KCPS moves Bryant Elementary housing plan forward as neighbors debate demolition
After Kansas City Public Schools confirmed they are moving forward with plans for the vacant Bryant Elementary School lot, neighbors are debating what's best for the historic site.
KCPS confirmed to KMBC that on August 12th, the district determined they would be moving a proposal forward in the repurposing project.
Nicknamed the Sunflower proposal, it would make way for 14 single-family homes on the lot.
As of Wednesday, more than 500 signatures have been gathered on a petition calling for the school not to be demolished.
The issue brought several neighbors to public comment at the KCPS board meeting.
"None of the neighbors I have talked to want to see the school demolished. Many resigned to that fact. And, those people who did say yes, 'I chose the sunflower proposal,' did so based on what was happening with the rest of the site and not based on the plan for the school," Nicolas Kemper, a neighbor of the school lot, said.
Another neighbor, Suzanne Fox, represented three homeowners' associations that intersect with the project site. On behalf of the HOAs, she argued the chosen project offered the most thought-out solution.
"There may never be a solution for Bryant that everyone agrees is perfect, but after years of public meetings, neighborhood involvement proposals, surveys, and evaluations, KCPS has identified a viable path forward," Fox said.
How the proposal came to be
The Sunflower proposal, or Proposal C, was one of three proposals that neighbors could weigh in on during listening sessions and a survey over the summer. While two of the three involved demolitions of the school, one left room for the school to be an early childhood center, if able to be repurposing.
Pastor Shawn Franssens hosted two of three listening sessions on the development options at nearby Country Club United Methodist Church. He said the overall consensus was that residents were tired of the empty lot.
"There was a lot of attachment to the property, but I think there was also a sense that it's been vacant for a number of years," Franssens said.
As indicated by survey data released by KCPS regarding the project, Franssens said there were different ideas as to what was most important.
"There was some pretty strong opposition to it becoming some kind of an apartment or some kind of subsidized housing. Those projects didn't seem to have a lot of support, so I was not at all surprised when the proposals came back to be single-family homes," Franssens said.
The data released from the public survey showed the most "strongly support" or "support" answers given for the chosen Sunflower project. However, when those same respondents were asked to rank the three options, more ranked Proposal B, which offered to keep the Bryant building and add townhomes surrounding.
The district findings said a majority of the Proposal B answers came from outside the neighborhood. They said a majority of those who chose Sunflower or Proposal C, which involved demolition, thought it catered to larger lots and neighborhood character.
What happens now
In a statement to KMBC, the district said they have not yet signed the deal with Sunflower Development Group regarding the site.
"The Board has not taken action or approved the sale. We briefed the Board on Aug. 12, and it was determined based upon community feedback we would continue moving the proposal forward in the repurposing process. The next steps are negotiating terms and finalizing a sales contract," Jesse Lange, KCPS Manager of Planning and Real Estate, said.
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