:02]

STEVE SCHOOLEY IS LEADING ON THAT. AND PERHAPS SOME IN THE NEXT MUNICIPAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT.

I DON'T HAVE MUCH DETAIL. NICK, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE SOME GREATER DETAIL FOR US OR TIM IF YOU DO.

NICK. YEAH. SO. YEAH. NICK ARENA, MUNICIPAL SERVICES DIRECTOR.

SO IF YOU LOOK UP ON STREET LIGHTS, YOU'LL SEE A LITTLE DISC THAT'S ON THEM.

THOSE ARE THE NODES. IT ALLOWS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT STAFF AND OUR STAFF TO REALLY MONITOR WHEN THEY GO OUT.

BUT ALSO IF THE LINES HAVE BEEN CUT OR THE LINES HAVE BEEN STOLEN.

SO WE'RE KIND OF TRANSITIONING TO PUTTING THESE ON MORE OF OUR DIRECT FEED LINES THAT OUR STAFF REALLY CANNOT WORK ON THEM BECAUSE THEY'RE ALWAYS LIVE.

SO THAT'S REALLY THE BASE OF WHAT THEY DO. OKAY.

OKAY. THANKS. NICK. I HAVE A QUESTION. HEY, NICK.

MAN, I'M GETTING DIRT ALL OVER THE PLACE TODAY. SORRY.

NO WORRIES. WHEN YOU SAY STOLEN, YOU MEAN SOMEONE THAT, LIKE, COMES TO, LIKE, STRIP COPPER OR.

YES. EXACTLY. RIGHT. THEY'LL STEAL THE WIRING OUT OF THERE.

SO. YEP. THAT'S IT. OKAY, BILL. HEY, SCOTT. ONE OF YOUR SLIDES MENTIONED TIMBER ROCK. WHERE ARE WE AT? ON THE SENIOR LIVING BUILDING. THEY WERE ISSUED A PERMIT IN LATE 2024.

I'M NOT SURE THEY'VE COMPLETELY MOBILIZED. THERE HAS BEEN SOME GROUNDWORK DONE OUT THERE, AND BUT THEY DO HAVE THEIR WITHIN, YOU KNOW, THEIR WINDOW OF BEING, HAVING AN ACTIVE PERMIT TO GET THE FIRST INSPECTION COMPLETED.

THEY'VE MOVED A TRAILER IN AND THEY HAVE FENCING AND SIGNAGE, BUT I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY ACTIVITY RECENTLY.

IT'S BEEN A LITTLE BIT OF SNOW. YEAH, IT'S BEEN A ROUGH WINTER.

OTHER QUESTIONS? I KNOW THERE WAS A BILL IN THE LEGISLATURE THAT TALKED ABOUT TRYING TO REGULATE THE AMOUNT OF DAYS OR TIME PERIOD WHICH LOCAL GOVERNMENTS HAD TO REVIEW PERMITS AND MAYBE NOT GETTING THAT EXACTLY RIGHT.

BUT DO YOU HAVE ANY SENSE FOR OF THE THINGS THAT YOU REVIEW, WHAT THE AVERAGE TURNAROUND TIME IS FOR US, OUR TEAM, WE'RE TRACKING THAT BILL. DEPENDS ON WHETHER IT PASSES AND WHAT THE FINAL VERSION LOOKS LIKE.

WE OF COURSE WILL TAKE WHATEVER IS PASSED AND WORK TO WE WILL OBVIOUSLY MEET IT.

IF IT WAS GOING TO BE A BIG CHANGE, IF WE'RE ALREADY EXCEEDING, I DON'T KNOW THAT. I DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S GOING TO AFFECT US ALL THAT MUCH. OKAY. THE BILL IS GOING TO HAVE SOME CONSEQUENCES. SOME MAY BE POSITIVE.

SOME MAY BE NEGATIVE. I THINK THE BILL PROBABLY WAS PUT FORTH BY CITIES THAT WEREN'T, THAT WERE REALLY STRINGING ALONG IN A DECISION.

AND WE'RE PRETTY TIMELY WITH OUR DECISIONS. AND SO I DON'T HAVE MUCH CONCERN FOR IT.

THAT'S WHAT I FIGURE. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. THANK YOU. OKAY. THIS ENDS THE RECORDED PORTION OF THE MEETING.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.