Jackson County, Missouri
Truth in Reporting
Action Alert!
Attention Western Independence Residents!
Thank you for your valuable time. The matter below is deeply concerning.
My name is Leigh Phillips, affected homeowner in District 1, Independence, Missouri. I am seeking, the mobilization of all volunteers in the GOP to help us here in Independence, to protest and fight against this overlay project becoming reality and law. This is a willful, and I feel that it is an illegal way of breaking the residential zoning use laws within the City of Independence, Jackson County, Missouri land use laws and the State of Missouri use laws, as they are currently written on the books.
Englewood Arts District is NOT asking our permission but rather usurping our homeowners rights, and we will have no remedies to keep our neighborhoods, well, our neighborhoods. We may possibly be forced out of our homes if this goes through. This will spread from District to District until the entire City of Independence is one big Urban development, run and controlled by out of town investors. As I have mentioned in the City Council speeches over the last two years, "if we are not thoughtful and careful, there will no longer be a community to support the 'Business Community' tagline on the City's literature."
I understand this is short notice, but the matter is scheduled for public hearing with Independence Planning Commission, August 8, 2023 @ 6:00 pm. Scheduled for City Council, September 18, 2023 @ 6:00 pm. Both will be held at Independence City Hall, Lower Level.
This is how I see it, as a homeowner and citizen of Independence, Missouri. Others may have different input.
1. Englewood Arts District detached from the City of Independence because they didn't want to have to abide by the City of Independence zoning laws, so that they could "do as they pleased" in Englewood, without City interference. Their own personal Municode (zoning laws) can be found here. Here is the Englewood Arts Overlay project video as explained by Dennis Strait. So far, everyone who has viewed this video has asked me, "What is he talking about?".
2. Current residential base zoning uses are as here.
3. District 1 is the poorest, oldest and most neglected portion of Independence, thanks to our current City Council Representative. He has been in position for 14, unopposed years. My PAC is hoping to shift that in 2024.
4. Out of town investors, Gould Evans, spearheaded by Dennis Strait, Kansas City, MO, and other out of town, big money groups invested in the Englewood Arts District, want to overlay the Englewood Arts codes on top of the City's residential use zoning laws in District 1. The overlaid codes would supersede our residential zoning use laws with theirs. I would argue they want to usurp the rights and remedies of the homeowners in those neighborhoods. They want "control" of our neighborhoods without interference from the City. This leaves no protection for neighborhoods or homeowners once in place.
Gould Evans is also associated with Urban3 and like to term their vision as "Up-Zoning". Here is a podcast explaining their "vision".
It is my understanding that they want to urbanize Independence into 100% mixed-use zoning (blur the lines) so that neighborhoods can no longer thrive, forcing people out of their homes for apartment complexes with street-level businesses, and eventually make everyone dependent on renting, from them. This only benefits the municipality and the developers/architects. There is no benefit to neighborhoods that I can see.
With this take-over, citizens will no longer be homeowners and they will be forced to sell their homes to the developers for pennies on the dollar. This is the long-term destruction of citizens being able to band together and we will have nothing to say about what the Englewood Arts District deems for our neighborhoods. We will have no way to fight, and no say against it once the overlay goes through. If we thought a single Air B & B infiltration (forcing mixed-use into residential neighborhoods) was bad, this will be 10 times worse, at minimum.
I attended a meeting in Englewood about this project. It was explained like this...homeowners with enough land, can literally build a tiny-house or tiny-building in their side yard. As long as it meets Englewood's requirements, the owner can then rent it as a short-term rental for either rental, short term rental (Air B&B) or commercial (pop-up drive through chicken shack). More traffic. More trouble. More people. The tax income is split between the City and the developer. Nothing is put back into the neighborhood.
-My questions/concerns are...with the speed at which they build these complexes, is the City of Independence infrastructure (sewage, trash, electric, etc.) going to be able to keep up without blowing up? What kind of thought has been put into these issues? We don't know because there is little transparency.
-With the infiltration of lots and lots of people/renters all at one time, does that not cause more class warfare issues, more communicable disease and food shortage issues? Again, unknown. Lack of transparency.
-Will Englewood Arts be able to dictate how the buildings/homes under it's overlay will be decorated, i.e. will they require personal homeowners to "take down their flags" because it's not allowed under their municode overlay program? Will they mandate how our yards are landscaped to resemble Englewood? Things like this.
The problem with Mixed use is not so much the concept of mixing residential and commercial zoning, as it is the scale of development. Many older commercial buildings had apartments above them, but they were few in number and privately owned. But Mixed Use zoning, as it has evolved in recent years, is primarily geared to large scale corporate developers, who work with government agencies to qualify for tax credits and subsidies. Virtually every city that has embraced Mixed Use development has done so at enormous public expense, and the over-development of mixed use complexes have very negative effects on communities.
MIXED USE AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING
One of the problems with Mixed Use Development is that it is far more expensive than conventional multi-family housing, and in most cases depends on generous public financing. This HUD Slide show on Mixed Use Development openly discusses the difficulties combining commercial and residential properties. Problems include:
High construction costs because of expenses associated with parking structures, firewalls, elevators, fire suppression systems, and municipal design standards.
Projects with multiple uses are inherently more complex and less efficient to design, finance and manage.
“Affordability gaps” associated with both housing and commercial uses (i.e. target tenants unable to afford market rents.)
Unwillingness of private capital to fund development unless incentivized by tax credits.
The majority of mixed-use projects, both nationally and locally, require significant public subsidies.
No one denies that Mixed use developments may make sense in resort areas or upscale urban neighborhoods where there is a high demand for luxury condos and apartments. But in suburban-rural areas, there are less expensive options for low cost housing. Manufactured homes, duplexes, and small scale apartments are more economical per square foot than Mixed use projects, easier to build, and offer opportunities for home ownership. The sudden profusion of Mixed Use zoning in Kootenai cities is based on a perceived need for “affordable” housing, yet Mixed Use is the most expensive, least practical way of addressing affordability problems. Something doesn’t add up.
Any help or suggestions would be of great value in this situation, and I thank you kindly again, for your valuable time.
God Bless.
Leigh Phillips, Concerned Citizen and Homeowner in Independence, Missouri. My direct line is 816.507.0459 for questions/comments, or feel free to reply directly to this email.
Paid for by Concerned Citizens of Independence Missouri PAC, L. Phillips,Treasurer, 1701 Troost Avenue #1019, Kansas City, MO 64108 | Est. 2023
CCoIndepMO.US
