Monday, May 8, 2023


. . . BREAKING NEWS . . .

PUBLIC MEETING AT KENAGY PARK

The Public is invited to attend a Public Meeting to discuss a proposed zoning change at 5348 Blue Ridge Boulevard. The meeting will be held:

Thursday, June 1, 2023
at
C. LEE KENAGY PARK
79th and Raytown Road
(enter the park at 79th Street)

 The meeting will be held at the main Shelter House
The gathering will begin at 6:00 p.m.
The meeting will begin at 6:15 p.m.

The purpose of this meeting is to hold an open discussion about a proposed plan by a developer to build a Discount Smokes and Alcohol Convenience Store and Gas Station at the 5348 location on Blue Ridge Boulevard. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT NICOLE MOORE AT 816-446-3355.


USE THIS LINK TO Comment AND VIEW COMMENTS


The Raytown Planning and Zoning Commission has finished its public meetings on a proposed Discount Smokes, Alcohol and Gasoline Station at 5348 Blue Ridge Boulevard.

At its final meeting the Planning and Zoning Commissioners voted 6 NO to 3 YES in their recommendation to deny the application. 

The issue now goes to the Board of Aldermen for final consideration. There will be two public hearings on the application. The first of these two meetings will be on Tuesday, June 6th at Raytown City Hall.

Under Missouri State Laws the City is required to hold two public forums in which members of the public can speak before the Board on rezoning Questions.

The public is invited to attend
and speak at this Public Hearing.

Any member of the public will be given the opportunity to address the Planning and Zoning Commission during the meeting. Any one wishing to address the Board of Aldermen is welcome to speak. You need not live in Raytown to address the Board of Aldermen.

  • An individual speaker will be allowed 5 minutes to address the Board of Aldermen.
  • Speakers representing three or more people will be allowed 15 minutes to speak on behalf of three or more individuals. A minimum of two people from the group will stand with the speaker while the speaker is speaking.

There will be a sign-up sheet at the entrance for those who wish to address the Commission. It is best to sign up, rather than regret not having spoken.

Use the following link to view comments spoken by the last public forum held on this important zoning issue. Start the video at  5.A. Case No.: PZ 2023-01. To go to the comments from the public go to the 4:15 (time) mark on the video playback bar located at the bottom of the video.


USE THIS LINK . . . Planning and Zoning Meeting

USE THIS LINK TO Comment AND VIEW COMMENTS


BY PAUL LIVIUS

PAUL'S RANT!
Follow the Process

There has been a constant litany coming from the Mayor’s office on the subject of how best to run our city. The most recent phrase hammered at the Board of Aldermen meetings is “follow the process”. No one has ever given a decent explanation of what  those three words mean.

So I jumped into the Wonderful World Wide Web to find a definition that fits. I think the following is spot on. 

What is a synonym for “Follow the Process”?

ANSWER: Act in accordance with, be guided by, comply, conform, give allegiance to, heed, mind, note, obey, observe, regard, toe the line, watch.

Sounds like someone really needs to be in control . . . doesn’t it!


The Boys of Summer return to Colman Park
The Raytown Parks and Recreation has begun its annual ritual of Senior Adult Softball at Colman Park. The teams are part of the Heart of America Senior Softball League. Stop by any Wednesday evening to enjoy watching these guys in action on their personal field of dreams.

 -----------------------------------------------------------

There has been some disinformation regarding the history of the 5.2 acres of land under consideration for a zoning change from Residential to Commercial. The purpose of this article is to clearly state the historical facts of the property.

The source for this historical timeline is Mr. Robert Voorheis, former owner of the property and Blue Ridge Nursery.

HISTORICAL TIMELINE
5348 Blue Ridge Boulevard

MID-1865 TO 1932: In the wake of the Civil War many Americans turned their vision of the future to the west to begin a new life. Those who chose to resettle further west used trails to find their way to a new home. One of the most popular routes passed through Jackson County, Missouri. It was called the Santa Fe Trail.

The Santa Fe Trail passed through present time Raytown. Its route followed what is known as the Blue Ridge Boulevard. The trail followed the crest line of the Blue Ridge as it worked its way west.

In 1932 Mr. Emory Snoddy, purchased the 5.2 acres that would eventually become known as Blue Ridge Nursery and began a tree farm on the property.

Snoddy held title to the land until his death in 1968.

At that time, the property was passed on to his two daughters, Francis and Jean Snoddy. According to Mr. Voorheis the two sisters hired individuals over the years to maintain and continue the nursery.

1964 – 1974: Mr. Howard Keeton purchased the nursery from Francis and Jean Snoddy. Keeton operated the nursery until 1974. Francis and Jean held title to the property and paid the real estate taxes during this time.

1974 – 1991: In 1974 Robert Voorheis purchased the nursery. It is important to note the business was sold. However, the property was not sold and remained the possession of Francis and Jean Snoddy. 

1991 – 2013: In 1991 Robert Voorheis purchased the property. He continued to operate the nursery until October, 2013.

The Jackson County Assessor ruled the property was of a mixed use.

Approximately one portion of the property was designated as residential, with a second portion designated as agricultural. Two small buildings (which are still standing today) were included in the assessment. A small single room building was used as an office. The second building was used to store equipment needed to maintain the property.    

When Mr. Voorhies decided to retire, the City of Raytown contacted him in writing. He was told that since he no longer had an occupation license he was required to remove his business sign from the property by cutting it down at ground level.

The letter also instructed Voorheis that since there was no longer a business license associated with the address, the entire 5.2 acres would revert back to a Residential Zoning classification.

Mr. Voorheis agreed to the terms set out by City of Raytown.

Given the decision by the City, it should not be allowed to change its mind ten years later. Particularly in the face of the opposition that has come before the Planning and Zoning Commission from the public in these two hearings.

USE THIS LINK TO Comment AND VIEW COMMENTS

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

There may be a typo in the Raytown Report information. Using the internet I was unable to find DBC Architecture. I was, however, able to find information on Dana Blay of DBL Architecture. To say that this guy has a resume would be a stretch. I found one negative review, from a google user. I found one positive review, written by Mr. Blay. I can't make any judgements about Mr. Blay, as I've never met him. But it does seem that someone in the business of being an architect would have a greater on-line presence. A list of projects, reviews, photos, or clients would help to create a greater appearance of legitimacy. Sadly, I also learned that Mr. Blay is involved with creating music.
Similarly, I had no luck in learning anything about Nasruddin Bhamani. I don't mean to make that sound negative, after all, I'm posting anonymously. On the other hand, I'm not asking the city of Raytown to make a zoning exception for me to build a gas station/convenience store. I don't know this person, I hope our aldermen do.
I hope our aldermen also know the sources of revenue for Raytown. The majority of revenue comes from citizens, not businesses. In short, if you promote businesses that make citizens want to leave, revenues will not grow, they will shrink. The costs of running a city won't become less, which will mean that those of us who remain here will be asked to shoulder a greater burden. Again.