The city of Lenexa is recommending that officials deny the request for a special use permit to operate a homeless shelter, potentially throwing a wrench in Johnson County’s ability to close on the sale of the hotel it wants to convert in a tight timeline. Last month, reStart, Inc., the Kansas City-based homeless services organization selected to own the site, submitted to the city of Lenexa an application for a permit to operate the hotel building as a shelter. Johnson County has committed roughly $10.5 million in federal funds toward purchasing and renovating the La Quinta Inn and Suites off of Interstate 35 and 95th Street. The permit is required to both close on the real estate purchase and to run the shelter. But the county and reStart are now facing a major roadblock as city staff has informed officials of the intention to recommend the application be rejected. Denise Rendina, city spokeswoman, declined to provide details explaining why the city is recommending the permit be denied. She said more information will be released next week, ahead of the planning commission considering the application at its Aug. 26 meeting. The council would vote on the request next, at its Sept. 17 meeting. It’s unclear what criteria reStart’s application fails to meet, or how easily the organization could address the city’s concerns. Denial of the application could at least send officials back to the drawing board, pushing back the county’s ambitious timeline for closing on the sale and opening the shelter as early as next year. Part of the timeline hinges on the county’s deadline to spend federal COVID-19 relief funds, the money officials have dedicated to getting the project done. “The county believes that the proposed Homeless Services Center will meet a known community need and will benefit vulnerable populations throughout Johnson County. We also recognize this is a bold new approach, and therefore reStart and the county have worked diligently to address all questions and concerns raised by the city so far and will continue to do so,” Johnson County spokeswoman Anne Christiansen-Bullers told The Star in an email. “We appreciate the ongoing collaboration with City of Lenexa staff throughout this process, and we respect the work they do on behalf of residents. The City of Lenexa is on the front line of meeting this community need.” Lenexa officials consider special use permits using specific criteria, including the character of the neighborhood and how the project will affect nearby properties, the suitability of the property for the type of development, and gain to public health and safety. Lenexa added homeless shelters as an allowable use in its city code a few years ago, which made it possible for the nonprofit Project 1020 to operate its temporary winter shelter out of a church, plus laid out regulations for a potential permanent shelter. City officials made the move after Shawnee Mission Unitarian Universalist Church sued the city and won for its right to house the winter shelter.
Source: Joco 913 News
