A much-watched and controversial project to bring office buildings and a park to a prominent green space in Westwood is moving forward.
During a Thursday night meeting, the Westwood City Council approved several items related to Mission Woods-based Karbank Holdings LLC’s project proposal for Rainbow Boulevard between 50th and 51st streets.
Karbank envisions replacing Joe D. Dennis Park with four multi-story, mixed-use buildings and giving the city 3.86 acres — where the original Westwood View Elementary currently sits — for a new park.
The governing body, including the mayor, approved a preliminary development plan and rezoning requests in a 5-to-1 vote. Councilmember Holly Wimer voted in opposition.
The city council, excluding the mayor, also unanimously approved three different agreements related to the project, including a development agreement to outline project details and stipulate the process of Karbank passing ownership of the old school site to the city.
Residents have voiced opposition to the Karbank project for months now, and have packed the city council chambers to share their concerns.
As part of their critiques, some residents have also raised questions about city officials’ connections with Karbank, particularly Mayor David Waters, and have suggested that conflicts of interest are at play in the project’s approval.
The Karbank project calls for six total buildings
There are four multi-story retail and office buildings and two “pavilion” retail structures planned for the site.
Joe D. Dennis Park, at the corner of 50th Street and Rainbow Boulevard, will be demolished to make way for the four mixed-use buildings. The mixed-use buildings will also extend to the site of the former Westwood Christian Church, 5050 Rainbow Blvd., just to south of Dennis Park.
Joe D. Dennis Park is the city’s main and largest park, though there are a couple of other smaller “pocket parks” in Westwood, too.
In exchange for demolishing the existing park, Karbank plans to give Westwood 3.86 acres of land where the old elementary school still stands nearby for a new public park.
From Rainbow Boulevard, the multi-story buildings will stand at 50 to 66 feet tall. Due to the grading of the land, the buildings will look about 18 feet shorter for park patrons who are looking east toward the development, according to the city.
Kenny Miller with Perspective Architecture and Design, in response to city councilmember questions on Thursday, said developers tried to balance community concerns about height and mature tree preservation with the plan.
If the developers cut back on the height, then the buildings would need to expand to make financial sense — and that would result in the loss of at least four more mature trees along Rainbow Boulevard, Miller said.
Public incentives are only on the table for the development of the park, which is the city’s responsibility to design and construct after Karbank gives the land to the city.
Residents still oppose the project
About a dozen Westwood residents spoke on Thursday, a majority of whom implored the city council to vote against moving the Karbank project forward.
These residents said their concerns include pedestrian safety, increased traffic and whether the project makes financial sense for the city.
Some, in this meeting and in previous meetings, said the project fails to comply with the city’s vision for the Rainbow corridor outlined in Westwood’s comprehensive plan.
The fear of losing the identity of Westwood with the removal of Joe D. Dennis Park remained a top concern, too.
Resident Dennis DuPont said he heard his neighbors talk about the “emotional impact and the scar that can be left on this community” with the Karbank project.
DuPont said Joe D. Dennis Park is the identity of Westwood and it “carries the heart of the city.”
“Don’t rush this thing,” DuPont said. “Don’t put yourselves in a position where you will have to look at us in five years and say, ‘I’m sorry.’ Please don’t put yourselves in that position. Give yourselves a chance to figure this thing out, you have not done it yet.”
Speaking in defense of the project, former mayor John Yé said concerns about losing the identity of the city have come up in just about every major change in Westwood in the past decade. This includes the approval of Woodside Village, the sale of the Entercom site, which made way for the new Westwood View Elementary, he said.
Westwood has yet to lose its identity because of those previous changes, Yé said.
Yé added that though he dislikes several aspects of the Karbank project, he is in support of the development and the new revenues and opportunities it may bring the city.
One resident is concerned about conflicts of interest
Bernard Brown questioned whether some city officials, Mayor Waters in particular, have any conflicts of interest through a potential connection with Karbank.
Brown said he tried to address it directly with the city council and the mayor himself previously but received no formal denial of conflicts of interest.
Brown on Thursday went on to say elected officials should welcome questions of conflicts of interest from constituents.
Waters, who is a partner at the law firm Spencer Fane and also represents the city of Prairie Village as its attorney, addressed the matter during Thursday’s meeting.
He said he nor his firm represents — or has ever represented — Karbank. He said he has received no compensation or gifts from Karbank, and he has no financial interests with the company.
“Simply put, if I had a conflict of interest, I would have disclosed it,” Waters said.
Council members defend their votes
Councilmember Jason Hannaman said he supports the Karbank project along Westwood partially because without this specific proposal, he sees no viable path for the city to get a bigger park.
Hannaman said he believes it is his responsibility to the entire Westwood community to make decisions for the betterment of the city’s future.
Council President Jeff Harris said he agrees with some of the opposition to the project like the height of the buildings.
Still, Harris said the project allows for the city park to move away from Rainbow Boulevard — designated a four-lane state highway — and keep commercial development along the main corridor.
While others interpret the city’s comprehensive plan differently, Harris said, he sees commercial development along Rainbow Boulevard outlined in that guiding document.
Councilmember Andrew Buckman said the park is the driving force behind his support.
“We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to expand green space.. To create a park that is useful for our kids — my kids — and that’s just an opportunity we just can’t pass up on,” Buckman said.
Next steps
The planning commission is set to consider the final development plan for the Karbank proposal at its November meeting.
The city council will consider additional items related to the tax increment financing district for the park portion of the project at a later time.
Karbank anticipates both the commercial development and the park — which will need to go through a planning process in the next year — to open simultaneously in fall 2026.
This story was originally published by the Shawnee Mission Post.
