If the Lenexa City Council on Tuesday denies a special use permit to operate a homeless shelter, Johnson County could be sent back to the drawing board — possibly needing to find a new location and deciding whether to commit alternate funding in the face of a fast-approaching federal deadline. The decision would be a major setback after the county has spent months evaluating the Lenexa site, following years of planning for a much-needed shelter. Late last month, the Lenexa Planning Commission voted 9-0 to deny a special use permit request to operate a year-round shelter at the La Quinta Inn and Suites off of Interstate 35 and 95th Street. The permit is required for the county to close on the real estate purchase, and needed for reStart, the Kansas City-based homeless services agency, to run the shelter. In its recommendation to reject the permit, Lenexa city staff said the use is inconsistent with the character of the neighborhood, would “create a concentration of negative external impacts” in the community, detrimentally affect nearby properties and strain law enforcement resources. But the Lenexa City Council has the final say to approve or deny the permit, or send it back to the planning commission with reasoning for it to be reconsidered. The council will consider the permit request at its meeting next Tuesday evening.
Source: Joco 913 News
