Kansas City is offering some assurances to a developer who filed a complaint with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Eagle Point Development is charging the city with attempting to force low-income African-American tenants out of their apartments on East Armour Boulevard.
The City Council has made no public comment. But the full body and the Housing Committee spent several hours in closed session this week, presumably discussing the legal issues.
The council then passed a resolution Thursday declaring it does not intend to pursue further a blight study declaring several apartment buildings on Armour Boulevard a “social liability” or face refinancing of the properties.
Housing Commitee chair Melba Curls said the resolution also seeks to create a dialog between the owner, Eagle Point Companies and The Hyde Park Neighborhood Association along with tenants, representatives of the city and the Kansas City Police Department.
Curls said the resolution and the discussions aim to "improve and resolve the issues brought to the city's attention."
"The city wants to open the channels of communication to a positive conclusion, " Curls said.
Those issues include neighborhood concerns that the low-income apartment buildings contribute to the incidence of crime in the area. Eagle Point contends that the apartments are well-kept and crime has actually declined in the Hyde Park area since their renovation.
The resolution also reassures neighborhood groups that their concerns are not being abandoned. It promises that the city will continue to attempt to remedy the crime issue "by taking actions that are within the city's powers and authority."
